What 52 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Mercedes-benz GLC

While driving on the highway approximately 70 mph the car stalled. I slowly came to a stop, unable to restart the car. After getting towed to a nearby Mercedes service shop, They diagnosed the issue as inaccurate fuel gauge and refueled the car. At the time the car stalled, the tank was approximately 1/8 full according to the gauge, but in fact the car stalled because it ran out of fuel. They were unable to pinpoint why they fuel gauge was showing the wrong level.

NHTSA ODI 11603522

I am reaching out to bring to your attention a significant manufacturing flaw in the Mercedes GL450 model, which poses a severe risk to both vehicle functionality and passenger safety. The issue pertains to water infiltration into the battery compartment situated beneath the front passenger seat and concealed beneath the carpet. Even minor rainfall or streetwater has been found to breach this compartment, causing extensive damage to the vehicle's electronic systems. This results in highly precarious and unpredictable behavior, endangering both occupants and road users. As a poignant example, my own GL450, a 2013 model, has exhibited alarming symptoms. Despite being securely in "PARK" mode, upon simply opening the car door, it displays a distressing message: "Transmission Not in P Risk of Vehicle Rolling Away." Furthermore, the transmission intermittently ceases to shift from "P," presenting an imminent hazard to myself and my children. Despite numerous attempts to engage with Mercedes Headquarters regarding this critical matter, regrettably, they have declined to address the issue, citing its expiration beyond the warranty period. However, extensive research indicates that this flaw is pervasive among GL450 owners, as evidenced by discussions on various automotive forums, such as: [XXX] [XXX] I am profoundly concerned about the gravity of this situation and implore you to take immediate action to rectify this widespread issue. Please feel free to contact me at your earliest convenience at [XXX] . I am more than willing to provide further details regarding my experiences and observations. I earnestly anticipate your prompt response and resolution to this matter. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11579182

SUROUND CAMERAS ARE NOT ABLE TO SEE AT NIGHT AND BACKUP LIGHTS NOT BRIGHT ENOUGH TO SEE.

NHTSA ODI 11548083

2013 Mercedes-Benz GL450; it started with the activation of the vehicle's check - engine light. The Mercedes-Benz service advisor diagnosed the issue as oil intrusion into the vehicle's engine wiring harness. The estimated cost to repair was quoted as $7,0000.00. This resulted in the replacement of the engine wiring harness, four (4) Lambda sensors, four (4) camshaft hall sensors and four (4) camshaft solenoids. This trouble could cause engine failure or misfire if not corrected. Driving the MB GL450 in this condition is a safety issues for anyone driving on the road. Researching on the internet about MB GL450/550 engine oil intrusion into the engine wiring harness is a common problem.

NHTSA ODI 11477496

WE PURCHASED THE 2013 GL 550 FIVE MONTHS AGO. WHEN WE WERE DRIVING HOME THE VEHICLE SHIFTED ITSELF INTO PARK WHILE IN WAS IN DRIVE. THE VEHICLE ABRUPTLY STOPPED AND VIOLENTLY JERKED THE CAR AND OUR FAMILY WAS INSIDE IN TRAFFIC APPROACHING A FOUR WAY STOP LIGHT. WHEN WE ATTEMPTED TO PUT THE CAR BACK INTO DRIVE AND PULL OFF THE CAR AUTOMATICALLY SHIFTED ITSELF INTO PARK AGAIN WHILE WE WERE DRIVING. THIS HAPPENED IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC AT A LIGHT. POLICE WERE CALLED. CAR WAS TOWED. WE'VE SINCE FOUND THAT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR FAULTY INSTALLATION OF THE EIS FOR THE MODEL YEAR RIGHT BEFORE OURS, 2012. APPARENTLY THE PROBLEM WAS NEVER FIXED AND WAS PASSED ON, BUT MERCEDES BENZ FAILED TO WARN CONSUMERS NOR ISSUE A RECALL. WE ARE GETTING NO HELP WITH REPAIRS EVEN THOUGH THIS IS AN ONGOING SAFETY ISSUES OCCURRING IN SEVERAL OF THEIR CARS. WE'RE ASKING NHTS FOR ASSISTANCE WITH FORCING MERCEDES BENZ TO FIX THIS VERY DANGEROUS AND EXPENSIVE PROBLEM. ## VIN PASSED ## MERCEDES-BENZ 2013 GL 550 ##

