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What 284 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 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 (284)Crash / fire / injury (24)Airbags (156)Steering (35)Electrical system (26)Engine (25)Body & structure (24)Fuel system (16)Brakes (12)Suspension (12)Speed control (11)Transmission & drivetrain (9)

3 of 284 complaints match · Steering · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

May 2, 2018SteeringSpeed controlCrash

I WAS STOPPED IN FRONT OF MY GARAGE (WAITING FOR THE DOOR TO GO UP). WHEN I LIGHTLY PRESSED ON THE GAS PEDAL TO PULL IN, THE ENGINE ROARED AND THE CAR SUDDENLY LEAPED FORWARD AT A VERY HIGH RATE OF SPEED, GOING THRU MY DETACHED GARAGE WALL. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL STUCK AND I COULD NOT GET THE CAR TO STOP. I HAVE PULLED INTO THIS GARAGE THOUSANDS OF TIMES AND KNEW THIS WAS THE CAR. SLAMMING ON THE BRAKES COULD NOT STOP THE CAR BECAUSE IT WAS ACCELERATING TOO QUICKLY. HITTING THE BRICK FACADE OF THE CONDOMINIUM, BEYOND THE DETACHED GARAGE WAS THE ONLY THING THAT STOPPED THE CAR. NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, WHICH I THOUGHT THEY SHOULD HAVE BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT. EVEN THOUGH I ONLY TRAVELED APPROXIMATELY 30 FEET, THE CAR ACCELERATED SO QUICKLY, IT TOTALED THE CAR. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY UNDER RECALL AS OF NOVEMBER 2017, FOR A STEERING COLUMN ISSUE, WHICH INCLUDES IMPROPERLY GROUNDED COMPONENTS AND THE STEERING COLUMN CLOCK SPRING BEING BROKEN ISSUE RELATED TO THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYING WHILE DRIVING THE CAR. I HAVE TIRED SEVERAL TIMES TO HAVE THE CAR REPAIRED AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THE MERCEDES DEALERSHIP STILL DOES NOT HAVE THE PART. PER THE DEALERSHIP AND MERCEDES, I WAS ADVICED I WOULD RECEIVE A LETTER WHEN IT WAS AVAILABLE. I PURCHASED THE CAR USED AND HAVE SINCE FOUND OUT SINCE THIS IS THE THIRD RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE. I BELIEVE IT HAD TO BE SOMETHING WITH EITHER THE ACCELERATOR AUTOMATICALLY ENGAGING. IT WAS ALMOST LIKE THE CRUISE CONTROL QUICKED IN. SINCE IT IS UNDER RECALL FOR THE STEERING WHEEL RELATED ISSUE, I DON'T KNOW IF IT AFFECTED THE CRUISE CONTROL AND CAUSED THIS TO HAPPEN.

NHTSA ODI 11091327

Sep 9, 2017SteeringTransmission & drivetrainBody & structureFire

I WAS DRIVING ON GLADES ROAD, BOCA RATON, FL. I HEARD A LOUD NOISE, SAW SMOKE AND LOST MY POWER STEERING. I MANAGED TO PULL INTO TOWN CENTER MALL, GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND SAW THAT THE CAR WAS ON FIRE. THE BOCA RATON POLICE CAME, #5 FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME. THE FIRE WAS PUT OUT AND THE CAR WAS TOWED TO MERCEDES OF DELRAY.

NHTSA ODI 11022435

Jan 9, 2015SteeringElectrical systemElectronic Stability Control (esc)Crash

DRIVING ON A FOUR-LANE STREET (TWO LANES ON EACH SIDE) WITH MY TWO KIDS. THE 2014 C250 HAD A MALFUNCTION WITH THE ELECTRIC STEERING: AUTOMATICALLY JERKING THE CAR TO THE RIGHT. I LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR AND HIT THE CURB. IT FELT LIKE WE WENT AIRBORNE. I TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT TO TRY TO STABILIZE THE CAR, QUICKLY REALIZING THERE WAS TRUCK TO THE LEFT I TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL BACK TO THE RIGHT TO AVOID HITTING THE TRUCK. THIS CAUSED ME TO HIT THE CURB AGAIN. IT ALL HAPPENED SO FAST IT WAS HARD TO STABILIZE THE CAR. MERCEDES-BENZ (EXPRESSED AS MBUSA) HAD MY CAR FOR OVER A MONTH. IN THEIR INCIDENT QUESTIONNAIRE THEY ASKED TO GRANT PERMISSION TO IMAGE THE DATA CONTAINED IN THE VEHICLE'S EVENT DATA RECORDER (EDR). I SENT THE QUESTIONNAIRE TO MY INSURANCE, AND WE DIDN'T NOT GRANT MBUSA PERMISSION AS THE LESSEE. MBUSA BROKE THE LAW AND WENT WITHOUT MY PERMISSION AND IMAGED THE DATA. THAN CAME BACK AND STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT COVER THE DAMAGE, AS THE EDR STATED THAT I HIT THE CURB. MBUSA EXPRESSED THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR THEIR MALFUNCTION. I ASKED FOR A COPY OF THE RECORDED CONVERSATION AND I WANT THE REPORT. IT WAS EXPRESSED BY MBUSA THAT I WOULD HAVE TO GET A COURT SUBPOENA FOR THEM TO GIVE ME THE INFORMATION. I CALLED A ATTORNEY AND THIS IS AGAINST THE LAW; AND IS ALL TACTICS/STRATEGIES ON MBUSA PART TO NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE THEY WOULD BY LAW HAVE TO REPORT IT TO NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION (NHTSA). ALL I WANTED WAS TO KEEP MY FAMILY SAFE, AND FOR MBUSA TO TAKE THE CAR BACK AS IT WAS AROUND 3 MONTHS OLD WHEN THE ACCIDENT ACCUSED. IF I FIGHT THIS: JUST TO GET SOMEONE TO REVIEW THE EDR WILL COST AROUND $10,000. GREAT BUSINESS STRATEGY MBUSA IN KEEPING YOUR CUSTOMERS SAFE UNTIL SOMEONE DIES BECAUSE OF YOUR LACK OF HUMILITY! *TR

NHTSA ODI 10671406

Working with the data? Download all 284 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 2014 Mercedes-benz C-class Hybrid verdict →