10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
32,036 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #18

Sep 012022

C250

  • miles
The glue that suppose to make sure my windshield is secure is no longer secure. The windshield moves as I am driving. It-??s only on the corner of the driver side. Everything else is secured. Also my airbags (passenger and driver). There is a recall but its not showing when I run the Vin #.

- Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA

problem #17

Jan 022023

C250

  • miles
UNKNOWN: Transmission malfunction on the computer for the car. Seems like a sensor problem

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #16

Apr 012022

C250

  • miles
The door handle on the driver side stopped opening. I believe it became broken on the inside. Upon researching it I found that this is a recurring problem in many cars of my same make and model. Additionally I took the car to a mechanic to be fixed and apparently the dealerships are keeping the part in stock because this is a common issue. The car will not open from the inside without purchasing an entire new panel to repair it. This seems like a recall issue as a present safety concerns. This cost over $1200 to repair.

- Irvine, CA, USA

problem #15

Aug 272021

C250

  • miles
As I sat in my vehicle waiting for the traffic light. I felt a sudden hit on my head. At that moment I was confused, and thought someone had rear ended me. So like anybody would, I pulled over only to find out that the headrest on my 2013 Mercedes Benz C250 had came apart. It seems like the plastic inside tore apart from the springs causing pressure for it to deploy.

- Cathedral City, CA, USA

problem #14

Apr 142021

C250

  • 67,000 miles
Driving vehicle normally and turn the wheel and hear clicking sound from around steering wheel. Front, drivers air bag malfunction light is illuminated and horn nor any controls on steering wheel work at all. Error message displayed "front left malfunction, service required" symbol for airbag displayed. Took vehicle to Mercedes of palm beach dealership and they stated their were no open recalls on this model. I mentioned campaign 2017120024 (elec) campaign desc. 1709P46C62 (elec) and they state no open recalls on my vehicle. Took vehicle to reputable established Mercedes repair shop and they diagnosed the issue as "no communication with steering control module" repairman states this is a common issue with this car. I believe this is a serious safety issue with this vehicle as the airbag malfunction can possibly cause serious injury to the driver and the horns inability to function prevents the driver from alerting any other drivers if they stray from lane, are backing out of parking space, or distracted at a red traffic signal.

- West Palm Beach, FL, USA

problem #13

Oct 162020

C250

  • 114,000 miles
I was on the 99 freeway driving normal speed and hit brakes to take the denair exit. The car sped up! like turbo power! the speedometer was at 90 mph as I flew through a red light at top of the ramp! I had to continue down ramp back on freeway. Pushing and pushing on brakes but nothing happened! next ramp was a bit steeper, so tried again to slow car down! it started to slow and I was able to put car in neutral as it came to stop and I powered the car off. I was approximately 50 miles from home and had to be towed to Mercedes of stockton. After their repair department checked my car, they found the brake booster was bad and the turbo pipe hose was torn( due to wear and tear). I had previously (2 months earlier)had my car in for complete check up by the stockton, California dealership and nothing was detected. I feel this a safety issue! I could have been killed! also I believe this to be manufacture default, the cost to fix is $2,400, and I always bring my car in for regular serving. Thank you

- Stockton, CA, USA

problem #12

Jul 012019

C250

  • miles
Nothing has happened to me or my car, but I am concerned for our safety. Is this complaint form only for people who have already had an accident or passed away due to this recall" the recall is open and parts aren't ready!? I am trying to sell my car due to a financial issue/hardship. I need to know how you are going to resolve this problem"

- Thousand Palms, CA, USA

problem #11

Aug 012018

C250 4-cyl

  • miles
The inside driver's door handle to open the car broke. It doesn't open and thought was easy to fix. Took it to the dealer and told me it cost a $1,000 because need a new panel. Unacceptable. Looking in internet, figure out that I'm not the only one with this problem. There's a lot of cars in U.S. this represent a serious life threatening because in case of accident involving fire you can't open the driver's door from the inside and have to open the electric window to use the outside handle (yes, it open from the outside!) if the car is without power in an accident, you can loose your life if fire is involve. You simply are trapped and the only option is breaking the window. I wrote to daimler, mb U.S.a. and garaje isla verde (official dealer in puerto rico), and it just cost $1,000. Mb U.S.a. referred the case to garaje isla verde but they threat me like...nothing ever happened. Ok, I took the car and start searching in internet. Surprisingly, many people have the same problem! then I thought to write because this is not simply a matter of money, also is a matter of threatening. This is my wife's car. We took the car there for looking for the cost of fixing that, price of fixing a crash at back bumper and for general inspections. We left the car September 11. We called after 2 weeks. I picked the car October 19. The safety matter concerns to you, not with my car, but with all the cars in the nation. Make an investigation about that and decide if it proceed. My best regards and thanks. [xxx] retired customer service manager I don't know if you have a similar complaint. I just did my part. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Humacao, PR, USA

problem #10

Aug 222018

C250

  • miles
Door panel: My drivers side interior door handle will not open the door. The mechanism behind the door has broken. My mechanic stated the entire door panel requires replacement. I spoke with Mercedes and they will not cover the cost and this is a tremendous safety concern. I see through my searches this is known problem with this vehicle and I would like to know why Mercedes Benz corporation is not standing behind this design flaw. I bet if people were dying or died from this safety flaw it would be handled immediately with settlements outside the courts and away from the public eye. Where is the accountability for there product?

