FaultScore

FaultScore report

2023 Mercedes Benz GLC 300 4MATIC problems

Owners have filed 13 complaints about the 2023 Mercedes Benz GLC 300 4MATIC with NHTSA between 2025 and 2026. The largest single group is the other & unspecified. Across this model's run it ranks 4 of 4 worst.

C

FaultScore 48/100

Higher is worse. Measured against the other years of the Mercedes Benz GLC 300 4MATIC.

How this is worked out

The numbers

13

Complaints

0

Crashes reported

0

Fires reported

1

Injuries reported

What kind of bad

The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.

Complaint volume 53 vs 50 Severity 40 vs 50 Early failure not reported
The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.
Complaint volume — 53
Against the median year of the Mercedes Benz GLC 300 4MATIC. 50 means typical for this model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 40
7.7% of these complaints involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of 9.7%.
Early failure — not reported
Too few complaints recorded a mileage to measure this.

How 2023 compares with every other Mercedes Benz GLC 300 4MATIC

Click any bar to open that year's report.

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks on a 2023 Mercedes Benz GLC 300 4MATIC

Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.

Other & Unspecified 4 30.8%
Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance 2 15.4%
Body & Structure 2 15.4%
Brakes 2 15.4%

Median failure at 39,000 miles

Equipment & Accessories 1 7.7%
Acceleration & Cruise Control 1 7.7%
Transmission & Drivetrain 1 7.7%

When owners complained

A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single owner can see from inside their own car.

May 2025 peak 4 Jul 2026

Complaints that involved harm

Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.

Groton, CT 2 injured

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

When loading groceries in my trunk, the door randomly closes on my head. The last time this door closed while we were loading, I tried stopping it with my hand, by holding it, so my spouse doesnt get smashed, and it will not stop at all. There needs to be a safety feature installed to stop this trunk from closing if a person is underneath it. I fear that a child or an elderly person wont be able to move fast enough and will be severely harmed by this.

NHTSA complaint #11699574 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

The most recent complaints

In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.

at 39,000 miles Groton, CT

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

The contact owns a 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 4MATIC. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the brake pedal felt as if it had released, and the vehicle failed to stop as needed. The contact stated that the failure was a recurring failure. The dealer was contacted but could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000.

NHTSA complaint #11752677 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Winchester, MA

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

My 2023 GLC300 suffered a severe, unprovoked emergency brake deployment in traffic, nearly causing a pileup. on [XXX]. The car has only 14,500 miles and has a chronic history of dangerous, unprovoked Active Brake Assist deployments. It broke down twice in its first month of ownership for other reasons, slammed on the brakes during a left-hand turn last year, nearly causing an accident and on [XXX] executed a violent, full-lock emergency stop from 25mph in light traffic with no obstacles in sight, nearly causing a multi-car pileup and putting me thru the windshield. The car was towed to MB of Boston in Somerville under factory warranty on [XXX]. I have refused to drive this hazardous and unsafe vehicle, the Dealer did a quick factory update and an a clean erase of the following code, Code B229BF9, but I have refused to take it back util they have proven to me that this dangerous issue has been fully resolved, I am a [XXX] with a perfect driving record and I frequently drive this car on the highway and I am very fearful the car will do it on the highway which would be catastrophic to me and other motorists. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11747647 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Saint Petersburg, FL

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I purchased a new Mercedes Benz GLC300 2023. Last month, my friend and I were driving on I75 in Florida when we heard what sounded like a loud boom or gunshot. We quickly discovered that my sunroof had exploded. The sunroof was closed, and fortunately so was the sunshade, as large pieces of glass flew off the roof and smaller shards of glass collected on top of the sunshade. My friend and I were fortunate to have not been insured and were able to safely navigate the vehicle to the side of the road to assess the damage. In contacting the MB dealership, I learned that the sunroof is considered "glass" and thus not covered under warranty even though the vehicle is only 3 years old with less than 50,000 miles. What is more concerning to me is that the roof was not under a recall, and there have apparently been other MB owners that have experienced the same issue with class action lawsuits pending. My insurance company covered the repairs following payment for the deductible. This huge safety concern is that we could have been seriously injured by flying and/or falling glass. I write to express my deepest concern over the safety issue the exploding roof presents-the cost of repair relative to what could have happened is minor. Thank you for the attention to this matter.

NHTSA complaint #11733932 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Richland, WA

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

The issue is regarding the “Traffic Sign Assist” (Owner’s Manual page 221) feature of the Adaptive Cruise Control System. Vehicle will be made available if requested. The function of the "Traffic Sign Assist" is to monitor roadside "Speed Limit" signs and the cruise control will increase or decrease speed to stay within the permissible legal speed limit. The system worked except occasionally it would change the indicated permissible speed limit on the instrument display when there is no corresponding roadside speed limit sign and the permissible speed limit for that stretch of roadway is unchanged. When this happens, suddenly and abruptly, the vehicle display would indicate a "phantom" Higher or Lower Speed Limit sign and rapidly and abruptly accelerate or decelerate. Again there were no roadside signs posted indicating a higher or lower speed limit! The risk is potential for rear end collisions from or to other traffic due to the abrupt acceleration or deceleration. when we returned home from a 4556 mile road trip, we took the vehicle to the Mercedes dealer for routine service and mentioned this to the Service Advisor. He indicated that when this defect is reported their solution is to deactivate the system. I don't feel this is adequate since another driver could reactivate the system through the settings. It has not been inspected by anyone except the dealer. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms before the display changed and the vehicle abruptly accelerated or decelerated.

