Mercedes-Benz A-Class

1997

With Mercedes-Benz's high-quality reputation, expectations were high for the launch of their first luxury small car with new innovative safety features. However, during a safety test for a Swedish consumer magazine, the car rolled and dangerously failed the test. Soon the car was rolling in similar safety tests around Europe. After initially denying the problem, Mercedes finally recalled the cars and fixed it. This was an embarrassing failure for the maker of the world’s best cars, and a reminder that even the best and biggest sometimes fail.

Additional info:

Wikipedia - Moose Test

The Washington Post - Mercedes recalls minicar efter it flunks ‘moose’ test