Home · 2012 Mercedes-benz Gl-class · Complaints

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)

7 of 76 complaints match · Suspension · clear filters

Feb 24, 2020SteeringSuspensionElectronic Stability Control (esc)

THE REAR SUSPENSION BECAME SOFT AFTER THE DEALER DID AN INTIAL CHECK AFTER I COMPLAINED ABOUT THE VEHICLE FEELING UNSTABLE AFTER SPEEDS OF 70MPH. I HAD BOTH AIR SHOCKS CHANGED IN THE REAR. AFTER TWO (2) MONTHS THE FRONT SUSPENSION ON THE PASSENGER ALSO STARTED TO LEAK CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SUSPENSION TO AUTOMATICALLY ADJUST IN THE FRONT WHILE DRIVING OR PARKED. THIS OCCURED WHETHER THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED OR IN MOTION, HIGHWAY OR CITY STREETS.

NHTSA ODI 11311208

Oct 6, 2018Suspension

4-5 MILES INTO DRIVING AIRMATIC MALFUNCTION APPEARS ON MY DASHBOARD ( PICTURE OF AN STRAIGHT UP ARROW IN THE MIDDLE OF CAR PICTURE) WHEN I INCREASE THE SPEED TO 50 MILES THE TACHOMETER GOES CRAZY AND I HEAR LOUD SOUND. CAR HAS LESS THAN 50 000 MILES.

NHTSA ODI 11138764

Aug 30, 2018Suspension

AT AROUND 60K MILES, I HAD TO REPLACE THE AUTOMATIC SUSPENSION ON BOTH OF THE FRONT TIRES (AROUND $3,000). NOW I'M HAVING ISSUES WITH THE BACK AND WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO REPLACE THEM AS WELL AT 69K MILES.

NHTSA ODI 11123444

Jul 25, 2018Suspension

CAR JUST REACHED 90K MILES WITH LIMITED DRIVING. THE AIRMATIC SUSPENSION HAS BEEN ACTING ODDLY FOR THE PAST MONTH - I WOULD FIND IT LOW IN THE REAR IN THE MORNING AFTER BEING PARKED IN A FLAT GARAGE. THE NEXT DAY THE ENTIRE CAR WOULD BE LOWERED. WHE IS TURN OFF THE CAR, YOU WOULD HEAR AIR BEING RELEASED. TODAY, WHEN PARKED, THERE WAS A LOUD EXPLOSION, THE CAR SHOOK FOR A FEW MINUTES AND THEN THE ENTIRE THING SANK TO THE WHEEL WELLS. ASSUME THE COMPRESSOR HAS EXPLODED AND AFTER READING VARIOUS POSTS, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH ALL MERCEDES THAT HAVE AIRMATIC SUSPENSIONS AND SHOULD BE FIXED/RECALLED BY MERCEDES.

NHTSA ODI 11113701

Jan 12, 2018Suspension

WHILE DRIVING THE BALANCING INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON. THEN THERE WAS A LOUD BANG AND THE VEHICLE SHOOK VIOLENTLY. IT FELT LIKE I WAS REAR ENDED. THEN WAS VEHICLE WAS SITTING ON THE SPRINGS. MY VEHICLE HAS ONLY 83000 MILES ON IT AND I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE FRONT AND NOW REAR SUSPENSION.

NHTSA ODI 11062320

May 19, 2017Suspension

AT 80K MILES THE FRONT AIR SUSPENSION STARTED LEAKING AND I HAD THEM REPLACED AT A COST $2414.42. I WAS ALWAYS WORRIED THAT NEXT WAS THE BACK SUSPENSION AND THIS IS NOW TRUE THAT I HAVE TO DO THE SAME FOR THE REAR AIR SUSPENSION AND I CAN ESTIMATE BASED ON THE LAST REPAIR PRICE THAT PERHAPS WILL BE PAYING ANOTHER $2500. I HAVE SPOKEN TO VARIOUS PEOPLE WITH THE SAME TYPE OF CARS WHOM I MET WITH FLATTENED AIR SUSPENSIONS AND DID NOT KNOW WHY THEIR CAR SUSPENSIONS WERE LEAKING. AT LEAST IT WOULD BE GOOD IF MERCEDES COULD PROVIDE US WITH METAL ALTERNATIVES BECAUSE DO THINK IN THE NEXT 2 TO 3 YEARS, I WILL BE REPLACING THEM AGAIN AND AGAIN. PLEASE HELP, THIS DOES NOT SEEM RIGHT OR EVEN FAIR TO HAVE LEAKING SUSPENSION.

NHTSA ODI 10990521

Feb 11, 2017Suspension

AIRMATIC SUSPENSION LEAK. REQUIRING EXPENSIVE REPAIRE.. ONLY HAS 61000 MILES

NHTSA ODI 10954012

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 →