Home · 2013 Mercedes-benz C-class Hybrid · Complaints

What 570 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Mercedes-benz C-class Hybrid

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 (570)Crash / fire / injury (33)Airbags (285)Suspension (73)Body & structure (70)Engine (57)Steering (47)Electrical system (34)Fuel system (33)Brakes (19)Transmission & drivetrain (19)Speed control (12)

6 of 570 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Mar 19, 2024BrakesSpeed controlAirbagsCrash

The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while pulling into a parking space and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that she depressed the brake pedal but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that while the vehicle was approaching a building ahead, she veered to the right and hit the front bumper of an occupied vehicle. The vehicle then drove over the sidewalk. The contact stated that while approaching the end of the sidewalk, she veered to the right and the vehicle stopped after approximately 200 feet. The air bags did not deploy. There was no injury sustained. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an auto collision repair shop. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 23,032.

NHTSA ODI 11578340

Oct 9, 2019AirbagsBrakesEngineCrash1 injury

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 MERCEDES-BENZ C250. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V043000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR WAS ILLUMINATED. ON ONE OCCASION, WHILE THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS STOPPED, ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO ITS REAR DRIVER'S SIDE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEADRESTS DETACHED DUE TO THE IMPACT. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT RECEIVED INJURIES TO THE NECK AND BACK, WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN. AFTER THE CRASH, THE ABS, AIR BAG, AND SEVERAL OTHER UNKNOWN WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. ALSO, THE BRAKES FAILED TO OPERATE PROPERLY AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO STALL. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MERCEDES-BENZ OF HOUSTON GREENWAY (LOCATED AT 3900 SOUTHWEST FREEWAY, HOUSTON, TX 77027, 713-489-211) WHERE THE BRAKES WERE REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURES STILL OCCURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,000.

NHTSA ODI 11267313

Apr 18, 2018BrakesCrash

TURNING INTO A PARKING SPACE TODAY, MY CAR BRAKES FAILED. I COULD NOT STOP MY VEHICLE EVEN WHEN I PRESSED DOWN COMPLETELY ON THE PEDAL. I ENDED UP JUMPING THE PARKING SPACE "CURB/STOPPER" AND HIT A LIGHT POST. I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS PRIOR BUT IT WAS EXTREMELY FRIGHTENING. I HAVE HAD OTHER ISSUES WITH THE CAR - THE RADIO WHERE WORKS INTERMITTENTLY AND THE VOLUME SPORADICALLY INCREASES AND DECREASES WITH NO RESOLUTION EVEN AFTER DIAGNOSTICS AND SOFTWARE UPDATES PER THE DEALER. THIS, HOWEVER, WAS AN ISSUE THAT COULD HAVE HAD WORSE CONSEQUENCES. AFTER THE COSMETIC DAMAGE IS FIXED, I PLAN TO HAVE MERCEDES RUN DIAGNOSTICS ON THE BRAKE SYSTEM.

NHTSA ODI 11088915

Aug 25, 2017BrakesCrash1 injury

ON 09-12-16 I WAS INVOLVED IN A REAR END COLLISION (35+ MPH). I WAS STOPPED IN TRAFFIC (INTERSTATE HIGHWAY). MY VEHICLE WAS IN ECO MODE AND THE VEHICLE'S BRAKE HOLD FEATURE WAS ACTIVATED, THE BRAKE WAS FULLY ENGAGED/PRESSED, AND HOLD WAS DISPLAYED ON THE FORWARD INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. WHILE STOPPED, ANOTHER VEHICLE STRUCK MY VEHICLE FROM THE REAR. MY VEHICLE'S NECK-PRO RETRAINT SYSTEM ACTIVATED AND THE HAZARDS ACTIVATED. NO AIR BAGS WERE DEPLOYED. HOWEVER, A FEW SECONDS AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE BRAKE HOLD FEATURE DEACTIVATED AND MY VEHICLE BEGAN TO ROLL INTO RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. AFTER ACTIVELY PUMPING THE BRAKES, TO NO AVAIL, I INITIATED AN OFFENSIVE MANEUVER AND SWERVED THE VEHICLE OFF OF THE HIGHWAY AND ONTO UNPAVED SIDE ROAD/SHOULDER. MY VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ROLL FORWARD AND ONLY STOPPED AFTER I FULLY PRESSED/ENGAGED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. IS DEACTIVATING BRAKE HOLD IN A REAR END COLLISION A DESIGN FLAW, OR IS THIS THE INTENDED FUNCTION?

NHTSA ODI 11019536

Jul 25, 2016Speed controlBrakesCrash

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY ACCELERATED. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO STOP THE VEHICLE BY DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL; HOWEVER, THE BRAKES FAILED AND THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A FENCE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. AS A RESULT, A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN FROM THE SCENE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 38,000.

NHTSA ODI 10888183

Mar 15, 2016Speed controlBrakesCrash1 injury

WHILE MAKING A RIGHT TURN INTO A PARKING LOT AT LOW SPEED ACCELERATOR PEDAL NOT DEPRESSED THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. WHEN BRAKES WERE DEPRESSED THEY FAILED AND DID NOT STOP NOR SLOW THE VEHICLE. CAR CRASHED INTO THE BUILDING. AIR BAGS ADDITIONALLY DID NOT DEPLOY AS CAR HIT BUILDING IN CORNER AT CENTER OF FRONT. MINOR INJURY TO DRIVER FROM SEAT BELT RESTRAINT.

NHTSA ODI 10849871

Working with the data? Download all 570 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 25, 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 2013 Mercedes-benz C-class Hybrid verdict →