Air Bags. Review the 149 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Suspension. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

12 crash reports2 fire reports6 injury reports

Unknown Or Other complaints

12 reports

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Mileage unknown · May 27, 2026

Unknown Or Other

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The vehicle involved is a Mercedes-Benz vehicle that experienced severe corrosion and deterioration of the rear subframe component. The subframe is available for inspection upon request and has been identified as unsafe due to excessive rust and structural corrosion. The corrosion created a major safety risk because the subframe supports critical suspension and stability components. The condition could have caused loss of vehicle control, suspension failure, or an accident while driving, placing both myself and other drivers at risk. The problem has been confirmed by a dealership and/or independent repair facility. I was informed that Mercedes-Benz has acknowledged similar rear subframe corrosion issues and that this condition may fall under a manufacturer warranty or extended coverage program. The vehicle and damaged component have been inspected by service technicians, and repair estimates/documentation are available. The corrosion appears excessive for the age and normal use of the vehicle. Prior to discovering the failure, there were symptoms including unusual noises from the rear suspension area, instability while driving, and visible rust underneath the vehicle. The issue became more noticeable over time before the inspection confirmed severe subframe corrosion.

NHTSA ODI #11740280

Mileage unknown · Aug 31, 2023

SuspensionUnknown Or Other

Subframe is completely rotted. Taken to several mechanics who were unable to diagnose handling problems and severe tire wear. After research this is a common problem, we were never notified this could be an extremely dangerous and hidden issue. Car is unsafe to operate without expensive repairs. Unacceptable.

NHTSA ODI #11541939

Mileage unknown · Feb 16, 2023

StructureSuspensionUnknown Or Other

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Subframe of the car rusted and rotted from inside out. to the point of rear suspension completely detached from subframe. it caused my car to fish tail and lose control under even slow breaking conditions. once we discovered the problem we were told the car was a death trap and was absolutely unsafe to operate. we found out this is a common problem for this MB model type. the problem was already under recall in Europe. there are thousands of existing owner complains about the exact same issue. MB USA initially refused to acknowledge the problem, but on 2/14/2023 they sent a memo to all US dealers to repair rotted subframe for free under "extended warrantee". however, they refused to pay for the full repair even after dealership specifically informed them that it was not possible to complete the repair without replacing thrust arm and rod, which were damaged due to the Subframe failure. this incident endangered me and my family, cost $2000+ out of pocket for repairs in addition to the loss of access to my vehicle for at least 3 weeks.

NHTSA ODI #11507640

Mileage unknown · Nov 25, 2022

Fuel/propulsion SystemUnknown Or Other

Mold in a/c

NHTSA ODI #11494866

Mileage unknown · Aug 11, 2022

SuspensionUnknown Or Other

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The rear sub frame corrosion which caused the back tire of the driver side to fail off and lose control of the vehicle, which put myself and other drivers in harm because of lost of vehicle. The rear sub frame has corroded sooner than it's lifecycle. The dealership has confirmed the issue, inspected the part and has replaced. There were no warning lights that have gone off on the vehicle to notify of the issues. Driver hit a pot hole and the frame cracked due to premature corrosion.

NHTSA ODI #11478831

174,000 miles · Jun 29, 2018

Unknown Or Other

ESL FAILURE (ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK) FAILED. CAUSING A LOCK UP OF THE STEERING WHEEL, AND NO START FAILURE. IT WAS STATIONARY IN A PARKING LOT. HAD TO HAVE THE VEHICLE PICKED UP AND TOWED TO A GARAGE.

NHTSA ODI #11104721

22,929 miles · Jul 10, 2017

Air BagsExterior LightingUnknown Or Other

MY TRANSMISSION BEGAN LEAKING FLUID WITH 22,000 MILES ON IT AND NOW THE TRANSFER CASE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE IT IS LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID. I WAS DRIVING UP A HILL AND MY SUV FELT LIKE IT WAS SKIPPING GEARS. THE NEXT DAY I NOTICED RED LIQUID ON THE GARAGE FLOOR. IT WAS TOWED TO MERCEDES SERVICE DEPARTMENT IN HOOVER AND …

