Home · 2011 Mercedes-benz Gl-class · Complaints

What 97 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Mercedes-benz Gl-class

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (97)Crash / fire / injury (6)Airbags (56)Brakes (11)Suspension (11)Engine (7)Electrical system (6)Steering (3)Fuel system (2)Transmission & drivetrain (2)Backup camera & sensors (1)Fuel System, Diesel (1)

7 of 97 complaints match · Engine · clear filters

Oct 24, 2023Engine

Check Engine Light came on and took it to the mechanic who identified low compression on cylinder #3. The injector was replaced which did not fix the issue since the vehicle lags when first accelerating. We were also informed of a service bulletin that included the issue with our vehicle and to take the car to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who did not check the cylinder low compression/leakage issue because the check engine light wasn't on, which it would not be since it was recently serviced, and the number of miles required had not been driven for the check engine light to come back on. Even though the service bulletin is for the same make, model and years because our VIN was not included that there is no warranty on this vehicle. I now have a vehicle with an engine issue that should be included in the recall based on being the same make, model, year and mechanical issue.

NHTSA ODI 11551600

Mar 20, 2023Engine

The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL350. The contact stated that the dealer had previously serviced the vehicle under an unknown diesel emission recall; however, the failure occurred after the recall repair was performed with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine and ABS warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, and the ignition switch was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The dealer determined that the engine compartment fuse box needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,001.

NHTSA ODI 11512780

Jan 4, 2022Engine

The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL350. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 25 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated continuously. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

NHTSA ODI 11446102

Dec 3, 2021Engine

The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL350. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed but failed to respond, causing the vehicle to decelerate. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact continued to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the exhaust valve pressure sensor and catalytic converter had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the dealer informed her that the failure was related to an unknown recall that would be issued in the 4th quarter of 2021. The dealer also advised the contact to continue to drive the vehicle in the meantime. The contact stated that the failure had reoccurred several times while driving and the vehicle had been jerking each time it was about to come to a complete stop. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not provide any assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

NHTSA ODI 11442594

Jan 16, 2017Engine

HAD A OIL CHANGE BY MERCEDES DEALER PARK MY TRUCK FOR A FEW WEEKS WHEN I DROVE IT I HAD A OIL LEAK. I CALL MERCEDES TO REPORT IT MERCEDES HAD IT TOW IN .THEY SAY IT WAS A OIL COOLER LEAK I ONLY HAVE 48,000 MILES DON'T DRIVE IT ALL THE TIME. DIDN'T HAVE A LEAK UNTIL THE OIL CHANGE NOW THEY WANT ME TO PAY FOR IT.I HAD THE TRUCK PARK IN MY GARAGE OIL WAS ON THE FLOOR IN MY GARAGE I DO HAVE PICTURES OF OIL ON THE FLOOR IN MY GARAGE AND AROUND THE ENGINE WHERE OIL IS COMING FROM.

NHTSA ODI 10945583

Jun 12, 2016Engine

HELLO. MY VEHICLE HAS EXPERIENCED TWO SEVERELY ELONGATED TIMING CHAINS IN 30,000 MILES OF DRIVING. TOTAL MILES ON THE VEHICLE ARE 114,000, AND THE VEHICLE IS A 2011. I HAVE BEEN ADVISED THAT IF THE TIMING CHAIN FAILS DURING DRIVING, IT WILL CAUSE AN ENGINE STALL, AND MAY POTENTIALLY CAUSE SEIZURE OF THE TRANSMISSION AND WHEELS, CAUSING A SEVERE SAFETY HAZARD. AT A COST OF APPROXIMATELY $8,000, THE TIMING CHAIN AND ALL RELATED TIMING COMPONENTS HAD BEEN REPLACED APPROXIMATELY 15 MONTHS AGO, AND NOW, THE PROBLEM HAS RECURRED. IN SPEAKING WITH OTHERS, THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT; HOWEVER, RECURRENCE OF THE PROBLEM SUGGESTS TO ME THAT THERE IS AN INHERENT DEFECT IN THE ENGINE THAT CAUSES TIMING CHAINS TO FAIL.

NHTSA ODI 10873758

Feb 5, 2016Engine

OWN 2 MERCEDES GL350 AND E350. BOTH OF THEM ARE V6 DIESEL BLUETEC ENGINES AND BOTH HAVE LEAKING PROBLEM FROM OIL COOLER.

NHTSA ODI 10824374

Working with the data? Download all 97 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 26, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2011 Mercedes-benz Gl-class verdict →