← New search

2013 MERCEDES-BENZ GL450

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2013 MERCEDES-BENZ GL450 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 29.

About this comparison →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
Compare all GL450 years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

23 reports with mileage · 14 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Seats. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

1 crash reports1 fire reports2 injury reports

Engine complaints

9 reports
Clear category filter
Mileage unknown · Mar 13, 2026
Engine

I was driving along in my 2013 MB GL450 with the M278 engine when the engine stopped. I had it towed to my home and checked it out. I had a suspicion the engine was seized. I eventually had to towed to my closest MB dealership for evaluation. The engine was seized. Their further investigation revealed that a wrong oil filte…

Read full complaint

I was driving along in my 2013 MB GL450 with the M278 engine when the engine stopped. I had it towed to my home and checked it out. I had a suspicion the engine was seized. I eventually had to towed to my closest MB dealership for evaluation. The engine was seized. Their further investigation revealed that a wrong oil filter had been installed when the oil was changed 5 months and 3000 miles earlier. I tried to find out what this wrong filter would cause. I asked the dealership and then MB and got no response. I suspect if this filter caused the issue it would have been an oil pressure issue. The car gave no indication of anything wrong prior to engine seizing. I got no message on the display and when switching on the switch there is no indicator on the dashboard to indicate anything about oil pressure. There is no "oil can" that pops up red indicating an oil pressure issue. To this day have no idea why the engine seized other than an improper oil filter.

NHTSA ODI #11724243

Mileage unknown · Jun 26, 2023
Engine

Exhaust valve not working properly and the result of an engine misfire. Mercedez sent us a warranty letter to extend the warranty for this issue 6 months after our warranty expired even though you can find online this has been a known issue for our model of car and year, GL450 2013. There are tons of online forums and threads fr…

Read full complaint

Exhaust valve not working properly and the result of an engine misfire. Mercedez sent us a warranty letter to extend the warranty for this issue 6 months after our warranty expired even though you can find online this has been a known issue for our model of car and year, GL450 2013. There are tons of online forums and threads from Mercedez Benz owners about this manufacturer issue. This should not fall under purchasing an extended warranty or in our case a $17,000 bill to fix the issue on a car with only 70,000 miles on it. This should be a recall.

NHTSA ODI #11528865

Mileage unknown · Nov 26, 2022
Engine

The engine failed under 100k miles after being properly maintained according to the manufactures guidelines.

NHTSA ODI #11494992

Mileage unknown · Aug 4, 2022
Electrical SystemEngine

2013 Mercedes-Benz GL450; it started with the activation of the vehicle's check - engine light. The Mercedes-Benz service advisor diagnosed the issue as oil intrusion into the vehicle's engine wiring harness. The estimated cost to repair was quoted as $7,0000.00. This resulted in the replacement of the engine wiring harnes…

Read full complaint

2013 Mercedes-Benz GL450; it started with the activation of the vehicle's check - engine light. The Mercedes-Benz service advisor diagnosed the issue as oil intrusion into the vehicle's engine wiring harness. The estimated cost to repair was quoted as $7,0000.00. This resulted in the replacement of the engine wiring harness, four (4) Lambda sensors, four (4) camshaft hall sensors and four (4) camshaft solenoids. This trouble could cause engine failure or misfire if not corrected. Driving the MB GL450 in this condition is a safety issues for anyone driving on the road. Researching on the internet about MB GL450/550 engine oil intrusion into the engine wiring harness is a common problem.

NHTSA ODI #11477496

100,000 miles · Jul 27, 2019
EnginePower TrainSeat Belts

THIS CAR HAS LOT OF ISSUES WITH WATER PUMP, RADIATOR LEAK, LOT OF ENGINE PROBLEMS. OIL LEAK IT'S GOT LESS THAN 100,000 MILES. RADIATOR HOSES LEAK. CAR STOPPED ON MASS PIKE GOING TO ALBANY, NY TOOK IT TO BENZ OF ALBANY THEY SAID ENGINE MISFIRES NEEDS ENGINE REPLACEMENT AND IT WOULD COST $47,000 TO REPLACE. VERY VERY BAD ENGINES.…

Read full complaint

THIS CAR HAS LOT OF ISSUES WITH WATER PUMP, RADIATOR LEAK, LOT OF ENGINE PROBLEMS. OIL LEAK IT'S GOT LESS THAN 100,000 MILES. RADIATOR HOSES LEAK. CAR STOPPED ON MASS PIKE GOING TO ALBANY, NY TOOK IT TO BENZ OF ALBANY THEY SAID ENGINE MISFIRES NEEDS ENGINE REPLACEMENT AND IT WOULD COST $47,000 TO REPLACE. VERY VERY BAD ENGINES. I LEFT A VOICEMAIL ON BENZ CUSTOMER SERVICE AND NO ONE CALLED BACK OR SEND ME ANY TYPE OF RECALLS. VERY BAD SERVICE.

