Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim — NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,215,138 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports — when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report — that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints — specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened — feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 33,200 complaints for MERCEDES-BENZ
MERCEDES-BENZ
METRIS
(2016) — ENGINE
Oct 4, 2022
Incident date: Sep 23, 2022
there is couple knocking sound and noises from the engine and vehicle shaking intermittently and lack of power after engine knocking sound. smell gas leaking and dealer did Fuel hose performed inspection found lower fuel hose from tank to high pressure pump leaking causing fuel leaks. replace fuel hose and clamps.
MERCEDES-BENZ
E63
(2010) — FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Oct 4, 2022
Incident date: Sep 25, 2022
FUEL SMELL IN CABIN FROM REAR FUEL PUMP. THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE W212 HAVE BEEN HAVING AS WELL ACCORDING TO MBWORLD.ORG FORUMS. I AM FRIGHTENED THAT ONE SPARK MAY CAUSE MY VEHICLE TO EXPLODE, I ALSO CANNOT ALLOW MY 5 YEAR OLD SON TO RISE IN THE VEHICLE BECAUSE I DO NOT WANT HIM TO BREATHE THE FUEL FUMES. VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY IN POSSESSION OF DEALER BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY DO NO... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
ML350
(2011) — SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
Oct 4, 2022
Incident date: Oct 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz ML350. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V315000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The conta... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLA 250
(2018) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Oct 4, 2022
Incident date: Jul 20, 2022
The Battery keeps draining, appears to be a design defect. Vehicle model Mercedes GLA250 - 2018 Battery light came ON and car needed a jump start, take it to the dealer. Per dealer vehicle failed to crank and failed load test. Battery was removed and replaced on 20 July 2021. Miles 20,153. Invoice #417618 Again on 17 - 18th May 2022 (odometer reading 23,961) car failed to crank. Called road side ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2012) — SUSPENSION
Oct 3, 2022
Incident date: Sep 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that while having an oil change performed on the vehicle by an independent mechanic, he was informed that the cross member was severely corroded. The contact was informed by the mechanic that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The fail... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2012) — STRUCTURE
Oct 3, 2022
Incident date: Sep 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that while having an oil change performed on the vehicle by an independent mechanic, he was informed that the cross member was severely corroded. The contact was informed by the mechanic that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The fail... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2015) — VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
Oct 3, 2022
Incident date: Sep 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, an abnormal wind sound was coming from the sunroof. The contact then heard a loud banging sound and saw the dethatched sunroof panel in the rear-view mirror. The contact pulled over to assess the damage and then drove the vehicle home. The contact initially called the dealer where he purchased the vehicle and was ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2016) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Oct 3, 2022
Incident date: Aug 19, 2022
I bought my 2016 merecedes benz c300 4 matic with the engine light on .when I did a diagnostic on it came back to a po52e is bad . It had 73000 on it when I bought . Now I sit at 77000 miles with the bad part .
MERCEDES-BENZ
E 450
(2022) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Oct 3, 2022
Incident date: Sep 16, 2022
I was driving the car on a road I drive daily with my son in a child seat in the back row. The car inexplicably slammed on the brakes at full force, stopping in time to avoid driving over the shadow of a tree. Approximately thirty minutes later, there was a loud popping / explosion sound from inside the engine compartment, the car lost all power, coasted along for approximately 100 feet, and the... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E 450
(2022) — SERVICE BRAKES
Oct 3, 2022
Incident date: Sep 16, 2022
I was driving the car on a road I drive daily with my son in a child seat in the back row. The car inexplicably slammed on the brakes at full force, stopping in time to avoid driving over the shadow of a tree. Approximately thirty minutes later, there was a loud popping / explosion sound from inside the engine compartment, the car lost all power, coasted along for approximately 100 feet, and the... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E350
(2014) — STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
Oct 3, 2022
Incident date: Sep 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Mercedes-Benz E350. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the subframe was rusted. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.
