What 30 owners told NHTSA about the 2024 Mercedes-benz GLE Phev

12 V battery completely drained while in operation resulting in me being stranded and requiring the vehicle to be towed.

NHTSA ODI 11716938

We've had this car on lease for 23 months, and it has had an escalating pattern of electronic, mechanical and brake issues. Earlier today, on January 5, the car started to slow down and started shaking on the highway today and when I used the brakes the full body of the car started rattling and the brakes were far less responsive than they should have been taking far longer to decelerate than safe. There was an alarm with a turtle warning me to move over. On January 4, We parked our car in a parking lot and went into a store, when we returned all of the windows were lowered and the moonroof's window was also retracted. The car was beeping and making loud noises and then had issues starting. Prior to both of these issues, the car has taken to Mercedes repeatedly for locking passengers into the vehicle and blaring alarms, not allowing passengers to leave and the seatbelts will not retract. The airbag system has also malfunctioned during these periods. Mercedes has repeatedly been informed of these issues and has claimed that there were bugs in the car's code that they had fixed; however, each time they have fixed the issue a new issue has arisen. In late November 2025, a representative from Mercedes corporate asked for us to take the vehicle back to dealer for further inspection after which the dealership said they had carried out major updates and returned the car in early December. After that the car had been hardly driven until this week. This was the first major drive of over 60 miles.

NHTSA ODI 11708972

On [XXX] the power lock system in my Mercedes auto locked itself with my key and phone inside the vehicle on a hot day with a baby secured in a rear car seat. I did not lock the vehicle or touch the door handle lock. This vehicle is designed to never lock with a key inside. Obviously, this was a life threatening situation as our area was experiencing record heat. Since my phone was also locked inside, I couldn't call for help & had to find a stranger to lend me a phone. Immediately after I took care of the baby & had help, I reported the incident immediately to the Mercedes Emergency Customer Care center via the SOS button in the vehicle. They told me I would hear from someone within 72 hours - it's now been 10+ days since the incident & no communication from Mercedes. The vehicle locked itself again without warning a few days ago but fortunately, there was an adult in the vehicle who was able to unlock it (and the driver had the key on hand outside the vehicle). We have owned 6 Mercedes vehicles - we are familiar with the auto lock system & this is not normal. Srvice is scheduled with the local dealer in Fredericksburg VA the week of July 16, 2025. There was no warning & no warning lights. Normally, the vehicle verbally alerts us when the key is left in the vehicle. In this case, the key was in my purse on the front passenger seat. All doors were unlocked when I placed the baby in her seat and closed the right passenger doors. I walked around to open the drivers side door when I discovered all doors were locked. The vehicle is designed to not be able to lock with a key inside. We have been unable to manually reproduce the incident which leads us to believe the problem is in the electronic coding and needs attention and service from the manufacturing level. This could have easily ended in a fatality. I do not want this to happen to anyone else. I submitted another complaint to Mercedes - this time via letter on their website. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11671574

At 3000K miles, vehicle spontaneously slowed from 60 mph to 10 mph with no warning. Message: PERFORMANCE EXTREMELY LIMITED, Engine light, turtle sign. Tractor trailer truck behind us swerved and narrowly avoided hitting our vehicle. Car towed to MB Dealership. Over 5 weeks, they were unable to replicate the problem, asked us to pick the vehicle up. (they claimed they consulted with MB engineers) One week after getting vehicle back, same incident occurred, also narrowly averting a MV accident. Vehicle towed to another dealership who finally after 2 months they stated that the vehicle is not reparable. MB is re-purchasing this vehicle, as there is a software issue they cannot repair. I have been made aware from Mercedes Benz dealership, that 100 or more of these vehicles have the exact same issue. There have been NO recalls. MB USA is not forthcoming with information. The problem is dangerous.

NHTSA ODI 11639956

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

NHTSA ODI 11586214