Home · 2020 Mercedes-benz C-class Cabriolet · Complaints

What 45 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Mercedes-benz C-class Cabriolet

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 (45)Crash / fire / injury (6)Engine (9)Transmission & drivetrain (7)Backup camera & sensors (4)Body & structure (4)Electrical system (4)Fuel system (4)Airbags (3)Driver assistance (3)Steering (3)Visibility & wipers (3)

1 of 45 complaints match · Airbags · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Aug 6, 2021Airbags1 injury

On July 17, 2021 I was driving at the posted rate of speed down I-275 Southbound here in Michigan. All of the sudden and without warning, there was a loud explosion which happened, from as near as I can tell, in the driver's side windshield pillar, where there is an airbag. No warning lights came on, and the car did not change its driving characteristics. Only after I reached my destination and searched under the dash, and every where else (including the exterior), did I find that the plastic "cover" on the pillar is pushed away from the pillar and much more loose than the plastic cover on the passenger side. Since the incident, I have had severe tinnitus in my left ear which was about 15-18" away from it. The air bag did not deploy. I did not hit a pothole, did not hit a bump, did not hit another vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11428078

Working with the data? Download all 45 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 2020 Mercedes-benz C-class Cabriolet verdict →