Home · 2018 Mercedes-benz C-class · Complaints

What 125 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Mercedes-benz C-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 (125)Crash / fire / injury (5)Engine (39)Body & structure (15)Steering (13)Electrical system (12)Fuel system (10)Transmission & drivetrain (6)Airbags (5)Communication (5)Tires (5)Wheels (5)

5 of 125 complaints match · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jun 2, 2024Electrical systemBody & structureDriver assistanceCrash

I am wanting to add information to my original complaint. Tracking#11589822 When I called in the electrical issue to AAA the agent said this is a common problem on these cars. Next, I want to add photos the Mercedes of Fresno service department sent me during the 2nd time my car was taken in to be checked. I honestly don't remember off hand when the collision occurred, I have that paper work somewhere. I will find it and send it in also. I will also get paper work from the auto body place that fixed as much of the wiring that it could. There was also a video on line I will try to find again and send that in.

NHTSA ODI 11591967

May 21, 2024Body & structureDriver assistanceCrash

While I was driving to work in a heavy rain my abs malfunction light came on in my car. I decided to take it to the Mercedes-Benz dealership in Fresno. They said it was the ABS module that needed to be replaced. After being in the shop for almost 3 weeks they said it was fixed. When I went to pick it up, the moment I turned it on the ABS malfunction light came on again. I was told that it was okay to drive and they would have somebody come check it out at my work the next day. My car went back into the shop for another week and they could not figure out what was wrong with it. They did take pictures and the second time I took it in they noticed a bunch of water underneath the floorboard. By this time, I had lost confidence in them fixing my car the manager basically kicked me off the lot and told me never to go back again. So I continued to drive my car since I was told it was okay first time they fixed it. Short while later, I rear-ended another car. The ABS system did not warn me that I was too close. When I took my car in to get the body work fixed I was also given a name of somebody who would be able to fix the electrical problems and insurance would pay for it. He was able to fix the ABS system but could not find where the short was that controlled the passenger seat and the driver side back seat window and for the needle that tells me if my car is overheating. Nobody could figure out where the water had been coming from. It wasn't until recently when we just had a heavy storm that I noticed water leaking from inside the car through a seam. The running boards on the top of my car were not installed correctly so water seeps in there during rains and then it travels down underneath my floorboards and sits which was the cause of the shorts in my electrical system. My concern is that I don't know how bad other components of the car might be that one of the wires might at any of the wires might short while I'm driving now but unable to download receipts which I have

NHTSA ODI 11589822

Jul 8, 2021SteeringAirbagsCrash1 injury

While driving in a curved onramp connecting from one street to another the vehicle experienced a complete loss of steering ability which resulted in the vehicle continuing to move straight, off the pavement, and into a wall. The vehicle bounced off of the wall and loss of steering ability continued and the vehicle could not be controlled, crossed the road, went over a guardrail, and down an embankment until it came to a stop (approx 100ft). The vehicle engine never turned off until it came to a stop at which point the vehicle was manually turned off. No airbags deployed. There were no warning lights or signals of failing components prior to the loss of steering. An initial review by the body shop states that the vehicle is a total loss. The vehicle has been meticulously dealer maintained since the time of delivery as a new vehicle. The vehicle is pending inspection by Mercedes-Benz and by the insurance representative. The issue appears to be the same as those recalls described by NHTSA campaign number 18V872000 and/or 18V850000. The vehicle was never included in either of those recall campaigns. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request, but Mercedes-Benz is picking up the vehicle to perform its inspection.

