What 43 owners told NHTSA about the 2024 Mercedes-benz GLE 350 4matic

Message appears on dashboard stating “performance extremely limited” vehicle loses power and doesn’t allow you to accelerate properly. For example I stopped at a stop sign then turned onto 55mph road, message appeared. And vehicle wouldn’t accelerate above 35mph. Had to put hazards on to avoid other cars running into me from behind. The vehicle is currently in the Mercedes service department for the fourth time in two months because of this issue. They have had it for 19 days this visit and a total of 35 days for all 4 service visits. I was supposed to receive the vehicle back today after they replaced the second coolant system (I didn’t know there were two) but I received a call this morning stating the issue hasn’t been resolved with the coolant system replacements.

NHTSA ODI 11638221

On the 2024 Mercedes GLE 350, the speedometer/tachometer lighting does not dim to a safe or comfortable level during night driving. The dimmer switch functions between two levels of "bright and brighter" which affects night vision and makes it near impossible to see down the road. The lighting was tested by a Mercedes technician during the day, against another 2024 Mercedes. Mercedes corporate requested we schedule another appointment? which is on 20 DEC 24. We are requesting they use a "light meter/lux meter/illuminance meter" to determine the lumens per square inch or a photometer to measure the light intensity.

NHTSA ODI 11631436

Cracked glass roof panel between windshield and sunroof. Wind blow sound a little louder for several days and it cracked today when I drive on highway. It maybe dangerous if the entire panel fly away and hit cars behind.

NHTSA ODI 11629741

On [XXX] I was backing out of our driveway on a clear day. Normally the 2024 Mercedes Benz GLE 450e would beep when I get near an object in the back. This time, for some reason, there was no beeping or other audible or visual alert at all. As I was backing up, I was looking in the rear view while turning slightly. The rear of the GLE struck a mailbox that was installed in a large, half-wine barrel base. Bothe the wine barrel and the mailbox were hit with the rear of the GLE. In the past the reverse sensors have worked sometimes fine and sometimes they did not work at all. I have brought the GLE to the local Mercedes Benz dealer. They replicated the fault(finding the reverse sensor was not working) and then remedied by installing a software patch and other work described in the work order that I can send to NHTSA. This may be an ongoing issue with the GLS models or other Mercedes models. It is too soon know for sure if the remedy by the local dealer has fixed the reverse sensors issue. To be determined in an exact amount, the GLE suffered thousand dollars(likely above $ 5.000) worth of damage in body work and repairs to the rear as a result of the accident. No injuries fortunately. Please investigate if this is a safety recall or other remedies may be needed for the GLE to keep pedestrians and drivers safe. Thank you. Sincerely [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11629347

The contact owns a 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLE350. The contact stated while driving 80 MPH, the sunroof shattered without impact. The contact merged to the side of the road and immediately called 9.1.1. No injuries were sustained, and medical attention was not needed. The contact was giving a police service number. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 12,000.

NHTSA ODI 11615939

The contact owns a 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLE 450. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle came to a sudden stop while approaching a puddle of water. The contact was thrown forward. There was an unknown warning light illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The contact confirmed that there was no surrounding object that would have activated the Forward Collision Avoidance. The contact sustained injuries to her hand, finger, and nail but medical attention was not provided. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer informed her to disable the driver assist and that there was no error code since it does not record. The contact was concerned that the Forward Collision Avoidance would activate while driving on the highway and it could result in a crash. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 2,058.

NHTSA ODI 11612724

Every time I apply the brake pedal, it pops, like it’s going to either brake off or it’s loose somewhere. Every single time.

NHTSA ODI 11607755

The throttle pedal assembly is supposed to be bolted to the floor. Two studs are sticking up from the floor and the throttle pedal assembly fits over the two 6 mm studs. Two nuts might have been installed at the factory, but now they are no where to be found. The whole throttle pedal assembly is off the two studs and tilted sideways and very unstable. As the throttle can not be controlled by the driver, the vehicle is unsafe to operate.

