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What 76 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 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 (76)Crash / fire / injury (6)Airbags (40)Brakes (10)Suspension (7)Transmission & drivetrain (5)Engine (4)Electrical system (3)Fuel system (3)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (2)Seat belts (2)Body & structure (1)

1 of 76 complaints match · Engine · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Sep 25, 2018EngineFire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ GL350BTC. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, SMOKE APPEARED FROM THE FRONT END AND UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND LEFT TO COOL DOWN. THE CONTACT OPENED THE HOOD AND NOTICED THAT THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS BURNED. THERE WAS NO FIRE OR POLICE REPORT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACTS RESIDENCE WHERE AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THAT EVERYTHING UNDER THE HOOD WAS BURNED. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL INJECTOR WAS STUCK AND CAUSED THE FIRE. THE CONTACT CALLED MERCEDES-BENZ OF BEDFORD AT 440-439-0100 (LOCATED AT 18122 ROCKSIDE RD, BEDFORD, OH 44146) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE COULD BE PICKED UP BY THE DEALER AND A DISCOUNT COULD BE OFFERED TOWARD THE REPAIRS. THE DEALER ALSO STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL OR WARRANTY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11131160

Working with the data? Download all 76 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 2012 Mercedes-benz Gl-class verdict →