41 of the
338 complaints filed about the Mercedes Benz GLE 350
are about the other systems —
12% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2020.
The a/c unit failed and is available for inspection upon request. Being in an over-heated car can cause dehydration, heat exhaustion and/or heat stroke. I was nauseous and dizzy while driving, putting myself and my passengers at risk. Upon taking my car to a independent service dealer, it was revealed that their is a leak and the evaporator must be replaced. It has not been inspected by a Mercedes dealer yet. No warning messages.
NHTSA complaint #11748669 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving on the highway on three separate occasions the blind spot warning will pop up and show as inoperative, next the active break assist warning flashes as inoperative, and then the entire vehicle shows as inoperative and loses all acceleration and breaks down. This has happened three times. Stayed over night at the dealership they “drove it for 70 miles” it didn’t happen to them. They released the truck back to me saying it was perfectly fine. A day later it happened again while on the highway. Highly unsafe!
NHTSA complaint #11746371 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
CASE NUMBER: [XXX] VEHICLE: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLE350 --- EMAIL EXCHANGE TEXT --- From: [XXX] Sent: 1/14/2026, 12:11 PM To: cs.usa@mercedes-benz.com Subject: Re: Message From Mercedes-Benz USA: Case Number [XXX] Dear Ken, I want to clarify that my concern is not about support for “older technology” in a general sense, but about the confirmed retirement of factory-installed emergency and crash-response systems that were standard safety equipment on my vehicle at the time of sale. As previously noted, the mbrace system on my 2018 GLE-Class includes SOS/Emergency Call and Automatic Collision Notification functionality intended to contact emergency services in the event of a crash or airbag deployment, particularly where the driver may be incapacitated. These are safety systems, not discretionary convenience features. Your replies confirm that these safety functions are being permanently disabled, that no retrofit or replacement solution exists, and that the vehicle will continue to operate without the emergency communication capability it was originally sold with. I appreciate your acknowledgment, and I am documenting Mercedes-Benz USA’s position that these safety systems have been retired with no alternative provided. Sincerely, [XXX] On Jan 14, 2026, at 09:02, Mercedes-Benz USA cs.usa@mercedes-benz.com wrote: Dear [XXX] , I’m very sorry that these older technology features have been retired. Mercedes‑Benz is currently focused on supporting our present and next‑generation technologies, which unfortunately means that the former mbrace system is no longer maintained. If you have any additional questions or concerns, I would be more than happy to assist. Best Regards, Ken C. Mercedes-Benz USA (800) 367-6372 Mercedes-Benz Customer Care, 1 Mercedes-Benz Drive. Sandy Springs, GA 30328 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11738453 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am submitting a safety complaint regarding my 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 due to what appears to be a significant air conditioning refrigerant leak. The vehicle rapidly loses refrigerant shortly after being recharged. When the system is operating, a loud seeping/hissing sound can be heard from the HVAC system area, followed by complete loss of cold air within a very short period of time. This issue appears to indicate a major refrigerant system failure and raises concerns about potential defects in the evaporator, condenser, hoses, or related AC components. The leak rate is excessive and ongoing. I am concerned this may be a broader manufacturing defect impacting other Mercedes GLE vehicles. The vehicle has been properly maintained, and the failure occurred under normal operating conditions. Given the frequency of similar complaints online involving Mercedes HVAC refrigerant leaks and evaporator failures, I believe this issue warrants investigation for a potential recall or manufacturer accountability. The failure impacts driver and passenger comfort and visibility in humid or high-temperature conditions due to inability to properly defog windows. I respectfully request that NHTSA investigate this issue for potential safety and defect trends affecting the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE platform.
NHTSA complaint #11738600 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The glass between windshield and panoramic sunroof has 2 cracks starting on the drivers side and continuing all the way across to the passenger side. we dont recall an objects hitting the glass.
NHTSA complaint #11729450 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE: 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 VIN: [XXX] COMPONENT: Power train, automatic transmission DESCRIPTION: When the vehicle is placed in Park with the engine running, the vehicle experiences an intermittent jolting or lurching sensation approximately every 5 seconds, accompanied by an audible clicking sound. The jolting is most pronounced immediately after shifting from Reverse into Park, and gradually decreases in frequency after approximately one minute but does not fully stop. This occurs an estimated 50 percent of the time the vehicle is shifted into Park. This issue is separate from the known Eco Start/Stop roughness on GLE 350 models. This issue raises safety concerns. The owner is expecting a child and the unexpected repeated vehicle movement while in Park poses a risk when an infant car seat is installed. The jolting could also cause a driver to inadvertently release the brake or shift out of Park. The vehicle was taken to an authorized Mercedes-Benz dealership for diagnosis on two separate occasions. The service team acknowledged that they have seen this problem before on other vehicles of the same model, but stated they were unable to replicate the issue during their inspections and do not have a known repair procedure. The vehicle remains under the manufacturer’s factory warranty, purchased March 2023. Other GLE 350 owners have reported identical symptoms across 2020, 2021, and 2022 model years on multiple forums. No fix has been identified by any dealership. No crash or injury has occurred. No warning lights are illuminated. Video evidence of the clicking sound has been captured. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11727827 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When I got gas the estimated range indicated 308 Miles. We traveled approximately 134 Miles the estimated range was at 86 Miles it was dropping rapidly but average miles indicated 26.5 MPG. The next day we added fuel again and we were at 382 Miles. Then we drove 70 miles and the fuel indicator was showing that our range only decreased 15 Miles. During the trip the range increased multiple times and between the two days we traveled we did not know how much fuel was left in the car. The first trip it showed that we burned half a tank and the second day it showed we hardly burned any gas. This particular model has Open Recall for fuel pump system issues and display software. We were afraid that we were running out out of gas and would not be able to complete our trip or run out of gas in the middle of the highway.
