Home · 2012 Mercedes-benz C-class Coupe · Complaints

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)

Newest first · 584 complaints · page 9 of 24

Apr 23, 2020Airbags

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES BENZ C300. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V010000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MERCEDES BENZ OF BILLINGS (3045 KING AVE W, BILLINGS, MT 59102), AND WAS REJECTED TO BE SERVICED DUE TO THE PART NOT BEING AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT PART WOULD BE AVAILABLE AUGUST OF 2020. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI 11322038

Apr 15, 2020Airbags

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V010000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CONTACTED MERCEDES-BENZ OF JACKSONVILLE LOCATED AT (10231 ATLANTIC BOULEVARD, JACKSONVILLE, FL 32225 (855) 979-0550) WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE REMEDY PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED AND MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI 11321240

Apr 14, 2020Airbags

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES BENZ C250. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V017000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. MERCEDES-BENZ OF SALT LAKE CITY (575 S STATE ST, SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84111) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE. *BF CONSUMER STATED HE HAS CALLED THE DEALER NUMEROUS OF TIMES.*JB

NHTSA ODI 11321129

Mar 23, 2020Suspension

THE AIR SUSPENSION IS FAULTY AND LEAKS. I HAVE HAD THE SINCE 2013 AND THE SUSPENSION HAS BEEN REPLACED ON ALL FOR WHEELS WITHIN DAYS OF EACH OTHER. COSTING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN PARTS AND LABOR.

NHTSA ODI 11319012

Mar 19, 2020Airbags

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES BENZ C350. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V010000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. MERCEDES BENZ OF BUFFALO LOCATED AT (8185 MAIN STREET, WILLIAMSVILLE, NY 14221), CONFIRMED PARTS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI 11318684

Mar 10, 2020Airbags

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V010000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT STATED THAT BENZEL-BUSCH MOTOR CAR, AUTHORIZED MERCEDES-BENZ LOCATED AT (28 GRAND AVE, ENGLEWOOD, NJ 07631) EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ODI 11317335

Mar 6, 2020Airbags

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES BENZ C300. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V010000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. CAROUSEL MOTORS LOCATED AT (809 IA-1, IOWA CITY, IA 52244) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PART WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI 11316575

Feb 24, 2020Airbags

I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR DEFECTIVE AIR BAGS IN MARCH 2019. I CONTACTED THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER IMMEDIATELY. BOTH STATED THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE A REMEDY. TO DATE, NEITHER THE MANUFACTURER OR DEALER HAS MADE ANY EFFORT TO REPAIR THE DEFECT.

NHTSA ODI 11311132

Feb 21, 2020Airbags

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES BENZ C250. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V017000 (AIR BAGS) AND STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER MERCEDES BENZ OF AUGUSTA, 3061 WASHINGTON ROAD, AUGUSTA, GA 30907, CONFIRMED PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ODI 11310518

Feb 13, 2020Engine

MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING AND I HAD IT CHECKED BY A MECHANIC, THE OBC CODE WAS P0340 CAMSHAFT ADJUSTER. MY VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 100,000 MILES THE CAMSHAFT ADJUSTER SHOULD NOT NEED TO BE REPLACE UNTIL AROUND 250.000 MILES. OTHER OWNER'S OF 2012 C-250 HAVE EXPERIENCE THE CAME ISSUES. MERCEDES BENZ SHOULD TAKE NOTE OF POSSIBLE DEFECTED PARTS.

NHTSA ODI 11309045

Feb 10, 2020Airbags

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES BENZ C350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 17V017000 (AIR BAGS) WAS RECEIVED. AFTER CONTACTING THE LOCAL DEALER MERCEDES BENZ OF CATONSVILLE (6631 BALTIMORE NATIONAL PIKE, CATONSVILLE MD) AND THE MANUFACTURER THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS NEEDED FOR THE RECALL REPAIRS WERE STILL NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. THE VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI 11308138

Feb 4, 2020Engine

TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER ALL OIL CHANGES WERE DONE PERFECTLY WITH THE CORRECT OIL AND ORIGINAL FILTER.

NHTSA ODI 11306909

Feb 4, 2020Electrical system

ESL SUDDEN FAILURE, APPARENTLY THIS IS A VERY COMMON FAILURE FOR THIS VEHICLE FOR YEARS NOW WITH NO ACTION TO RECALL OR ADDRESS THE DESIGN OF THIS PART. CAR IS IMMOBILIZED AND MUST BE TOWED, BUT ONLY TO DEALER WHO MUST PROGRAM THE PART BUT NOT SELL IT TO CUSTOMER OR OTHER SERVICE CENTER TO REPAIR OR REPLACE.

NHTSA ODI 11307113

Feb 3, 2020Airbags

REC'D NOTIFICATION LTR OF FEB 2019 REGARDING RECALL ON AIR BAGS. NO FOLLOW UP ON REPAIR STATUS FOR 1 YEAR. DEALER HAS NO PARTS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE I NEED STATUS AND WHAT ACTION BY MERCEDES IS FORTHCOMING. THANKS, [XXX] REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) *CC

