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2021 Mercedes-benz Gls-class

Solid pick. The public record on this car is clean for its age. Inspect it, then negotiate with confidence.

Recalls, complaint breakdown & inspection checklist, all in a shareable PDF

36 owner complaints · 0 recalls · data verified July 14, 2026 · source: NHTSA

Buywillitcar.com

Why buy?

Electrical system problems dominate (44% of complaints).

Very few owner complaints for its age and sales volume.

Zero recalls, rare for a car this age.

The math, shown

Full methodology →
Complaint volume (40%)89
Severity (30%)71
Recall load (20%)100
Trend (10%)62

Complaints filed per year

Fading = early teething worked out. Climbing = problems aging in.

20212026 YTD

How it crashes

NHTSA’s own crash tests, separate from the reliability score above.

NHTSA crash-tested this model year but didn’t publish an overall star rating for it.

Source: nhtsa.gov/ratings. Star ratings compare vehicles within the same class and size, not across every car on the road.

The road ahead

What breaks on a 2021 Mercedes-benz Gls-class, plotted where owners report it happening.

030k mi60k mi90k mi120k mi

Also reported (mileage varies): Electrical system (16)

Mileage medians come from owners who mentioned an odometer reading in their NHTSA complaint, a rough guide, not a schedule.

Electrical system

44%

16 complaints · 6 in the last 2 years

System malfunctioned detail: 48v battery malfunction, 12v battery malfunction. Safety concern: I was driving on [XXX] , the battery malfunction warning suddenly pop up…

Engine

11%

4 complaints

Repeated failures of 48 volt battery system has shut vehicle totally off while under highspeed and in traffic

Lane Departure

8%

3 complaints

Mercedes has launch a Campaign Nr 2022010001 Campaign Desc: 21P0699002 in which will retrofit augmented reality camera in 1147 vehicle model year 2021-2022 . My car ca…

Driver assistance

8%

3 complaints

The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes Benz GLS450. The contact stated while driving 75 mph with the cruise control engaged, the vehicle decelerated to 45 mph than to 15 mph…

Recalls (0)

No recall campaigns on file for this model year.

Before you hand over money

Check the VIN for open recalls

NHTSA’s free lookup shows whether this exact car had its recall remedies completed.

Free NHTSA VIN check

Get a pre-purchase inspection

A $150 to $250 independent inspection of this exact 2021 Mercedes-benz GLS-CLASS beats every score on the internet, including ours.

What to ask for

Not set on the 2021? See how every Gls-class model year scores →

Cross-shopping? Compare the 2021 Mercedes-benz Gls-class against another car →

What owners say

Real owners of this exact model-year, shown separately from the NHTSA score. If they disagree, that’s worth knowing.

The fine print: this verdict is computed from public NHTSA complaint and recall records for the 2021 Mercedes-benz Gls-class as a model, not for any individual car. A well-maintained example of an “Avoid” can outlast a neglected “Buy”. Informational only, so always get a professional pre-purchase inspection.