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What 584 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Mercedes-benz C-class Coupe

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 (584)Crash / fire / injury (18)Airbags (312)Suspension (73)Engine (69)Body & structure (62)Fuel system (34)Electrical system (27)Brakes (26)Steering (15)Transmission & drivetrain (12)Lights (8)

34 of 584 complaints match · Fuel system · clear filters · page 2 of 2

Mar 27, 2019Fuel system

WHEN I'M DRIVING THE CAR SEEMS TO LOOSE POWER THEN IT ACCELERATES LIKE IT HIT TURBO POWER AND THE ENGINE LIGHT COMES UP. IT ONLY HAS 57000 MILES. WHEN I DRIVE IT ON ECO IT RUNS FINE AND WHEN I CHANGE TO S START GIVING PROBLEMS. THE CAR FEELS LIKE IT STALLS, ALMOST AS IF IT'S GETTING NO FUEL. MY MECHANIC ADVISE ME TO GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU AND SEE IF YOU CAN ADVISE ME ON WHAT TO DO WITH IT, BECAUSE IT SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING. THE ACCELERATION ISSUES WITH THIS VEHICLE PRESENT AN IMMINENT THREAT TO SAFETY OF BOTH DRIVER AND OTHER VEHICLES.

NHTSA ODI 11192036

Dec 11, 2018Transmission & drivetrainEngineFuel system

I BOUGHT THE CERTIFIED CAR AT 50K AND AT 70K MILES, RIGHT AFTER THE WARRANTY ENDED - CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT WILL COST $8K DUE TO CAMSHAFTS TO REPAIR!! THEY EVEN SUGGESTED THAT I SHOULD CONSIDER TRADING THE CAR IN! KEEP IN MIND I STILL OWE $28K SO THAT OPTION IS OUT! SINCE THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STILL ON EVEN AFTER I GOT IT REPAIRED AT A LOCAL/AFFORDABLE MECHANIC AND IT'S ABOUT 110K MILEAGE AND THE ENGINE IS RATTLING AS IT RUNS. THIS IS MY 3RD BENZ AND THE FIRST 2 FAILED DUE TO THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE THESE GERMAN CARS CAUSE SO MANY PROBLEMS AND SO COSTLY TO REPAIR. WHAT HAPPEN TO YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU GET!!! TODAY, WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE CAR JUST SLOWLY STOP AND THE ENGINE CUT OFF! AAA CAME TO CHECK AND IT'S NOT THE BATTERY SO WILL NEED TO GET TOWED. STILL OWE $10K LEFT- I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO! NO OTHER CAR TO DRIVE .

NHTSA ODI 11160631

Jul 23, 2018Fuel system

FEUL TANK LEAK WHEN I PUT ANY AMOUNT OF GAS INTO CAR IT IS LEAKING OUT ON TO THE GROUND WHILE IM DRIVING AND WHEN IM AT A STANDSTILL. THE SMELL IS VERY STRONG AND I SEE THE TRAIL IN MY REARVIEW MIRROR. I READ ON THE WEBSITE THAT IS ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT THIS CAR IS HAVING IT WAS REPORTED MARCH 2013 BUT WHEN I CALL THE DEALERSHIP THEY ARE TELLING IT IS NOT A RECALL FOR THIS VEHICLE. I WENT TO AUTOZONE TO DO A CHECK AND IT TOLD IT WAS THE FEUL CAPPED WHICH I SWITCH AND THAT WAS NOT THE PROBLEM. NOW I WENT TO DO MY INSPECTION AND IT FAILED DUE TO THIS PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 11113109

Jun 21, 2018AirbagsSeatsFuel system

AIRBAG RECALL NOTICE MARCH 2017, STILL NO RESOLUTION. SEATS ADVERTISED AS LEATHER, NOT LEATHER INTERMITTENT GAS SMELL FILLS CABIN OF VEHICLE CAUSING RESPIRATORY ISSUES

NHTSA ODI 11102961

Dec 17, 2017EngineFuel system

MY CAR HAS A STRONG ODER OF GAS. IS IT SAFE TO EVEN DRIVE TO A SHOP? HAVE THERE BEEN OTHER COMPLAINTS SIMILAR TO MINE?