NHTSA ODI #11235222

58,000 miles · Mar 8, 2019
Electrical SystemEngine

ENGINE HARNESS WIRES CONTAMINATION IN ME, CAUSE SENSORS DAMAGE AND ENGINE PROBLEMS TO START UP RIGHT NORMAL DEALER WANT TO CHARGE ME 14K FOR SERVICE AND REPAIR , EVERY TIME I START THE CAR IT SOUNDS LIKE IT TAKE TIME TO START AND I GET THE CHECK ENGINE EVERTIME I START THE CAR

NHTSA ODI #11185140

37,000 miles · Jul 31, 2015
Electrical SystemEngine

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 (NA) MERCEDES BENZ GL450. WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH THROUGH A PUDDLE, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO MERGE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, WHERE THE VEHICLE EVENTUALLY TURNED OFF. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RECOG…

Read full complaint

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 (NA) MERCEDES BENZ GL450. WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH THROUGH A PUDDLE, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO MERGE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, WHERE THE VEHICLE EVENTUALLY TURNED OFF. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RECOGNIZE THE KEY AND TOOK SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO START THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 37,000. ...UPDATED 09/28/15 *BF *CN

NHTSA ODI #10745399

3,000 miles · Mar 14, 2014
Engine

CAR STALLED WHILE DRIVING. PROBLEM REPORTED TO YOU, BEFORE! THEY SENT ME TO THREE DEALER, ALL THEY DID WAS ROUTINE CHECKS AND DID NOT ADMIT TO PROBLEM. THIS IS EXACTLY LIKE GM KEY PROBLEM. WHY DIDN'T YOU SURVEY THIS ISSUE AND GET A RECALL?!!

NHTSA ODI #10569373

4,600 miles · Jun 16, 2013
Engine

THIS IS TO REPORT AN EVENT HAPPENED MORE THAN ONCE BEFORE. THE CAR ENGINE SYO SUDDENTLY WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY AT SPEED AND MUST HAVE THE CAR PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF HIGHWAY TO RESTART AGAIN!!! *TR

NHTSA ODI #10520043

Official recalls

3

19V787000 · Communication

Nov 1, 2019

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2013-2017 vehicles due to a software fault that may cause the date and time for the emergency call system (eCall) to differ from the actual date and time, potentially relaying an inaccurate vehicle location. For a full list of the affected models visit: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2019/RMISC-19V787-4620.pdf

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An inaccurate vehicle location may delay emergency responders, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: MBUSA has initiated an Over the Air (OTA) remote update. MBUSA will also notify owners, and dealers will check software for a successful OTA or update the communication module software as needed, free of charge. The recall began December 23, 2019. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2019120008.

18V272000 · Suspension:front

Apr 27, 2018

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2012-2014 ML350 Bluetec 4Matic and ML550 4Matic, 2012-2015 ML63 AMG 4Matic and ML350 4Matic, 2013-2016 GL350 Bluetec 4Matic, GL550 4Matic and GL63 AMG 4Matic, 2017 GLS350d 4Matic, GLS450 4Matic, GLS550 4Matic and GLS63 AMG 4Matic, 2015 ML400 4Matic, 2016 GLE400 4Matic, GLE350 4Matic, GLE63 AMG 4Matic, GLE63S AMG 4Matic, GLE450 4Matic Coupe and GLE63S AMG 4Matic Coupe, 2015-2016 GL450 4Matic and 2013-2014 GL450 4Matic vehicles equipped with the Active Curve System (ACS). In certain driving conditions, if the oil level in the ACS reservoir is below the minimum level, the oil may foam and leak out of the vent holes in the reservoir cap.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The leaking oil in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will correct the oil level as necessary and replace the reservoir sealing cap to prevent oil foam from leaking out, free of charge. The recall began August 30, 2018. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2018070015.

13V166000 · Seat Belts

Apr 29, 2013

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (Mercedes) is recalling certain model year 2013 GL350 BlueTEC, GL450 4MATIC, GL550 4MATIC, and GL63 AMG vehicles manufactured May 15, 2012 through October 4, 2012. The second row seat belt anchor fitting bolts may not be properly torqued.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the bolts are not properly torqued, the seat belt anchor bolts may continue to loosen and in the the event of a crash, the belted occupant may not be properly restrained, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Mercedes-Benz will notify owners and dealers will check, and tighten the bolts of the seat belt anchor fittings, as necessary, free of charge. The recall campaign began on May 24, 2013. Owners may contact Mercedes-Benz at 1-800-367-6372.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.