NHTSA complaint #11732594 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Richland, WA

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The issue is regarding the “Traffic Sign Assist” (Owner’s Manual page 221) feature of the Adaptive Cruise Control System. Vehicle will be made available if requested. The function of the "Traffic Sign Assist" is to monitor roadside "Speed Limit" signs and the cruise control will increase or decrease speed to stay within the permissible legal speed limit. The system worked except occasionally it would change the indicated permissible speed limit on the instrument display when there is no corresponding roadside speed limit sign and the permissible speed limit for that stretch of roadway is unchanged. When this happens, suddenly and abruptly, the vehicle display would indicate a "phantom" Higher or Lower Speed Limit sign and rapidly and abruptly accelerate or decelerate. Again there were no roadside signs posted indicating a higher or lower speed limit! The risk is potential for rear end collisions from or to other traffic due to the abrupt acceleration or deceleration. when we returned home from a 4556 mile road trip, we took the vehicle to the Mercedes dealer for routine service and mentioned this to the Service Advisor. He indicated that when this defect is reported their solution is to deactivate the system. I don't feel this is adequate since another driver could reactivate the system through the settings. It has not been inspected by anyone except the dealer. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms before the display changed and the vehicle abruptly accelerated or decelerated.

NHTSA complaint #11732594 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Richland, WA

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

The issue is regarding the “Traffic Sign Assist” (Owner’s Manual page 221) feature of the Adaptive Cruise Control System. Vehicle will be made available if requested. The function of the "Traffic Sign Assist" is to monitor roadside "Speed Limit" signs and the cruise control will increase or decrease speed to stay within the permissible legal speed limit. The system worked except occasionally it would change the indicated permissible speed limit on the instrument display when there is no corresponding roadside speed limit sign and the permissible speed limit for that stretch of roadway is unchanged. When this happens, suddenly and abruptly, the vehicle display would indicate a "phantom" Higher or Lower Speed Limit sign and rapidly and abruptly accelerate or decelerate. Again there were no roadside signs posted indicating a higher or lower speed limit! The risk is potential for rear end collisions from or to other traffic due to the abrupt acceleration or deceleration. when we returned home from a 4556 mile road trip, we took the vehicle to the Mercedes dealer for routine service and mentioned this to the Service Advisor. He indicated that when this defect is reported their solution is to deactivate the system. I don't feel this is adequate since another driver could reactivate the system through the settings. It has not been inspected by anyone except the dealer. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms before the display changed and the vehicle abruptly accelerated or decelerated.

NHTSA complaint #11732594 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Lincolnwood, IL

STRUCTURE:BODY

The glass panel between the windshield and the sun roof shattered spontaneously

NHTSA complaint #11710584 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Groton, CT 2 injured

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

When loading groceries in my trunk, the door randomly closes on my head. The last time this door closed while we were loading, I tried stopping it with my hand, by holding it, so my spouse doesnt get smashed, and it will not stop at all. There needs to be a safety feature installed to stop this trunk from closing if a person is underneath it. I fear that a child or an elderly person wont be able to move fast enough and will be severely harmed by this.

NHTSA complaint #11699574 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Morristown, NJ

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC300 4Matic. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and coming to a stop, the vehicle skidded or slid and felt like it had been rear-ended. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that the infotainment system was inoperable intermittently. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving 40-50 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact merged to the right lane to be able to pull over as necessary. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The contact stated that the failure had recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA complaint #11685231 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Morristown, NJ

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

The contact owns a 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC300 4Matic. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and coming to a stop, the vehicle skidded or slid and felt like it had been rear-ended. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that the infotainment system was inoperable intermittently. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving 40-50 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact merged to the right lane to be able to pull over as necessary. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The contact stated that the failure had recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA complaint #11685231 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Morristown, NJ

EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:INFOTAINMENT

The contact owns a 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC300 4Matic. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and coming to a stop, the vehicle skidded or slid and felt like it had been rear-ended. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that the infotainment system was inoperable intermittently. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving 40-50 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact merged to the right lane to be able to pull over as necessary. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The contact stated that the failure had recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA complaint #11685231 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Broomall, PA

STRUCTURE:BODY

The rear door randomly closes with force unexpectantly. We contacted the Mercedes dealer where the car was purchased and is serviced. They responded it can not be fixed and was an ongoing concern of many owners

NHTSA complaint #11664589 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Kittitas, WA

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I have had numerous incidents since I purchased the vehicle in April of 2023. The first was when it would not start. It continuously ran through all of the error messages and simply refused to start. This happened numerous times, leaving me stranded for 20 minutes or longer. Then, the safety features would randomly stop functioning, and I would receive error messages stating that they were disabled. The check engine light would appear on the dashboard, and it continues to do so, even though I am told there is nothing wrong with the engine. My Mercedes will randomly turn on and tell me that they don't understand my question, even though I never asked it a question. There have been too many issues to list, but the final straw was yesterday. The hatch quit working about two months ago. It would shut but I would get a message saying it wasn't shut, and I would have to get out of the car and shut it manually. The part was ordered, but it did not arrive on the day of service, so I had to reschedule. It was replaced, but I was told that it won't shut correctly, and that I need to take it to a body shop for repair, which is not covered by my warranty. I have tried for years to have it lemon lawed, but I am continuously told it does not qualify. So, what qualifies. It was a brand new LUXURY, EXPENSIVE car, and I will never buy another Mercedes, and I have been telling my family and friends to avoid buying one, too!!

NHTSA complaint #11664103 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.