MERCEDES-BENZ
E350
(2012) — SUSPENSION
Oct 2, 2022
Incident date: Sep 30, 2022
In having maintenance on my vehicle, the dealer advised that the subframe is corroding and needs to be replaced. I searched several Mercedes forums and found a number of owners citing similar corroding subframes yet no other undercarriage components showed rust or corrosion. All owners felt that this should be remedied by Mercedes before a failure causes injuries. Forum participants suggested and ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300
(2020) — FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Oct 1, 2022
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
Driving slowly through a parking lot and had to stop for pedestrians. When the path was clear, the car would not accelerate. It only idled forward and slowly reached about 5 mph. Stepping on the accelerator pedal gave no response after repeatedly trying to accelerate. No warning lights came on to alert me of a problem. I was able to pull into a parking spot and after shutting off the igni... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2010) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Oct 1, 2022
Incident date: Sep 27, 2022
Rear sub frame is corroded as shown to me by the Mercedes mechanic in a video he sent me.The car is available for inspection. I am nervous to drive now after hearing about the related problems others are having such as braking issues and swaying when the brakes are applied. The way I found out about the rear sub frame corrosion was when I needed work done at the dealer. This problem should not be ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2010) — BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING
Oct 1, 2022
Incident date: Sep 27, 2022
Rear sub frame is corroded as shown to me by the Mercedes mechanic in a video he sent me.The car is available for inspection. I am nervous to drive now after hearing about the related problems others are having such as braking issues and swaying when the brakes are applied. The way I found out about the rear sub frame corrosion was when I needed work done at the dealer. This problem should not be ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2015) — ENGINE
Oct 1, 2022
Incident date: Jul 11, 2022
Vehicle throwing P052E error (crankcase ventilation valve - PCV) - Has occurred multiple times and has effected numerous C300 models of the years 2015-18. - The car has lower acceleration performance and can be potentially dangerous when merging on highways.
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLA 250
(2015) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Oct 1, 2022
Incident date: Sep 21, 2022
When I went to start my vehicle it did not turn on. The lights weren’t on and we had the battery and alternator checked out and they were fine.
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLA 250
(2015) — ENGINE
Oct 1, 2022
Incident date: Sep 21, 2022
When I went to start my vehicle it did not turn on. The lights weren’t on and we had the battery and alternator checked out and they were fine.
MERCEDES-BENZ
E350
(2012) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Sep 30, 2022
Incident date: Sep 7, 2022
Camshaft sensors and solenoid leak oil internally which then gets into the sensors electrical connector. From the the oil enters the engine wire harness through capillary action maki g it’s way to other sensors and ultimately the DME (Digital Motor Electronics). This can cause February DME to fail which in turn can make the engine stop running.
MERCEDES-BENZ
E350
(2012) — ENGINE
Sep 30, 2022
Incident date: Sep 7, 2022
Camshaft sensors and solenoid leak oil internally which then gets into the sensors electrical connector. From the the oil enters the engine wire harness through capillary action maki g it’s way to other sensors and ultimately the DME (Digital Motor Electronics). This can cause February DME to fail which in turn can make the engine stop running.
MERCEDES-BENZ
ML350
(2015) — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 30, 2022
Incident date: Jul 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Mercedes-Benz ML350. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized without warning. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed there was a possible mechanical break down due to engine sludge, ignition varnish rust, corrosion, dust, cracked rubber, dry rot, road chemicals, alterations or improper oil, coolant, fuel, or lubr... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
ML350
(2015) — ENGINE
Sep 30, 2022
Incident date: Jul 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Mercedes-Benz ML350. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized without warning. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed there was a possible mechanical break down due to engine sludge, ignition varnish rust, corrosion, dust, cracked rubber, dry rot, road chemicals, alterations or improper oil, coolant, fuel, or lubr... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E350
(2014) — ENGINE
Sep 30, 2022
Incident date: Jun 21, 2022
I brought in my car to M1 Mercedes, Fremont, CA for service after “check engine” light was on and running rough on idle. I told them I started using ethanol (E85) fuel recently but my car is spec for that. The shop replaced spark plugs and ignition coils but the issue didn’t go away. While the car is parked overnight at the shop garage, on Jun 21, 2022, around 11pm, the engine exploded. The ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2014) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Sep 30, 2022
Incident date: Sep 19, 2022
I purchased my car one year ago from a Mercedes dealership - 8/31/2021. I brought it in for service at the same dealership a week ago and they told me the rear subframe rusted from the inside out and it FAILED inspection. The parts are $5,100 and not available until some time in Q1 2023. There is no way a car rusts from the INSIDE OUT in one year. I have another vehicle in the same driveway, s... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC300
