10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
0 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.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS550:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #2

Nov 302022

CLS550 8-cyl

  • miles
The rear subframe rusted from the inside out causing structural failure of the subframe. This lead to twisting of the chassis under hard braking causing difficulty in controlling the vehicle. As you can imagine, controlling a vehicle when needing to abruptly stop is very important. The rear end felt like it was getting loose and it was very difficult to keep the car moving straight. This type of rust isn't typical on a 10 year old car with only 85,000 miles on it. This is a known issue on other Mercedes Benz models, notably the W204/C Class, to the point where it was recalled in Canada and covered under the European corrosion warranty. However, nothing is covered in the US even though this issue is known by Mercedes in other countries. This has been repaired at my expense. There were no warning messages. This vehicle has been dealer-serviced for most, if not all, of its life and this was missed on every single multi-point inspection done to the vehicle. Had I not been cognizant of how my car should drive and handle or not been able to afford the repair out of pocket, this would escalate and worsen to a bigger issue that could have eventually lead to my own injury or death or that of others.

- Glen Allen, VA, USA

problem #1

Mar 152022

CLS550

  • miles
It has been confirmed by a glass company that the car has an improper seal/bonded windshield. The windshield is the original and the car has never been in an accident. A few years ago, i noticed a rattling that I was unable to identify. This was reported during one of the regular maintenance services but the sound was not replicated (as it would happen more often when cold). Recently, the sound has gotten worse, and I had a water leak so I suspected the windshield. As I have already stated the problem was confirmed, and you can literally push on the windshield from the inside and it lifts up. Needless, to say, this is a safety issue. Having owned several cars, I have never had such a problem and would not have expected it from a high-end vehicle.

- Abingdon, MD, USA