NHTSA ODI 11365435

2013 MERCEDES ROUGH RUNNING AT IDLE, VARIOUS FAULTS STORED FOR INJECTOR QUANTITY COMPENSATION FOR CYLINDER BALANCING. FAULT CODE P1CWF-85. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT EVENTUALLY CAME ON. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION AND DIAGNOSIS FOUND THAT BOTH ENGINE BANK 1 AND 2 CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSORS WERE FULL OF OIL DUE TO FAILED INTERNAL PACKING OF SENSOR. INSPECTED INJECTOR CONNECTORS AND HAD OIL, O2 SENSORS CONNECTOR HAD OIL, POWER TRAIN CONTROL UNIT FULL OF OIL. IF ENOUGH OIL WAS TO FLOW THROUGH THE ELECTRICAL WIRES TO THE CONTROL UNIT AS SUCH THIS INSTANCE OR SENSOR MAY RESULT IN IMMEDIATE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE AND VEHICLES ABILITY TO DRIVE. IF THE VEHICLE IS ON THE HIGHWAY AND STOPS WORKING MAY ENDANGER OCCUPANTS. ALSO NOTED THAT THE FAILED PART IS A MERCEDES BENZ SERVICE BULLETIN FOR PREVIOUS MALES AND MODELS BUT THIS 2013 GL550 IS NOT INCLUDED EVEN THOUGH THE SAME PART NUMBER IS USED IN THE NEW CARS AS THE PREVIOUS VEHICLES WITH THIS MERCEDES BENZ ACKNOWLEDGED ISSUE. ALSO NOTED THAT THE BODY HARNESS CONNECT TO THE SAME ENGINE CONTROL UNIT WHICH CONTROLS THE SAFETY FUNCTIONS SUCH AS AIRBAGS, SPEEDOMETER AND OTHER ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS.*DT*JB

NHTSA ODI 11320867

ENGINE HARNESS WIRES CONTAMINATION IN ME, CAUSE SENSORS DAMAGE AND ENGINE PROBLEMS TO START UP RIGHT NORMAL DEALER WANT TO CHARGE ME 14K FOR SERVICE AND REPAIR , EVERY TIME I START THE CAR IT SOUNDS LIKE IT TAKE TIME TO START AND I GET THE CHECK ENGINE EVERTIME I START THE CAR

NHTSA ODI 11185140

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 80 MPH.THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN ON THE SPEEDOMETER A MESSAGE STARTED TO BE DISPLAYED BLIND SPOT INACTIVE ,THEN PRE-SAFE FUNCTIONS LIMITED ACTIVE LANE KEEP ASSIST UNAVAILABLE .ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CRUZ CONTROL FAILED. THEM THE TURN SIGNALS FAILED . THEN I STOPPED THE CAR WAITED FOR 10 MINS RESTARTED THE CAR THE SAME ERROR CAME AFTER DRIVING 300 MILES . THE FAILURE OF TURN SIGNALS NEARLY CAUSED ME TO HAVE ACCIDENTS SINCE THE PERSON BEHIND ME DOESNT KNOW WHEN I AM CHANGING THE LANE. I HAD SMALL CHILDREN IN MY CAR AND MY WIFE . THIS PROBLEM IS WORSER THAN THE TOYOTA PRIUS CRUZ CONTROL FAILURE

NHTSA ODI 11131960

BLIND SPOT ASSISTANCE BECOMES DISABLE AND MINUTES LATER THE BLINKERS STOP WORKING. THIS OCCURS WHILE THE CAR IS IN MOTION, AND APPEARS MORE FREQUENT ON COLD WEATHER. THIS CAN ONLY BE RESOLVED BY TURNING OFF THE CAR AND RESTARTING. DEALERSHIP REFERS IT TO BE AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM WITH THE BLIND SPOT ASSISTANCE. NOW IT HAS DISABLE THE KEYLESS DOOR OPENING AND BUTTON START

NHTSA ODI 11098357

DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY AT 60 MPH, A MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL "BLIND SPOT ASSIST INOPERATIVE," AND THE TURN INDICATORS STOPPED WORKING, BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT. HAD TO EXIT THE FREEWAY, BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO INDICATE TO OTHER DRIVERS THAT I WAS CHANGING LANES, AS TURN INDICATORS WERE NOT WORKING. CAME TO PARKING LOT, SHUT THE ENGINE OFF AND STARTED BACK UP, THEN THE TURN INDICATORS STARTED WORKING ALONG WITH BLIND SPOT ASSIST. HOWEVER, THE ISSUE CAME BACK AFTER DRIVING A FEW MORE MILES. THIS PROBLEM ALSO HAPPENED ON THE SURFACE ROADS TRAVELING AT 35 MPH.

NHTSA ODI 10819381

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 (NA) MERCEDES BENZ GL450. WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH THROUGH A PUDDLE, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO MERGE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, WHERE THE VEHICLE EVENTUALLY TURNED OFF. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RECOGNIZE THE KEY AND TOOK SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO START THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 37,000. ...UPDATED 09/28/15 *BF *CN

NHTSA ODI 10745399

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 MERCEDES BENZ GL450. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 80 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHOOK AND THE SIDE MIRRORS BECAME DIM. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE UTILITY ROOM COMPARTMENT UNDER THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT WAS FLOODED WITH WATER AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 24,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI 10692165