(2017) — SEAT BELTS
Sep 30, 2022
Incident date: May 31, 2022
While driving vehicle, the seat belt pretensioner is activated and the seat belt light and alarm is activated. This cycle occurs throughout the drive, regardless of speed. Seems as though the seat belt latch does not sense that the seat belt is activated. This is very distracting to the driver. We reported the issue to the dealership, but have not heard anything since the report. This proble... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2011) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Sep 29, 2022
Incident date: Sep 28, 2022
A dealer inspection found a rusted away rear subframe with holes in it and near total failure and undriveable. The part is being removed by a dealer and its whereabouts after that will be unknown. Garage kept and continually cleaned a car such as this should not experience the visible decay it has after such a short time. A defect definitely existed in the sub-par metal products used during produc... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLA 250
(2018) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Sep 29, 2022
Incident date: Sep 3, 2022
While driving the vehicle on the highway the front panel immediately in front of the panoramic roof was ripped off. The glue holding the panel in place was defective and is a known issue that currently has a recall out issued by Mercedes Benz. However the vin of our vehicle does not fall under the recall per my conversation with a MB rep. Mercedes Benz knows that this is a problem and will not ad... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2011) — SUSPENSION
Sep 28, 2022
Incident date: Jul 12, 2021
Rear Subframe Rot. The vehicle was purchased July 2021 from Automax Of Frederick Maryland. I took the car to Euromotors of Bethesda and they informed me about the issue so I took it back to the dealership because the car was sold to me like this and the owner of the dealership let me know that his "guys" would have never passed it in the MD inspection if a hole was about to be there or severe rust... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
SPRINTER 4500
(2019) — EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER
Sep 28, 2022
Incident date: Jul 29, 2022
Awning operation and lights are controlled by switchs in vehicle and/or app. Intermittently switchs will not work. Awing sometimes stutters when deployed. So far we have been able to fully retract. We have not taken to dealer since the symptoms are very sporadic.
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC300
(2016) — ENGINE
Sep 28, 2022
Incident date: May 11, 2021
Piston 1 cracked while driving on the highway. My sibling was driving on the highway when the engine suddenly started misfiring and losing power because it lost compression on the piston that cracked. I was lucky enough that I have mechanic experience to replace all the damaged components myself and paid out of pocket. I was super fortunate that the cylinder walls did not get damaged when this hap... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC300
(2016) — POWER TRAIN
Sep 28, 2022
Incident date: May 11, 2021
Piston 1 cracked while driving on the highway. My sibling was driving on the highway when the engine suddenly started misfiring and losing power because it lost compression on the piston that cracked. I was lucky enough that I have mechanic experience to replace all the damaged components myself and paid out of pocket. I was super fortunate that the cylinder walls did not get damaged when this hap... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
METRIS
(2018) — SERVICE BRAKES
Sep 28, 2022
Incident date: Sep 25, 2022
Wheel speed sensors appear to fail on a routine basis (every 0-10 months), similar to the subject of recall 21V-042 on Sprinter vans. Sensor failure disables most safety features of vehicles including ABS, blind spot warning, assisted steering, and other safety features. THe failure causes notable issues with handling/steering and braking. Failure at highway speed impacts vehicle driving stabil... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
METRIS
(2018) — STEERING
Sep 28, 2022
Incident date: Sep 25, 2022
Wheel speed sensors appear to fail on a routine basis (every 0-10 months), similar to the subject of recall 21V-042 on Sprinter vans. Sensor failure disables most safety features of vehicles including ABS, blind spot warning, assisted steering, and other safety features. THe failure causes notable issues with handling/steering and braking. Failure at highway speed impacts vehicle driving stabil... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
METRIS
(2018) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Sep 28, 2022
Incident date: Sep 25, 2022
Wheel speed sensors appear to fail on a routine basis (every 0-10 months), similar to the subject of recall 21V-042 on Sprinter vans. Sensor failure disables most safety features of vehicles including ABS, blind spot warning, assisted steering, and other safety features. THe failure causes notable issues with handling/steering and braking. Failure at highway speed impacts vehicle driving stabil... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLK350
(2011) — AIR BAGS
Sep 28, 2022
Incident date: Sep 28, 2022
takata airbags- called Mercedes Benz of draper- says it is not on their list???
MERCEDES-BENZ
ML350
(2015) — AIR BAGS
Sep 28, 2022
Incident date: Sep 28, 2022
takata airbags- call Mercedes Benz of Draper says it is not on their list????
MERCEDES-BENZ
SL500
(2003) — SUSPENSION
Sep 28, 2022
Incident date: May 1, 2017
ABC (Active Body Control) light keeps coming on and body goes up and down when I drove car. Light says do not drive. Mercedes would not take responsibility for this in spite there are so many complaints about this. Really irresponsible by Mercedes.
