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What 38 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Mercedes-benz GLS

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 (38)Crash / fire / injury (5)Electrical system (18)Engine (9)Fuel system (8)Driver assistance (7)Transmission & drivetrain (4)Airbags (2)Backup camera & sensors (2)Body & structure (2)Brakes (2)Suspension (2)

2 of 38 complaints match · Airbags · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jun 3, 2026Electrical systemAirbagsVisibility & wipersCrash

AMENDMENT TO ACTIVE CASE 11723015. CRITICAL AIRBAG & SAFETY DEFECTS. This files a safety defect amendment to open case 11723015. Diagnostic scans confirm central data bus network collapse on VIN [XXX] has migrated into safety-critical occupant restraint and visibility modules, violating 49 U.S.C. § 30118. I. AIRBAG & RESTRAINT HAZARDS Scans from [XXX], document active faults: DTC U042782: "Implausible data received from Electronic Ignition Lock." The SRS module receives corrupted data from the failed ignition gateway, creating risk of airbag non-deployment. DTC B007A13: Passenger seatbelt pre-tensioner open circuit; occupants are unprotected against crash displacement. DTC B11FA4B: Active "Overtemperature" faults in heating elements indicate localized thermal short-circuit risk. II. HARDWARE DECAY Physical teardown confirmed structural oxidation on the central gateway motherboard and corroded connector pins. Modular swaps failed; network lock code U016887 returned within 8 months. Raw dealer records are available for federal inspection. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11741714

May 31, 2023AirbagsDriver assistanceCrash2 injuries

03/17/2023 driving on US1 coming up to speed after pulling onto highway after cars passed I went 0.2 miles and was looking at my driver side mirror ( no traffic on road ahead of me) when I hit something that pushed my big SUV toward oncoming traffic. I held wheel and muscled car to side of road stopping short of a telephone pole. Car was upright I had trouble loosening seat belt while my wife was hanging forward into hers. Dog harnessed in back seat was ok Got out of car to see a car hauler 30? Footer sticking about 4 feet into the road and travel lane. Investigation by police revealed truck driver backed out of a company driveway into the road with no people helping. With traffic totaled right front tearing wheel off. No air bags deployed, I do not believe accident avoidance nor auto braking employed, MB safety and accident location didn’t activate and not sure passenger seat belt pre tightened. Police report Saco Maine 23-113-AC . MBUSA notified. Car held for them to examine. 4 weeks later have heard nothing other than “ we’re working on it”police and Insurance found 0 fault for me. Car totaled for repair cost

NHTSA ODI 11524751

Working with the data? Download all 38 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 20, 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 GLS verdict →