Daimler recalls 1.3m cars

The German-US auto maker said the cars include six and eight-cylinder models which will have the voltage regulator in the alternator checked and, if needed, replaced.

On the E-class and CLS-class models, built from January 2002 to January 2005, battery control software will be installed. The company also said the braking system on the E, SL and CLS-class made since June 2001 would be updated.

The company said the recall was part of its effort to improve its renewed emphasis on its cars and is notifying its customers in writing of the recall.

"We are now producing the best product quality ever and our aim is to ensure that those vehicles in the hands of customers which are the cause of complaints achieve a standard of quality that reflects our highest expectations," Eckhard Cordes, the head of Mercedes-Benz, said in a statement.

The company has set up hot-lines for customers in the US and Europe.