2019 Mercedes Benz GLC350E showed red battery malfunction icon, 1st repair at dealership show A/C compressor cause fault in high voltage hybrid battery. After 3 weeks in dealership repair completed. 2 days later same warning icon reappeared shut car off wouldn’t start for 10 minutes. When it restarted red battery and orange engine light are on and A//C blowing hot air. Vehicle is hesitating with acceleration. Vehicle is back at dealership 1 week no word on the problem. Vehicle is still under warranty, and I will get rid of it as soon as I get it back.

Same issue as the earlier post on this same year/model vehicle. The first time it left us stranded in the middle of nowhere in Colorado. We had only a matter of seconds to muscle the steering wheel and pull to the side of a 65 MPH two-lane highway. Good thing it was still early afternoon, because it took about four hours to get a tow truck and get it back to the nearest town. Heads up; DON'T take this vehicle on long distance drives unless you absolutely have to.

The car automatically engages the parking brake when in park, so when it died, everything was locked up. Oh, and the SOS function didn't work either. Nice to know that's not on it's own separate battery in case, oh, I don't know, the main hybrid system suffers a catastrophic failure which could leave you stopped suddenly on a high speed freeway and you need help immediately. To that end, try as we might, we simply could not get tow assistance via MB customer care. So we had to call AAA, who dispatched a truck that was there in about an hour. But back to the locking up part. This meant the vehicle couldn't be driven or even pulled up on the flatbed. So we had to go back with the driver and pick up a jump starter. We also grabbed some very slick soapy, oily fluid in case we had to basically slide it up onto the flatbed. But the jump starter worked in brief spurts of about 30 seconds. Just barely enough to quickly drive it onto the truck. So far, this was a really wonderful vacation for us.

It ended up being towed to MB Colorado Springs, who did an incredible job of taking care of us. They got us a loaner car and kept us in the loop the whole time, which ended up being about a month also, after having to troubleshoot the issue and order parts from both Germany and TX. And I have to give credit to MB, as they did end up covering the whole fiasco under "Trip Interruption", which paid for our flights back to CO to get the car, plus hotel.

Fast forward about a year and bam! The same issue popped up just last Saturday. This time though, it was in our garage when we saw the lights. So we just left it and called AAA, then the dealer. It's currently in the shop and they've identified the AC compressor as the likely culprit. They said it should take about three days to get it, then replace, then confirm the issue is resolved. Hopefully this means more like a week instead of a month. But I have to mention that calling MB first was mostly a waste of time. I now know to just call AAA and tow it to the dealer, then call the dealer to make sure they got it. This shouldn't be the case IMO. MB should be our one stop shop for issues like this, but we really can't count on it. Way too many non-human prompts and then, when you do get to someone, they just say they can't really help and you have to call another number. Just know that when they talk about their customer care number, it's not really a genuine selling point of the manufacturer. It'll only serve to frustrate you at worst, and at best, reimburse you for rental car expenses if you can't get a loaner vehicle from the dealer.

Lastly, I fully agree with the author of the first complaint on this vehicle's battery issues. This should never happen on a nearly new Mercedes Benz vehicle. Isn't that part of what you're paying for with the higher price tag and brand cache? Why does my daughter's six year old Civic have way better reliability than my three year old Mercedes Benz?? I will say the hybrid drivetrain is the only issue we've had with the car during our three year lease period. But it's catastrophic and, IMO, completely unacceptable given that a Prius of all things can run for well over 100K miles on a hybrid drivetrain without a single problem. SO happy we leased this car and didn't do a purchase. We're giving the Mercedes brand one more shot and taking delivery of a new GLE in the next few weeks; GAS ONLY, of course. Really hoping we don't have any issues with that car like we did with this one, because we otherwise really like the car inside and out. I so badly want MB to have the same reliability as a Lexus or Honda.

Sorry for the long rant.

I am completely speechless and stunned that this type of problem occurs with a new 2019 Mercedes vehicle. The purpose of purchasing a new vehicle is for the safety net driving to and from destinations without concerns. A vehicle, on the average, should not be dysfunctional for at least 10 years.

The vehicle was purchased in May 2019, and on July 9, 2020 left me stranded. How is it possible that a new car, a Mercedes??, has these difficulties; but it gets better.

The car was in the shop for ONE MONTH, yes, ONE MONTH, due to the malfunction of the AC Unit which created a Battery Malfunction. Garage Isla Verde Inc. was unable to correct the problem with their technicians and had to call and order parts from the UK.

Yes, after a month, and picking up my vehicle, I drove it for two days before the same error messages occurred. The vehicle left me stranded, AGAIN. The vehicle had to be towed back to Isla Verde Garage for repair for the same problem. (See next post on their repairs, once, and if it is done)

This vehicle should be considered a LEMON but Mercedes still insists that the vehicle can be fixed. Umm, really??