What 43 owners told NHTSA about the 2024 Mercedes-benz Gle-class

My Mercedes Benz GLE450e Hybrid SUV has had a persistent but sporadic safety issue that suddenly causes the vehicle to go into "turtle mode" with a "performance extremely limited" warning when trying to accelerate quickly or sometimes when breaking quickly. In turtle mode, the car quickly loses acceleration, drops in speed and is then unable to accelerate properly. The sudden drop in speed and inability to accelerate causes a major safety issue while driving - particularly on roads with other vehicles also travelling at high speeds. Last Friday, I was driving with my family on Interstate 95 when a tractor trailer truck did not see me beside it and started to switch into my lane. I tried to quickly accelerate to get out of the way before it hit us but my car went into "turtle mode" and the speed suddenly dropped by 15 or 20mph and would no longer drive correctly. Luckily, I was in the right lane and able to swerve onto the shoulder of the highway and narrowly avoid the large truck. Otherwise, if I had been in a middle lane, I would have either been hit by the truck or likely hit another car next to me. This issue has been sporadically occurring with my car for about 5 months now. I have had it into the Mercedes dealer three times and, each time, they say they think they fixed the issue. But, each time the same issue has returned. They said that Mercedes USA knows it is a big issue with their new hybrid SUVs but Mercedes doesn't yet know how to fix the problem and has been unwilling to publicly acknowledge the problem or offer it's customers any assistance. Doing a quick Google search online for "Mercedes hybrid performance extremely limited" also quickly brings up different online forums where other owners of this same car have had the exact same issue that Mercedes has been unable to fix or resolve. Driving a car that can suddenly lose the ability to accelerate is a major safety hazard and I would sincerely appreciate if the NHTSA would help to address it

NHTSA ODI 11726723

On multiple occasions, the vehicle has unexpectedly lost acceleration while driving. Specifically, while traveling on the highway, the vehicle will suddenly drop speed and fail to respond when pressing the accelerator. This creates a dangerous situation, as I am unable to maintain speed with surrounding traffic, increasing the risk of a collision. This issue appears to occur without warning and significantly impacts the safe operation of the vehicle. A sudden loss of power on a high-speed roadway is extremely hazardous and poses a risk to both myself and other drivers.

NHTSA ODI 11721248

The MPH Sign Recognition mistakes 30mph when the sign reads 70mph.When the Cruise Control is set for 70mph the car begins to brake by itself thinking it is 40mph over the posted limit.This may cause a rear end collision. As a result I have discontinued using the Cruise Control to avoid an accident. This problem may exist on other late model Mercedes-Benz with the Sign Recognition option.

NHTSA ODI 11704501

WHILE DRIVING ON AN INSIDE ROAD AT 35 MPH WITH NO TRAFFIC, THE CAR APPLIED SUDDEN BRAKES. MANY MESSAGES/SYMBOLS POPPED UP ON THE SCREEN WHICH I WAS NOT ABLE TO SEE . CAR ALMOST CAME TO SUDDEN STOP AND IT CLEARED UP AGAIN WITHIN SECONDS AND CAR STARTED MOVING AGAIN. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO CAR OR THE DRIVER. AT HIGH OR IN TRAFFIC, IT MAY RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT. THE INSIDENT HAPPENED ON OCTOBER 28, 2025 BETWEEN 1:00 PM TO 1:10 PM.

NHTSA ODI 11696337

The contact owns a 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLE450. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle suddenly decelerated to 15 MPH. The contact became aware that the cruise control system had changed the set speed independently. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence, with the vehicle accelerating or decelerating independently. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to diagnose the failure. The contact was advised that the cruise control should not be activated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 1,500.

NHTSA ODI 11654957

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