Recalls
Safety issues the manufacturer must repair for free. A recall means confirm the fix was done, not walk away.
No recalls on record for this model
No safety recalls were found in this dataset. It is still worth entering the exact VIN on NHTSA before purchase, since recalls can be added at any time.
Owner complaints by system
Unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA, grouped by the part of the car. Useful for spotting patterns. Open a group to read recent examples.
Engine & powertrain
61
Most reports here involve fluid leaks. Of these, 1 mention a crash.
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Strong fu Smell after filling tank recently. Checked under the passenger side rear seat and there is some fuel on the top of tank. Local mechanic confirmed and mentioned not to fill tank more than half. Requires replacement of fuel tank to fix it
Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11739814 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov
Electrical & infotainment
44
Most reports here involve electrical shorts.
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The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes Benz C300. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the rear lights became inoperable and failed to illuminate as needed. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that rear lighting wires were burned, causing an electrical failure within the rear light assemblies. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V177000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11628770 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov
Brakes
13
Most reports here involve loss of braking. Of these, 2 mention a crash, 1 mention an injury.
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Rear brakes backing plates rotted prematurely despite garage kept and well maintained status. While driving, noticed loud scraping and grinding noises from the rear left wheel. Took to mechanic and he found severe rust, with deep corrosion and flaking "rotted". He said I was lucky because this was very close to causing the entire brake assembly to fail, which would lead to serious braking problems or "locked out wheel" and loss of control on a highway which would have put me and others at risk. Had similar rust issues with this car that were fixed in the recent past including rusted brake lines and rusted rear subframe. There is definitely something wrong with the manufacturing as the rear subframe had been recalled and got it fixed that way less than a year ago.
Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11711917 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov
Steering, suspension & tires
48
Most reports here involve corrosion.
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The electronic steering wheel lock went out causing the car to not start. Upon checking the Internet to see if anyone else was having this problem I found that it was a problem many Mercedes Benz owners have had and it's an expensive one. It's not just with my particular model and it's not limited to older models of the brand either.
Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11682861 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov
Airbags & seat belts
245
Most reports here involve airbags not deploying. Of these, 11 mention a crash, 10 mention an injury.
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I was in a collision and the airbags did not deploy. There was a recall on airbags for the Mercedes C300 within the year my vehicle was made, however, the recall did not include my VIN. Also, the sunroof drain is faulty, which was also recalled on other Mercedes C300s within the same production year, again not my VIN, but upon inspection by a certified dealership, it appears to be the same issue as other recalled vehicles.
Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11582626 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov
Structure & body
79
Most reports here involve corrosion. Of these, 3 mention an injury.
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The driver’s side door handle broke and I was unable to leave the car unless it was unlocked and rolled the window down to open it from the outside through the window. If there was a loss of power and you pulled on the latch and it broke you would be delayed in exiting. There are multiple videos on after market parts to repair the plastic pin that breaks. Tesla seems to be recalling their vehicles for a similar problem recently, why not Mercedes for a known problem????
Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11688657 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov
Other systems
26
Most reports here involve premature wear. Of these, 1 mention a crash.
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While I was driving, my seat back suddenly started reclining backward. I could not make the seat stop or go forward with pushing the power seat button control. It kept reclining back, pushing into the back seat and would not stop until there was no power left. Had my child been in the seat behind me, instead of behind the passenger seat, her legs would have been crushed. I took it to a vehicle repair shop and they were able to manually put the seat back to an upright position. I have not let my child ride in the back seat after that incident yet. I just dropped the car off to the Mercedes service department near me.
Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11604383 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov