What 122 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Mercedes-benz GLE

Campaign No. 2022030003, April 2022 My vehicle is experiencing the exact same issues, but the VIN was not tagged as one of the affected.

NHTSA ODI 11621997

There is a leaking valve seat in the cylinder head 3. This causes the cylinder to lose compression, the car to lose power, and the vehicle fails to move from a full stop.

NHTSA ODI 11619104

The cylinder head which lead to engine problems after the repair it lead to a failure of the positive crankcase valve.

NHTSA ODI 11597059

This past week, I went to the dealer for an intermittent engine light issue. The problem was minor and was fixed (faulty charcoal sensor). I asked to have my spark plugs replaced as well. The service department called me, and said that the engine harness is brittle and if they accessed.. it could break. This was not considered an immediate issue. Quote was $7300 to replace it. This seemed like a defect rather than an standard wear issue (even though I drive a lot, @ 170K highway miles). My car drives like new, and has had no major issues whatsover. In fact, it is only now that I need to have my rotors replaced. Had I not mentioned that I wanted new spark plugs, the issue would not have came up during the service. I hope that you can look into this, as other Mercedes GLE 450 owners make have the same issue as I. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11583127

There were two incidents that had similar symptoms: one before the dealership said they fixed and one afterwards. The issue is that while driving I would get three warning, all at the same time: coolant too hot, 48v battery malfunction, shut the engine off. The first time it happened immediately after I turned on the vehicle and within 5 minutes of leaving a parking lot. The second time it happened after about 3 hours of driving at highway speeds. After the first time it happened dealership said they fixed the issue by upgrading the software (battery software?). Both times it happened on the highway. The first time on the uphill, and vehicle immediately shut off and could not make it up the ramp. The second time in the tunnel on the flat road, could not make it to the exit. Both times created extremely dangerous situation as I had no time to take the exit and vehicle shut off about 30 seconds after warning popped up. The second time in the tunnel was especially dangerous as there was no shoulder and i had to stop in the middle of the right lane as cars were going at 60 mph by me. I was really worried for myself and my family. I have to trust that Mercedes is capable of fixing the issue and providing a reliable vehicle I can depend on and trust for the safety of my family.

NHTSA ODI 11575432

Component or system failed: P030385 Combustion misfiring of cylinder 3 has been detected. There is a signal above permissible limit value. P030085 Combustion misfiring has been detected. There is a signal above permissible limit value. P1CEF85- Injector injection quantity adjustment for cylinder balancing has almost reached upper limit value at least one cylinder. There is a signal above permissible limit value. P1CE577- Injector injection quantity adjustment for uniform mixture formation has detected an excessively lean mixture in at least one cylinder. The command position cannot be reached. P219E77- Mixture formation (Cylinder 3) is irregular. The command position cannot be reached. I have taken the vehicle into an independent service provider to be evaluated, which is where I received the information for the codes above. The vehicle is now at the dealership being evaluated. A check engine light has been present. There has not been a complete mechanical failure or safety issue due to this specific concern; however, this is a growing concern with this engine, and there is already a similar complaint with these exhaust valve components in other Mercedes models.

NHTSA ODI 11574330

The contact owns a 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE350. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle briefly hesitated. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the cylinder head was damaged and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 49,000.

NHTSA ODI 11559200

The transmission with the Auto Start/Stop 48v system is very clunky and not smooth at low speeds. I'm unable to park in my garage or parallel park with the Auto Start/Stop feature enabled which is by default for reduced emissions. I fear hitting pedestrians/people at crosswalks, causing damage to my house inside my garage when parking, and/or other vehicles when parallel parking because the transmission is so clunky, it causes the vehicle to surge or lurch forward very harshly in such a way that I could cause damage to another vehicle or even hit a pedestrian or person at a crosswalk. There's something inherently wrong with the 48V auto start/stop when it engages and disengages with the transmission causing it to surge or lurch forward uncontrollably and dangerously.

NHTSA ODI 11525053

The car makes a rumbling sound when the car is stopped and the brake is engaged. We took the car to the Marietta dealer who indicated the motor mounts were wearing out. the manager provided a quote for replacement. The mileage is 62,xxx. The motor mounts should not be wearing out with only 62,000. The motor mounts wearing out could lead to other problems. Mercedes USA says it is up to the dealer to warranty the item. How dopes this make any sense when they did not build the car? I believe this could be a very dangerous situation. The service manager stated they change about 3-4 mounts every month. Please help, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI 11502914

ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON AND TAKE TO DEALER. COMPLAINT ABOUT SPEED CONTROL WHEN GAS IS APPLIED THE CAR DIDN'T RESPOND AND ENGINE STAY DEAD. CAR WAS SUPPOSED TO BE RESETTED. DRIVE ANOTHER 30 DAYS AND CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WITH THE SAME ISSUES. DEALER KEPT THE CAR FOR OVER A WEEK WITHOUT GETTING THE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 11498507

1. FIRST MESSAGE: 48V BATTERY MALFUNCTION 2. SECOND MESSAGE: STOP THE VEHICLE COOLANT IS NOT WORKING VEHICLE IS OVERHEATING. 3. LOST POWER, I COULD ONLY DRIVE 10 MILES PER HOUR. I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED BY A SEMI TRUCK. THERE ARE SEVERAL ONLINE OCCURRENCES REPORTING THESE SAME MESSAGES. IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WHEN A VEHICLE LOSES ALL POWER WHILE ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED. MERCEDES AWARE OF A BULLETIN WITH THIS ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI 11476213

48 V BATTERY MALFUNCTIONED, I WAS ADVISED THAT IT WAS NOT CHARGING. WHICH LED TO ADDITIONAL MESSAGES INCLUDING THE CAR WAS NOW OVERHEATING, TO PULL THE CAR OVER AND NOT DRIVE IT. AT THAT POINT I LOST ENGINE POWER AND WAS UNABLE TO EVEN DRIVE THE CAR UP A SLIGHT HIM.

NHTSA ODI 11449255

The contact leased a 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE450. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and yielding to make a right turn, the vehicle would shut off with several warning lights illuminated. The contact also stated that the “Active blind spot assist inoperable" and "Inoperable - See Owner’s Manual" appeared on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer on several occasions however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000

NHTSA ODI 11437650

When my wife got into vehicle first thing in the morning after it sitting all night in the garage, she smelled a foul smell. As she was driving, she opened all the windows to dissipate the smell and turned in the heater because wit was cold that morning. After about ten to twelve minutes of driving, she noticed the check engine light came on and the car started shaking. She pulled over and exited vehicle. As soon as she got out the vehicle started smoking and caught fire. The vehicle is a total loss.

NHTSA ODI 11435476

WHILE DRIVING IN A PARKING LOT AT A LOW SPEED MY CAR TURNED OFF BY ITSELF I KEPT PUSHING ON THE ACCELERATOR BUT I REALIZED THE CAR IS NOT MOVING, IT HAD SHOT OFF BY ITSELF. I TURNED THE CAR ON MANUALLY AND THEN WORKED. IT WAS A TERRIFYING SITUATION. I KEPT THINKING WHAT IF I WAS ON THE FREEWAY AND MY CAR HAD TURNED OFF WHILE THE MOVING TRAFFIC WAS ABOUT 70 MILES. I CONTACTED MERCEDEZ BEZ AND I WAS TOLD IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A GLICH AND THAT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE IT. I FEEL THAT IS A VERY DANGEROUS GLICH.

NHTSA ODI 11386822

WARNING LIGHT "COOLANT TOO HOT SHUT ENGINE OFF" COMES ON REPEATEDLY AND THIS IS UNABLE TO BE FIXED. LIGHT COMES ON WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. WAS TOLD BY MERCEDES THIS WAS A FAULTY WARNING LIGHT. YESTERDAY THIS CAME ON AND MY ENGINE SHUT ITSELF OFF WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON A BUSY STREET. I WAS ALMOST HIT BY ANOTHER VEHICLE AS I LOST POWER TO THE CAR ON A MAIN ROAD. I BARELY ROLLED INTO A PARKING LOT. COULD HAVE BEEN A HORRIBLE (FATAL) DISASTER HAD I BEEN ON THE FREEWAY. "MALFUNCTION" "SEE OPERATOR'S MANUAL" AND "48V BATTERY SEE OPERATORS MANUAL" ALL CAME ON WITHIN RAPID SUCCESSION BEFORE THE ENGINE SHUT OFF ON ME.

NHTSA ODI 11365446

DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH AND '48V BATTERY MALFUNCTION' WARNING GOES OFF, ALONG WITH A YELLOW CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. A FEW SECONDS LATER A 'COOLANT' ERROR MESSAGE POPS UP AND A RED CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. CAR LOOSES POWER COMPLETELY AND I'M UNABLE TO ACCELERATE AT ALL. CALL FLASHES A MESSAGE OF 'PULL OVER AND TURN THE ENGINE OFF'. FORTUNATELY NO ONE WAS BEHIND ME AND I WAS ABLE TO COAST SAFELY TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY BEFORE THE CAR STALLED COMPLETELY. FOUND OUT THROUGH SEVERAL BLOG POSTS MULTIPLE OTHER 2020 GLE OWNERS ARE HAVING THE SAME SAFETY ISSUE AND THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL BY MERCEDES-BENZ AND NO RESOLUTION FOR THE ISSUE. VEHICLES ARE SPENDING MONTHS IN THE SHOP AND EVENTUALLY BEING BOUGHT BACK BY THE MANUFACTURER OR DEALERSHIP. THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS ISSUE TO LOSE ALL POWER AND CONTROL OF THE VEHICLES SPEED. I'M LUCKY NO ONE WAS ON THE ROAD NEAR ME WHEN THIS HAPPENED, OTHERWISE AN ACCIDENT ALMOST SURELY WOULD HAVE OCCURRED. MERCEDES SHOULD BE FORCED TO ADDRESS THIS SAFETY ISSUE IMMEDIATELY.

NHTSA ODI 11352040

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 MERCEDES BENZ GLE350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT OR AT A STOP SIGN, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT WHILE SHIFTING INTO GEARS, THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT UNDISCLOSED SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE BECAME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MERCEDES-BENZ OF PRINCETON LOCATED AT (2910 IS-1, LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ 08648), WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED HOWEVER, THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 4,000.

NHTSA ODI 11317320