NHTSA ODI 11306695

Jan 23, 2020Engine

ON A 4 LANE BOULEVARD CLOSE TO HOME I PULLED OUT TO PASS A SLOW CAR AND NOTICED A CAR COMING UP FROM BEHIND AT A HIGH RATE. I PUSHED THE ACCELERATOR TO THE FLOOR, THE CAR STARTED ACCELERATING THEN LOST ALL POWER. THE ENGINE HAD CUT OFF AND ALL THE DASH LIGHTS WERE ON. I ROLLED TO A STOP, AS FAR OFF THE ROAD AS I COULD. AFTER A FEW SECONDS I RESTARTED THE CAR AND DROVE HOME. SIMILAR INCIDENTS CAN BE FOUND ON YOU TUBE BUT NOT FOR A C300. THE ONES I FOUND WERE FOR A C240 MERCEDES. THEY SAY THE PROBLEM IS DUE TO THE COMPUTER SHUTTING DOWN THE ENGINE BECAUSE IT CAN'T PROPERLY BALANCE THE FUEL TO AIR RATIOS. THIS SEEMS LOGICAL BECAUSE I HAVE NEVER HAD TO ACCELERATE LIKE THIS BEFORE. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC IF I WOULD HAVE BEEN PULLING OUT INTO FAST TRAFFIC ON A BUSY HIGHWAY AND THE ENGINE SHUTS DOWN. NOW I 'M AFRAID IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. I JUST DON'T KNOW WHEN. ALL I CAN DO IS TRY NOT TO PRESS DOWN ON THE ACCELERATOR TOO FAR. THE DEALER SAID NOTHING WAS IN THE CAR'S COMPUTER MEMORY SO HE COULDN'T DO ANYTHING. I'M SUSPICIOUS OF THAT BECAUSE IF THEY ADMIT THERE IS A PROBLEM THEN THEY WOULD BE EXPECTED TO FIX IT. I THINK THEY KNOW THERE IS A PROBLEM BUT DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT.

NHTSA ODI 11301296

Jan 14, 2020Airbags

1 YEAR AFTER RECEIVING RECALL LETTER FOR TAKATA AIRBAG RECALL (PHASE 4). MERCEDES BENZ OF SAN DIEGO STILL WILL NOT REPLACE THE AIRBAG. THEY WILL NOT GIVE A DATE. THEY PROVIDED A TELEPHONE # FOR MERCEDES CORPORATE CUSTOMER CARE. THE MENU ITEMS FOR AIRBAG STATUS LEADS TO A CALL THAT IS NEVER ANSWERED AND/OR WILL EVENTUALLY DISCONNECT. DATE BELOW IS THE DATE OF THE ORIGINAL LETTER FROM MERCEDES. LAST CALL TO DEALERSHIP WAS 1/13/2020

NHTSA ODI 11299348

Jan 12, 2020Engine

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON AND UPON QUICK ACCELERATION THE CAR MISFIRES AND BEGINS TO SHAKE. ALSO HAVING WATER COME THROUGH TOP FRAME WHEN IT RAINS

NHTSA ODI 11298657

Jan 7, 2020Airbags

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ C250. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V017000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT STATED THAT MERCEDES-BENZ OF ATHENS (LOCATED AT 1886 LUXURY DR, WATKINSVILLE, GA 30677, (706) 549-6585) AND CARLTON MOTORCARS INC. (LOCATED AT 2446 LAURENS RD, GREENVILLE, SC 29607, (864) 213-8000) EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND STATED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ODI 11297608

Jan 6, 2020Airbags

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V010000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. AN UNKNOWN DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT WAS NOT INFORMED WHEN THE PARTS WOULD BE AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI 11297387

Dec 20, 2019Airbags

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ C250C. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V017000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT CALLED MERCEDES-BENZ OF SAN ANTONIO AT 210-920-3237 (LOCATED AT 9600 SAN PEDRO AVE, SAN ANTONIO, TX 78216) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WERE TO BECOME AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ODI 11290364

Dec 20, 2019Airbags

CANNOT GET LOCAL DEALER TO REPLACE DEFECTIVE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG. KEEP GETTING A RUN AROUND ON PART AVAILABILITY .

NHTSA ODI 11290430

Dec 19, 2019Airbags

AIRBAGS NOT REPLACED!

NHTSA ODI 11290037

Dec 14, 2019SteeringElectrical system

THERE'S BEEN SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ON THE ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK (ESL) GOING BAD. I EXPERIENCED THIS DANGER EXACT FAILURE. THE CAR JUST HIT 80,000 MILES AND THIS FAILURE HAPPENED. WHEN THERE ESL LOCKS, YOU CANNOT TURN ON THE CAR TO DO ANYTHING. I HAPPENED TO BE OUT OF TOWN AND I HAD TO GET MY CAR TOWED HOME WHICH COSTED ME OVER $400 AND DIVER THE STEERING WAS LOCKED THEY HAD TO USE SPECIAL DOLLIES TO TOW MY CAR. THE DEALERSHIP WAS GOING TO CHARGE ME $2200 TO DO THE REPAIR WHICH IS UNHEARD OF AND IT'S RIDICULOUS. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND STATIONARITY. PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND NOTHING HAPPENS. I THOUGHT THE ISSUE WAS WITH THE IGNITION BUT IT'S THE STEERING LOCK SINCE IT WILL NOT UNLOCK. THE ISSUE APPEARS TO BE WITH THE MOTOR INSIDE OF THE UNIT FAILING.

NHTSA ODI 11289022

Dec 10, 2019Airbags

MY VEHICLE WAS RECALLED FOR THE TAKATA AIRBAGS AND I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY MBZUSA IT WILL BE OVER A YEAR BEFORE THEY HAVE THE PARTS AVAILABLE TO FIX. TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.

NHTSA ODI 11288112

Dec 9, 2019Airbags

AIR BAG RECALL NOT REPAIRED AND CAN RESULT IN FATALITY

NHTSA ODI 11287831

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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 →