- Fontana, CA, USA

problem #9

May 052018

C250

  • 138,500 miles
Problem: I'm unable to open my driver door from the inside. I have to roll down my window to open my driver door. How did this happen? I opened my car door. When I got back on the inside door handle was loose. Contact with dealer: I went to the dealer to rectify problem. They told me I had to replace my interior door panel - which I have no issue with. However, the service advisor told me that location did not have the panel I needed and Mercedes was no longer making the part for this 2013 vehicle. He told me their were only 3 interior panels in California. 1 in san diego and 2 in sacramento. I called both locations. All were on hold for other customers. I bought this car in 2013. Brand new. I now have 138,000 miles on it - that I alone put on the vehicle. I do not feel safe driving a vehicle where I can I open the driver door from the inside. In addition, to be informed that Mercedes is no longer making a part for a 2013 vehicle is unacceptable. When people get in accidents, how is the panel replaced. I went online and saw similar complaints about this issue. I don't have a problem paying for an interior door panel. I just want to be able to feel safe and have the ability to open my driver door from the insidez

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #8

Oct 062017

C250

  • 50,000 miles
Manufacturer recall number2017100005 NHTSA recall number17V627 and manufacturer recall number2018030004 NHTSA recall number18V043 both are listed as "recall incomplete, remedy not yet available" and both affect driver airbags. I need remedy for these issues to be sure I won't be injured by my airbags.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #7

Nov 132017

C250

  • 5 miles
My car burnt yesterday morning on my way to work, no warning, nothing noted. Just started smoking and then flames came up and burn the whole front end

- Fort Lee, NJ, USA

problem #6

Mar 292017

C250

  • miles
Takata recall I called my local Mercedes Benz dealer who stated that in their system I had no air bag recall on my vehicle. I entered my VIN # on the airbagrecal website it showed I did" Mercedes Benz dealer is clearly not claiming responsibility. Rep told me that the letter was sent to all owners of Mercedes Benz cars and that my car does not have an recall? I don't agree with her and would like to file a complaint due to non-assistance and negligence on Mercedes Benz dealer end for not looking into my vehicle more. The recall for the airbag issued a warning of safety so I'm unpleasantly dismayed at the fact that the Mercedes Benz rep would dismiss my concern so nonchalantly to discuss a software update notice she did find in her system which I was due for? I currently have a airbag light on in my vehicle which is alarming and worries me a bit to say the least. I would like some action to take place in getting this issue resolved. The dealer should be offering to take a look at all Mercedes Benz customer vehicles to ensure airbag is not installed and everything is okay"

- Roswell, GA, USA

problem #5

Aug 192017

C250

  • 66,790 miles
Drivers side door handle became disengaged from cable. I could not open the door from the inside of the car. This incident did not immediately affect my safety, but I am reporting this issue because I foresee a problem with the construction of this flimsy door opening system. My car is barely 4 years old and if I was in an accident and could not open my door immediately, it could spell trouble. Any number of scenarios could affect a driver who cannot open the door without breaking a window or rolling down the window to open the door with the outside handle. I have found many blog posts of people who had this identical problem with their C250 sedan..

- Huntington Beach, CA, USA

problem #4

Jan 292017

C250

  • 25,500 miles
On 1/29/17 we awoke to the smell of smoke coming from our garage. Upon opening the inside door to our garage, we discovered the entire garage was on fire. Subsequent investigations resulted in an unknown cause. However the fire was centered around the left rear of the vehicle and the left rear door was found open/ajar" the car had been parked in the garage for over 24 hours prior and as recently as 9pm the night before all was well when I visited the garage"

- Vancouver, WA, USA

problem #3

Dec 012016

C250

  • 32,000 miles
When the car reaches a certain speed the doors lock automatically by design. With the child locks for the rear doors turned off rear passengers cannot open the rear doors with the door handle. They must first be unlocked electronically by the driver or by pulling the locking button up at the door. The later requires an extra procedure to get out of the rear seat in an emergency and is too difficult to operate by a young or older person. This adversely affects the safety of rear passengers. (the 2017 model C allow the rear door to unlock after a second pulling of the door handle, a more obvious or intuitive and less difficult way of egress. This is not noticed partly because the back seats are less frequently occupied my the single occupant driver. Noticed from Jan 2013 to present.

- Carlsbad, CA, USA

problem #2

May 222015

C250

  • 60,850 miles
I was driving to Colorado from Texas going North on highway 285 about 15 miles out of clines corners when my moon roof just exploded. Glass went everywhere and I quickly swerved off the road. There were no cars around that would have been capable of throwing up debris of any kind. I have subsequently done research to find that it is almost impossible for rocks or debris to break a moon roof. This seems to be a semi-common problem however I am struggling at the moment to get Mercedes to cover the repairs.

- Kermit, TX, USA

problem #1

Jan 062015

C250

  • 22,000 miles
As I was driving on the freeway, I heard and explosion followed by a rain sound, my sunroof had exploded and the glass can back down. Nothing hit the sun roof, the glass was pointing out, it actually exploded. After research I found this is common in Mercedes and I had no idea that something like this was even possible. I have had the car for only 3 months.

- Lodi, CA, USA