NHTSA ODI 11055113

Jan 19, 2017Fuel systemTransmission & drivetrainEngine

THE CEL CAME ON AND THE ENGINE WAS HAVING A ROUGH START . I TOOK IT TO THE REPAIR SHOP AND AFTER USING THE STAR DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM THE DIAGNOSES WAS CAMSHAFT ADJUSTERS IN FAILURE. THE REMEDY REPLACE THE CAMSHAFT ADJUSTERS. COST $3500.00. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10946355

Sep 30, 2015Electronic Stability Control (esc)Fuel system

CAR SHOWED SIGNS WELL BEFORE VEHICLE STARTED SHOWING CODES. WHEN I WOULD START IT UP THE VEHICLE SOUNDED LIKE A ROCKET SHIP WAS ABOUT TO TAKE OFF AND SHORTLY AFTER THE NOISE WOULD GO AWAY. WITH NO CODES MERCEDES TRIED REPLACING THE SOME AC PARTS BUT IT DIDN'T HELP. I JUST ASSUMED THE NOISE WAS HARMLESS IF MERCEDES SAYS NOTHING'S WRONG THAN IT MUST BE OKAY. THEN ONE DAY I WENT TO TURN THE CAR ON AND IT HESITATED MAKING ALL KINDS OF NOISE BUT ALWAYS STARTED AFTER HOLDING THE KEY IN THE ON POSITION AND PUSHING FORWARD. CAR SEEMS TO WORK WELL ONCE STARTED BUT I AM USING MORE GAS WHICH MIGHT BE RELATED.THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AFTERWARDS AND WOULD TURN ITSELF OFF. AFTER BRINGING IT TO MERCEDES THEY STATE I NEED A NEW INTAKE VARIABLE CAMSHAFT ADJUSTOR AND IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO REPLACE THE EXHAUST AS WELL SINCE THERE'S NO CHARGE FOR ADDITIONAL LABOR SINCE THE EXHAUST ADJUSTOR IS GOING TO BE ACCESSIBLE. MY CAR IS AT 68,000 MILES AND WELL KEPT THIS IS A MECHANICAL ISSUE WITH MERCEDES IN MULTIPLE MODELS AND YEARS.

NHTSA ODI 10778809

Feb 23, 2015EngineFuel systemFire

WHILE MY CAR WAS RUNNING IN MY DRIVEWAY PRIOR TO DRIVING, THE ENGINE CAUGHT FIRE, TOTALING THE VEHICLE. THERE ARE NO OPEN RECALLS ON THIS SPECIFIC CAR, BUT WAS TOLD BY THE FIRE INVESTIGATOR THAT IT WAS EITHER ELECTRICAL OR FUEL PUMP RELATED. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10689919

Nov 11, 2013Engine & coolingFuel system

ON MULTIPLE OCCURRENCES THE VEHICLE HAS STARTED TO MISFIRE AT RANDOM TIMES AND SPEEDS RANGING FROM 45-70 MPH RESULTING IN "LIMP MODE" OR A STALLING CONDITION. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, BUT WILL NOT BE ON WHEN THE VEHICLE IS RESTARTED. THE DEALERSHIP ON NO OCCASION HAS BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE MY CONCERN ALTHOUGH OTHERS HAVE BEEN IN THE CAR TO WITNESS. I FEEL VERY UNSAFE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AS WHEN IT STALLS ON THE HIGHWAY, I LOSE STEERING AND BRAKES AS WELL. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10551784

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Working with the data? Download all 584 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 14, 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 2012 Mercedes-benz C-class Coupe verdict →