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NHTSA ODI #11003948

65,000 miles · Apr 11, 2017

Unknown Or Other

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TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: I RECENTLY TOOK MY 2010 MERCEDES GLK TO MY LONGTIME MECHANIC, KEVIN BRADY OF BRADY'S AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR IN LAGUNA NIGUEL FOR SERVICE AND A SMELL OF GAS VAPOR IN THE PASSENGER CABIN. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION HE FOUND A FRACTURED PLASTIC COVER PLATE AS PART OF THE FUEL FILTER SYSTEM UNDER THE REAR PASSENGER SEAT. I HAVE INCLUDED A PICTURE WHERE YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE FUEL HAVING SOAKED THE EXTERIOR OF THE COVER PLATE. KEVIN REPLACED THE DEFECTIVE PART WITH WITH OEM PARTS AT A COST OF $282.60. UPON FURTHER REVIEW I FOUND A SIMILAR COMPONENT FOR WHICH THE COVER PLATE BELONGS TO AS SUBJECT TO RECALL 12V557000. THE RECALL IS FOR THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL OF VEHICLE WITH THE SAME PART RECALL CALLED FOR CAUSING THE SAME ISSUE AS THE 2011 MODEL RECALL . MY MODEL IS JUST ONE YEAR PRIOR TO THE REFERENCED RECALL. IT APPEARS MERCEDES'S DEFECTIVE PART IS A BIGGER ISSUE THAN THE PREVIOUS RECALL LET ON. FUEL AND VAPOR SHOULD NEVER BE ALLOWED TO ENTER THE PASSENGER CABIN. I RETAINED THE DEFECTIVE PART FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION. I CONTACTED MERCEDES BENZ ABOUT THE ISSUE. I OFFERED TO ALLOW THEM TO EXAMINE THE PART AND ASKED FOR A REIMBURSEMENT OF MY $282.60 (I DID NOT CONDITION THE EXAMINATION ON THE REIMBURSEMENT). THEY REFUSED AND GAVE ME A CORPORATE LEGALESE RESPONSE. SO I TURN TO YOU FOR HELP. THANKS IN ADVANCE.

NHTSA ODI #10971988

850,000 miles · Aug 9, 2016

Air BagsUnknown Or Other

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"TAKATA RECALL' IS THE CURRENT TOP CONCERN TO DATE WITH MY CAR. I WAS SOLD A USED LEMON & WOULD NEVER PURCHASE ANOTHER MERCEDES BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE . I BOUGHT THE CAR IN OCTOBER 2015~ IT HAS BEEN BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP APPROXIMATELY 10 TIMES. SOME VISITS THE CAR WAS THERE FOR 2 PLUS WEEKS. MERCEDES PUT THE WRONG TIRES ON THE CAR CAUSING ALIGNMENT PROBLEMS , TIRES WORE DOWN AFTER 3000 MILES, THERE IS AN UNRESOLVED CONDENSATION LEAK, UNRESOLVED OIL LEAK, & CURRENTLY HAVE A SRS DIAGNOSIS CODE WHICH HAS BEEN LEFT UNDIAGNOSED.

NHTSA ODI #10894272

76,000 miles · Dec 9, 2015

Unknown Or Other

THE PROBLEM IS A FAULTY BALL BEARING IN THE GEAR BOX BEHIND THE TRANSMISSION, AND I WAS QUOTED A PRICE OF 6,000.00. I FEEL AS IF THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE, AND NO CUSTOMER SHOULD BEHELD FINANCIALLY LIABLE FOR THE COST OF FIXING OR HAVING THE PROBLEM RESOLVED.

NHTSA ODI #10809338

Official recalls

19V010000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

Jan 9, 2019

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2014 C250, C300 4Matic, C350, C63 AMG, E350 4Matic Coupe, E350 Cabrio, E350 Coupe, SLS AMG Cabrio, SLS AMG Coupe, 2014-2015 C250 Coupe, C350 4Matic Coupe, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG Coupe, GLK 350, GLK250 BlueTec 4Matic, GLK350 RWD, 2015-2017 E400 4Matic Coupe, E400 Cabrio, E400 Coupe, 2014-2017 E550 Cabrio, and 2014-2016 E550 Coupe vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, PR, AS, GU, the MP, and VI or "Zone A." Additionally, MBUSA is recalling certain 2012-2014 C250, E350 4Matic Coupe, SLS AMG Cabrio, 2012-2015 C250 Coupe, C350 4Matic Coupe, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG Coupe, 2011 C300, 2011-2014 C300 4Matic, C350, C63 AMG, E350 Cabrio, E350 Coupe, SLS AMG Coupe, 2015-2016 E400 4Matic Coupe, E400 Cabrio, E400 Coupe, 2011-2016 E550 Cabrio, E550 Coupe, 2011-2015 GLK350 4Matic, GLK350 RWD, and 2013-2015 GLK250 BlueTec 4Matic vehicles ever registered in the states of AZ, AR, DE, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV or "Zone B." MBUSA is also recalling certain 2012-2014 C250, E350 4Matic Coupe, SLS AMG Cabrio 2012-2015 C250 Coupe, C350 4Matic Coupe, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG Coupe, 2010-2011 C300, 2010-2014 C300 4Matic, C350, C63 AMG, E350 Coupe, 2011-2014 E350 Cabrio, SLS AMG Coupe, 2015-2016 E400 4Matic Coupe, E400 Cabrio, E400 Coupe, 2016-2017 E550 Cabrio, 2010-2016 E550 Coupe, 2010-2015 GLK350 4Matic, GLK350 RWD, and 2013-2015 GLK250 BlueTec 4Matic vehicles ever registered in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MO, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began March 29, 2019. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.