NHTSA ODI 11423998

Dec 29, 2019TiresCrash

I WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY 1, AT ABOUT 45 MPH, ON MY WAY TO WORK IN A LIGHT RAIN. I MAY HAVE JUST TRANSITIONED INTO THE #1 LANE OF TRAFFIC AS I WAS ABOUT 500 FEET FROM THE RED LEFT TURN SIGNAL LIGHT WHERE I MAKE MY NORMAL TURN. I JUST REMEMBER MY CAR SUDDENLY HYDROPLANED ACROSS THE DOUBLE YELLOW LINE INTO THE ONCOMING LANES OF TRAFFIC AND HITTING THE OPPOSITE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. MY CAR ENDED UP IN A DITCH. LUCKILY IT HAPPENED AT ABOUT 0630 IN THE MORNING AND NO ONE WAS INJURED AS THIS IS A BUSY ROADWAY. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER NOTICED THAT THE CENTER TREAD AREA OF MY TIRES WAS BALD, BUT THE OUTER TREAD STILL HAD TREAD ON IT. I BOUGHT MY CAR BRAND NEW 14 MONTHS AGO FROM MERCEDES. ONLY MY WIFE AND I HAVE DRIVEN IT. THE CAR ONLY HAS 16,000 MILES AND THE TIRES SHOULD NOT BE IN THIS CONDITION. I BROUGHT IT BACK TO MERCEDES AND THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THEY SEE THIS A LOT WITH THESE TIRES, WHICH SHOULD ONLY LAST 12,000 MILES! THIS IS ABSOLUTE NONSENSE. AND IT DOES NOT MATCH THE TIRE MANUFACTURERS CLAIM ON THEIR WEBSITE. IN THE MERCEDES SERVICE AREA IS A 3D DISPLAY SHOWING HOW LOW TREAD CAUSES HYDROPLANING! I CONTINUE TO DRIVE THIS SAME STRETCH OF ROAD TO WORK. I NOW NOTICED IT IS ACTUALLY ON A SLIGHT INCLINE, AND THERE IS NO AREA WHERE WATER WOULD POOL, CAUSING ME TO HYDROPLANE. I BELIEVE THERE IS A SERIOUS DEFECT IN THESE TIRES. HAD CIRCUMSTANCES BEEN SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT (CLOSER TO BIG TREES, HAD I BEEN GOING FASTER, HAD THERE BEEN PEDESTRIANS, HAD THERE BEEN OTHER CARS ON THE ROADWAY) THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A FATAL OR VERY SERIOUS INJURY COLLISION. CHP & FIRE ARRIVED ON SCENE, BUT I DID NOT REQUEST A POLICE REPORT. THERE IS A RECORD IN THEIR DISPATCH CALL.

NHTSA ODI 11291914

Nov 22, 2018BrakesCrash1 injury

I BOUGHT A CAR IN APRIL 2018. THE FIRST ACCIDENT OCCURRED ON THE HIGHWAY IN MAY 2018. I WAS DRIVING AT A SPEED OF 75 KM / H. I SAW THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME STEPPING ON THE BRAKES AND I ALSO STEPPED ON THE BRAKES, BUT MY CAR DID NOT SLOW DOWN. MERCEDES-BENZ KOREA CLAIMED THAT THERE WAS NO PROBLEM WITH THE CAR, ALTHOUGH THE CAR COLLIDED WITH THE CAR AS IT WAS. IN JULY 2018, THE SECOND ACCIDENT OCCURRED IN THE UNDERGROUND PARKING LOT OF THE APARTMENT WHERE I LIVE. I STARTED THE CAR, I SAW A CAR IN FRONT OF 60M. AS SOON AS I FOUND THE CAR AND STEPPED ON THE BRAKES, MY CAR SUDDENLY STARTED TO RUN AT HIGH SPEED. I WAS SURPRISED AND BRAKED HARDER. THE HARDER THE BRAKES WERE, THE FASTER THE CAR DROVE. FORTUNATELY, I DID NOT HIT THE CAR THAT WAS ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE, BUT MY CAR WAS PUSHED INTO THE WALL. ON CCTV, YOU CAN SEE THAT I WAS PUSHED INTO THE WALL WITH MY BRAKES ON. IT IS BECAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHT OF MY VEHICLE COMES IN. BY THE WAY, MERCEDES-BENZ KOREA SAYS THAT THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITH MY VEHICLE FOR FIVE MONTHS AND THAT EVERYTHING IS MY FAULT. I HAVE ALSO REPORTED SEVERAL TIMES THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE ABS MODULATOR OF A C-CLASS CAR MADE BY MERCEDES-BENZ AT A KOREAN BROADCASTING STATION. MERCEDES-BENZ KOREA TOLD ME THAT WHEN I FIRST HAD A CONVERSATION, THE ABS MODULATOR WAS WORKING AND THAT THE CAR SLIPPED BECAUSE OF IT. I ACCIDENTALLY HIT THE BRAKE PEDAL. MY CAR WAS TURNING ON THE BRAKE LIGHTS ALL THE WAY UP TO 60M STRAIGHT AHEAD (I WAS STILL ON THE BRAKES) AND THE CAR EVENTUALLY HIT THE WALL. WHEN I PROTESTED TO MERCEDES-BENZ KOREA, THEY SAID TO ME, "THE BRAKE LIGHT IS ON, BUT THE BRAKE ASSIST LIGHT IS OFF. YOU DID NOT BRAKE." THEY HAD AN OBVIOUSLY DIFFERENT ANSWER FROM THE BEGINNING. "I RIDE THE CAR AGAIN. HOW WILL YOU BE RESPONSIBLE IF YOU HAVE AN ACCIDENT?" WHEN ASKED THEM, THEY "DO NOT HAVE TO ANSWER ANYTHING THAT HAS NOT HAPPENED YET."

NHTSA ODI 11153227

Working with the data? Download all 125 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 14, 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 2018 Mercedes-benz C-class verdict →