Home · 2016 Mercedes-benz C-class Hybrid · Complaints

What 315 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 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 (315)Crash / fire / injury (16)Engine (99)Fuel system (67)Electrical system (37)Body & structure (32)Visibility & wipers (23)Transmission & drivetrain (21)Steering (17)Brakes (9)Airbags (7)Wheels (7)

2 of 315 complaints match · Steering · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jul 9, 2023SteeringElectrical system1 injury

The small plastic located inside the sliding panoramic sunroof explode and the Panasonic sunroof can be open/close or up/down normally but when I hit close it will stop where the broken pieces was and the roof will automatically move back to the fully open position Dealer said need the rail replaced -2057800175 -2057800275 Motor is broken, need to be replaced , he said after saying the roof can go forward and backward, up and down but can’t close completely. I was gullible to believe what the technician and sale guy said. Technically technician can check the voltage and say it for sure if it is broken. Also, a technician already knew that the sliding rail is damaged. He jumped to the conclusion that motor is broken because of sunburn. I have asked my nephew what he would do in this situation. He innocently said he would replace new sliding rails first and try to run if the “alleged motor “ is really broken. If it is broken, he can just switch to a new motor before testing to confirm it working. He wouldn’t decide to buy a new motor that cost $1,400 extra while the old one might be working properly. Anyway, labor with rails and “motor” cost $3500. Then later I learn I’m not alone. How many affected from this defective parts that Mercedes doesn’t sell it separately. Owner must buy 2 set of rails- a left set and a right set. Cost $1100 total. So since the number of affected are pretty high, a few factory in China and turkey decides to produce these little and sell it online for $15-92, glue and lubricants included. -number of owners struggling to find parts https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w205/734208-pano-roof-failure-2.html Parts that Mercedes cannot sell it separately so owners have to buy 2 sets left set and right set rails. “Try words like repair sunroof kit for Mercedes “ on eBay only a few couple thousand people buying it in 2022 alone. https://www.ebay.com/p/28019877104 Motor broken? https://c.xtime.com/tvyUiiMwuwoA2L8JXX#/completePage

NHTSA ODI 11531128

May 30, 2021SteeringCrash1 injury

Steering failed at low speeds. Something broke. Caused me to lose complete steering. Very scary and dangerous

NHTSA ODI 11419052

Working with the data? Download all 315 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 2016 Mercedes-benz C-class Hybrid verdict →