18V043000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

Jan 10, 2018

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2013 C250, C250 Coupe, C350 Coupe 4Matic, C300 4Matic, C350, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG, C63 Coupe, E350 Cabrio, E350 Coupe, E550 Cabrio, E350 Coupe 4Matic, E550 Coupe, GLK350 4Matic, GLK250 Bluetec 4Matic, GLK350, SLS Coupe, SLS AMG GT Coupe, and SLS Roadster vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, MBUSA is recalling certain 2010 C300, C300 4Matic, C63 AMG, E350 Coupe, E550 Coupe, GLK350, and GLK350 4Matic vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." MBUSA is also recalling certain 2009 C300, C300 4Matic, C63 AMG, and C350 vehicles ever registered in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MO, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI and WY or "Zone C." In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these passenger air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. Mercedes issued an interim notification to owners on February 23, 2018. A second notice will be mailed when remedy parts are available. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-877-496-3691.

16V363000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

May 26, 2016

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 C300 Sedan, C300 4matic Sedan, C350 Sedan, C63 AMG Sedan vehicles, 2010-2011 GLK350, GLK350 4-Matic and E350 Coupe vehicles, 2011 SLS AMG, E350 Convertible, E550 Coupe and E550 Convertible vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, MBUSA is recalling certain model year 2008 C300 Sedan, C350 Sedan, C63 AMG Sedan and C300 4-Matic Sedan vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Vehicles not originally sold or ever registered in either Zones A or B are not subject to this safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag modules, free of charge. Owners were sent an interim notification October 2016. A second notice will be mailed when remedy parts are available. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-877-496-3691.

16V081000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

Feb 11, 2016

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 ML320 BlueTec 4Matic, GL320 BlueTec 4Matic and R320 CDI 4Matic, 2011 E350 Cabriolet and E550 Cabriolet, 2009-2011 ML350, ML350 4Matic, ML550 4Matic, ML63 AMG, and C63 AMG, 2010-2011 ML450 4Matic Hybrid, E350 Coupe, E350 4Matic, E550 Coupe, E550 4Matic, and E63 AMG, 2011-2012 GL350 BlueTec 4Matic and R350 BlueTec 4Matic, 2009-2012 GL450 4Matic, GL550 4Matic and R350 4Matic, 2007-2008 SLK280, SLK350, and SLK55 AMG, 2011-2014 SLS AMG Coupe, 2012 SLS AMG Cabriolet, 2013-2014 SLS AMG GT and SLS AMG GT Cabriolet, 2005 C230 Kompressor and C320, 2006-2007 C230, 2006-2011 C350, 2008-2011 C300 and C300 4Matic, 2010-2012 GLK350 and GLK350 4Matic and 2007-2008 Chrysler Crossfire vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: MBUSA will their notify owners, and Fiat Chrysler will notify the affected Chrysler owners. Dealers for the respective brands will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. This recall began November 2016. Mercedes-Benz owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372 and Chrysler owners may contact Fiat Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403.

15V711000 · Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE

Oct 27, 2015

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain model year 2008-2009 C300 Sedan, C300 4Matic, C63 AMG, and C350 vehicles, and 2010 GLK350 and GLK350 4Matic vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the air bag control unit may corrode and cause the control unit to malfunction.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The malfunctioning air bag control unit may cause the air bags to unexpectedly deploy increasing the risk of injury and the possibility of a vehicle crash. Alternatively, the air bag control unit malfunction may cause the air bags to not deploy in the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, increasing the risk of occupant injury.

Remedy: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the air bag control unit and replace it, as necessary, free of charge. Mercedes-Benz issued an interim notification to owners on December 23, 2015. The recall began on March 14, 2016. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service 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

EA21002 · Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

Opened Sep 17, 2021 · No close date supplied

Status: open (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module; Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004L that does contain a desiccant. None of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. Certain subsets of desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. All Takata inflators produced with propellant 2004L contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L are under recall for a degradation concern. There have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated PSAN inflators.It is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. This means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. Based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. While no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.Three entities -- Takata (now known as TK Global), the Independent Testing Coalition, and Exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of Takata desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004L (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. The research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. To date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004L is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. However, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. Further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L.The Office of Defects Investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated PSAN frontal inflators manufactured by Takata. This investigation will require extensive information on Takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. Lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated PSAN inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=EA21002 -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). This investigation does not supersede EA15-001, which remains open.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module