Mercedes Benz problems by model
Owners have filed 16,007 complaints with NHTSA about the 26 Mercedes Benz models with enough data to profile here, covering 69 model years from 1995 through 2020. The C300 draws the most at 4,643, 29.0% of the make's total.
Complaint volume tracks how many cars a make sold as much as how they held up, and NHTSA complaints are unverified owner reports rather than confirmed defects. Nothing on this page compares Mercedes Benz against another manufacturer. Use it to find the model, then the model year, then read what owners of that year actually filed.
Every Mercedes Benz model
| Model | Model years | Complaints | Most-reported year | Top system that year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C300 | 9 2008–2016 | 4,643 | 2008 942 | Air bags (28.8%) |
| E350 | 8 2006–2014 | 2,447 | 2006 482 | Fuel/propulsion system (29.9%) |
| E320 | 5 1995–2005 | 1,049 | 2005 287 | Fuel/propulsion system (28.2%) |
| Glk350 | 6 2010–2015 | 1,034 | 2010 280 | Air bags (53.2%) |
| ML320 | 5 1998–2002 | 957 | 2000 258 | Steering (19.0%) |
| C250 | 3 2012–2014 | 885 | 2013 346 | Air bags (47.1%) |
| ML350 | 6 2006–2014 | 801 | 2006 235 | Power train (18.7%) |
| C230 | 3 2005–2007 | 546 | 2007 272 | Fuel/propulsion system (20.2%) |
| E500 | 3 2003–2005 | 484 | 2004 173 | Fuel/propulsion system (32.4%) |
| C 300 | 2 2017–2018 | 414 | 2017 286 | Engine (26.9%) |
| Glc300 | 2 2016–2017 | 305 | 2016 170 | Engine (22.4%) |
| Cla250 | 1 2014–2014 | 280 | 2014 280 | Engine (23.6%) |
| AMG E55 | 2 2004–2005 | 280 | 2005 151 | Fuel/propulsion system (49.7%) |
| C320 | 2 2001–2002 | 219 | 2001 117 | Electrical system (22.2%) |
| C350 | 1 2008–2008 | 196 | 2008 196 | Electrical system (27.6%) |
| E300 | 1 2017–2017 | 184 | 2017 184 | Engine (20.1%) |
| GL450 | 1 2007–2007 | 162 | 2007 162 | Seats (24.7%) |
| Metris | 1 2016–2016 | 154 | 2016 154 | Fuel/propulsion system (24.0%) |
| GLA 250 | 1 2015–2015 | 137 | 2015 137 | Engine (19.7%) |
| Sprinter 2500 | 1 2020–2020 | 134 | 2020 134 | Electrical system (15.7%) |
| R350 | 1 2006–2006 | 131 | 2006 131 | Suspension (19.8%) |
| GLE 350 | 1 2020–2020 | 131 | 2020 131 | Engine (25.2%) |
| GLC 300 | 1 2018–2018 | 124 | 2018 124 | Engine (22.6%) |
| SL500 | 1 2003–2003 | 108 | 2003 108 | Suspension (31.5%) |
| S Class | 1 2000–2000 | 101 | 2000 101 | Electrical system (32.7%) |
| S430 | 1 2001–2001 | 101 | 2001 101 | Electrical system (37.6%) |
Model years shown are those with at least 100 complaints on file, the gate every page on this site has to clear.
Reading the numbers
Across every Mercedes Benz model year on the site, air bags are the system named most often — 3,155 complaints, 24.7% of those filed under a named system. Individual model years diverge from that sharply, which is the reason to read the year rather than the badge.
The three most-reported Mercedes Benz models — C300, E350 and E320 — account for 50.8% of the make's complaint volume. The rest is spread across the other 23 models. Bear in mind that a nameplate selling in the millions will out-file a niche one whatever its record.
Of the 16,007 complaints, 738 describe a crash, 461 describe a fire and 15 report a death.
Most-reported Mercedes Benz model years
The single heaviest model year of each Mercedes Benz nameplate, 1995–2020. Heaviest is not worst — read it alongside the model page.