NHTSA ODI 11593307

Hello, I am writing to inform the possible defective design of Mercedes Benz GLE 350 model. I had purchased new 2024, Mercedes Benz in September 2023. There is a issue with loud noise coming from back of car due to camera shutter opening and closing for no reason when car reaches under 16 miles/hour speed. This is very distracting besides being annoying as well. Camera shutter also makes loud noise when parking and reversing the car. There is a genuine issue with defective design of camera system located in trunk door in GLE 350. I Many other customers have expressed similar concerns online. I took my car to local dealer twice but told that this is a normal feature of car. I wrote several times to Mercedes Benz USA but company did not show any interest in looking at the issue. Large number of customers on line also have written up about this annoying features in many Mercedes Models. I am not sure if this right place to write this complaint. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11589868

Traffic Sign Assist does not display road signs or Speed Limit signs after purchasing $300 option

NHTSA ODI 11586214

While coming off the highway on an exit ramp, several car warnings/lights appeared and the car abruptly decelerated such that I could not drive more than ~30 miles/hour. The warning message said "performance extremely limited" and two warning lights (an engine and a turtle) came on. This problem has occurred on three separate occasions and after each incident, I took the car into the dealer for repair, each time with repair efforts seemingly made. During the third time in the shop, the dealer completely replaced the power electronics unit and cooler. While the car was in the shop the second time, I also contacted the corporate headquarters of the manufacturer about options to refund or replace the car under my state's lemon law. After multiple follow-up calls on my part since my inquiry was opened about 7 weeks ago, I have yet to receive any update on my inquiry, leaving me driving a car with questionable reliability for highway driving and wondering if there might be a need for a broader safety recall.

NHTSA ODI 11584160

The contact owns a 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLE53 AMG. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the message "Washing Fluid Needed" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who refilled the washer fluid reservoir, but the washer fluid immediately leaked onto the floor. The service advisor indicated that the washer fluid reservoir was faulty and needed to be replaced. The contact was later informed that the part was on backorder and no repairs could be performed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 997.

NHTSA ODI 11580881

Almost hit a car at front of me because the suv brakes doest not work properly

NHTSA ODI 11576339

Low coolant warning light came on while driving. Parked car in garage and found engine coolant all over garage floor. Contacted dealer, topped off coolant per conversation with service advisor and drove car to dealership. Dealer found that a rock had entered through one of the grille openings and damaged the front radiator. Estimate of repairs was $2,037 which Mercedes offered to cover $1,000 of the repair. Concern is that this may very well happen again due to the design of the grille.

NHTSA ODI 11571898

Break’s doesn’t work good on this car

NHTSA ODI 11569653

I received the attached Notice of Safety recall on 2/2/24 regarding an increase risk of crash due to a software error in the ESP unit. The letter also states that there is no remedy available yet. When I reached out to dealership who leased me the car they assured me that my car was safe to drive although no further explanation was given as to why they felt it was safe. And , I was further informed that they were prohibited from selling any vehicles in their inventory that were subject to the same recall as my vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11569613

2024 GLE450: This engine has twin turbos. On second day of ownership a "yellow turtle" warning light appeared on dash. This indicated loss of significant engine power (i.e. hence the "turtle mode"). This happened, without warning, multiple times on highway during first few days of ownership. I think this means the turbochargers were "deactivated" or taken "off line" by vehicle's management system. Result was suddenly compromised ability while passing and ability to maintain highway speed to safe exit. Checked vehicle in to MB Service Department (on day five of ownership) for analysis and repairs. Vehicle subsequently in shop for 29 days!; 8/3/23-8/31/23 Repair order is more than two pages, single spaced. Appears dealer Service Dept ultimately "Replaced crank case vapor oil separator on top of valve cover." I tried to upload Service Invoice but wouldn't let me do it.

NHTSA ODI 11561666

The glass pane between my windshield and my dual-pane panoramic sunroof exploded while parked in my garage in the middle of the night. This car is not even 2 months old yet, has never been damaged and could have killed me had it randomly exploded while I was driving.

NHTSA ODI 11543713