The Stuttgart-based carmaker said it had realized that insulating panel seals in the engine bay could come loose, and in rare cases could come into contact with hot components.

It said it was offering to secure the panels with four brackets, which would take about 15 minutes and would be free for customers.

Daimler knew of 127,000 affected E-Class and CLS-Class vehicles in China and 22,000 in Germany, it said.

(Reporting by Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Greg Mahlich)