MERCEDES-BENZ
METRIS
(2016) — TIRES
Sep 28, 2022
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Mercedes Benz Metris. The contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V482000 (Tires). The dealer had been notified about the recall but had yet to grant the contact an appointment to service the recall. The contact also made multiple attempts to notify the manufacturer about the recall repair but had been disconnected from the call after being placed on ho... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
SLK230
(2002) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Sep 28, 2022
Incident date: Aug 15, 2022
The transmission on my 26700 miles car did not shift and the car wouldn’t move on the intersection as well as on the highway where the car would just roll without accepting the gas pedal. Most dangerous on the intersection where cars behind mine would just go without making sure my mercedes is moving(which it didn’t). The mechanic mentioned that transmission fluid may have contaminated other p... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
SLK230
(2002) — POWER TRAIN
Sep 28, 2022
Incident date: Aug 15, 2022
The transmission on my 26700 miles car did not shift and the car wouldn’t move on the intersection as well as on the highway where the car would just roll without accepting the gas pedal. Most dangerous on the intersection where cars behind mine would just go without making sure my mercedes is moving(which it didn’t). The mechanic mentioned that transmission fluid may have contaminated other p... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E350
(2007) — FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Sep 28, 2022
Incident date: Sep 19, 2022
Fuel tank fuel leak, NHTSA Action Number EA13003 I purchased a 2007 Mercedes E Class used a few months ago, and recently I noticed a fuel leak, strong fuel smell outside of vehicle when fuel tank is filled higher. More fuel means more fuel odor. Upon research, it seems like there was a warranty extension for 15 years, and with my luck, warranty extension ran out just after I bought the car but be... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC300
(2017) — ENGINE
Sep 28, 2022
Incident date: Sep 20, 2022
engine light caused by Crankcase pressure sensor
MERCEDES-BENZ
CLA250
(2015) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Sep 27, 2022
Incident date: Aug 15, 2022
On May 10th while driving on I-35 Texas highway, the panoramic sunroof of our 2015 Mercedes Benz CLA 250 shattered the whole panoramic sunroof, my daughter describes as some shot at the car. there was particles of glass on the driver side and passenger, very dangerous situation. She pulled over into a gas station and noticed there were pieces of glass shattered all over the interior some. The se... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
CLA250
(2015) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Sep 27, 2022
Incident date: May 10, 2022
On May 10th while driving on I-35 Texas highway, San Antonio Texas, the panoramic sunroof of our 2015 Mercedes Benz CLA 250 completely shattered while wife driving and daughter as a passenger, they heard a big bang and suddenly pieces of shattered glass fell all over the interior some of the glass hitting my wife and daughter in the face, they immediately pulled over to evaluate the situation. T... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
CLA250
(2015) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Sep 27, 2022
Incident date: May 10, 2022
On May 10th while driving on I-35 Texas highway, San Antonio Texas, the panoramic sunroof of our 2015 Mercedes Benz CLA 250 completely shattered while wife driving and daughter as a passenger, they heard a big bang and suddenly pieces of shattered glass fell all over the interior some of the glass hitting my wife and daughter in the face, they immediately pulled over to evaluate the situation. T... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E350
(2007) — ENGINE
Sep 27, 2022
Incident date: Sep 27, 2022
2007 MERCEDES BENZ E 350. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO ILLUMINATED CHECK ENGINE LIGHT.
MERCEDES-BENZ
GL450
(2012) — POWER TRAIN
Sep 27, 2022
Incident date: Sep 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz GL450. The contact stated that while merging onto a highway, the vehicle failed to upshift at 32 MPH, without warning. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle and was then able to resume normal driving. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact received... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GL450
(2012) — SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
Sep 27, 2022
Incident date: Sep 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz GL450. The contact stated that while merging onto a highway, the vehicle failed to upshift at 32 MPH, without warning. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle and was then able to resume normal driving. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact received... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLB 250
(2020) — AIR BAGS
Sep 27, 2022
Incident date: Sep 20, 2022
Driver hit at or around 35 MPH while making a left turn. Side airbags failed to deploy and did not protect driver from head/neck/shoulder injury. Upon impact, the seat belt did not restrain driver's body from thrashing against driver's car door.
Crash
2 injured
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLB 250
(2020) — SEAT BELTS
Sep 27, 2022
Incident date: Sep 20, 2022
Driver hit at or around 35 MPH while making a left turn. Side airbags failed to deploy and did not protect driver from head/neck/shoulder injury. Upon impact, the seat belt did not restrain driver's body from thrashing against driver's car door.
Crash
2 injured