NHTSA complaint #11710490 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Owners of affected Mercedes-Benz vehicles were given no meaningful advance warning that core, built-in safety and emergency communication systems would be permanently disabled. No replacement system has been offered, no retrofit path exists, and no alternative emergency solution has been provided. The manufacturer has instead unilaterally orphaned these vehicles by discontinuing backend support required for functionality that was present at the time of sale. These vehicles were manufactured and sold with non-paywalled, standard safety features, including automatic emergency call (E-Call/SOS), crash notification, and airbag deployment communication designed to contact emergency services when a driver may be incapacitated. With the discontinuation of backend services, these safety-critical functions will no longer operate, meaning there will be no automatic communication of airbag deployment, crash events, or emergency assistance requests, despite the physical hardware remaining installed in the vehicle. In addition, connected vehicle functions that support vehicle location, tracking, and remote access—features that can materially assist in emergency response, theft recovery, and post-collision assistance—were removed without explanation, compensation, or transition plan. These systems simply ceased to function, leaving owners without clarity, notice, or recourse. As a result of these actions by Mercedes-Benz, affected vehicles are now materially less safe than when purchased, through no fault or action of the driver or owner. A vehicle originally marketed and sold with integrated emergency response capability has been degraded after sale, creating a safety risk in precisely the situations these systems were designed to address. This issue concerns the post-sale removal of safety-critical functionality, not optional convenience features, subscriptions, or infotainment services.
NHTSA complaint #11709827 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Sunroof makes loud, high pitched noise when it’s windy or driving high speeds. Sunroof complaints found online for bad seals or components of sunroof being bad or unaligned. Sounds could cause driver not to hear other safety issues with vehicle as well as leaking if water.
NHTSA complaint #11708279 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My vehicle suddenly started shaking and losing power, the check engine light came on and the problem continues to vibrate when idling, it will not shift into gear to go. Very unnerving and unsafe as it happened in a intersection. Sometimes it drives fine and then vibrates and goes into low gear and loses power. I took to a certified Mercedes dealer and they changed the spark plugs and 4 coils as well - After 4 weeks, I am told the CYLINDER HEAD needs to be replaced. It has 68k miles. The mechanic has already had 2 other 2021 GLE 350 with exactly the same issue. There are several similar cases discussed online as well.
NHTSA complaint #11705869 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving down the interstate at normal speed, normal road conditions, clear weather conditions when my panoramic sunroof suddenly exploded with all of the glass coming down on me and inside my vehicle. The sound was similar to a gunshot
NHTSA complaint #11704934 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Original owner of a 2021 GLE, purchased on April 21, 2021. The vehicle is currently 4 years and 6 months and 22 days old with approximately 49,000 miles. Despite meticulous adherence to all scheduled maintenance performed and no warning lights activated the vehicle suddenly shutdown and would not restart. According to MB maintenance department it suffered a catastrophic and complete engine failure. This type of premature and total engine failure in a properly maintained, low-mileage vehicle is clearly a defect in material or workmanship. This is a serious safety defect that rendered the vehicle completely inoperable with no warning. Issues are resulting from valve guide wear issues, camshaft codes, valve openness, and no-compression symptoms, camshaft, timing chain, etc.
NHTSA complaint #11704589 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving at 65 mph on Florida’s Turnpike (SR 91) at approximately 5:30 PM EST, the panoramic sliding sunroof panel (Mercedes-Benz part #167-780-20-00) spontaneously shattered without any impact or warning. Conditions were partly cloudy. No vehicles, debris, or construction were nearby. A loud explosive sound occurred overhead, followed by glass shards falling onto the roof and rear spoiler. The roller sunshade was open, and the operable glass section was closed. No glass entered the cabin. Startled by the sound and visible debris, I instinctively braked and swerved, almost losing control. Post-incident inspection showed a large portion of the panel was missing, and scratches and paint damage were visible behind the failure point. The vehicle was brought to a Mercedes-Benz dealership the next morning. Staff immediately acknowledged similar failures and stated they had seen and repaired multiple panoramic sunroof issues across the lineup, especially in hot weather. Although this type of failure is typically covered under the 4-year/50,000-mile warranty, it was denied due to the vehicle’s mileage (58,099). Replacement is estimated at $2,700 and is pending due to part backorder. The incident was independently confirmed by a Mercedes-Benz dealer, an independent repair shop, an auto glass facility, and an insurance representative. The auto glass technician noted that Mercedes-Benz uses thin tempered glass rather than laminated or thicker alternatives, which may increase the risk of spontaneous failure. This failure created significant safety risks including driver distraction, potential for secondary collisions, potential injuries from airborne glass, and road debris hazards. If the operable glass section had been open, glass shards may have entered the cabin, further increasing the risk of injury to myself, other vehicle occupants, or other road users. I request that NHTSA investigate the design and failure rates of this sunroof panel and similar components.
NHTSA complaint #11689304 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My car shook while idling the last two weeks of June 2025. It felt like it was going to shut off at light/stop sign which it did on two occasions. On July 2, 2025, it stalled abruptly during a drive after which I took it to Mercedes for service. I never received a warning signal or fault message even after it stalled. Mercedes service indicated the engine cylinder head valves were burnt and not sealing properly - estimated cost of repair $10,023.00. I am the original owner of the car, had routine maintenance and only had it performed at Mercedes. My car stopped without warning- but luckily on a local road. Others who are driving with this defective engine may not be so lucky. It appears this is a known issue to Mercedes USA but they have not done anything to fix it. The engine is M264. Even if valves are replaced, this problem may continue to occur as the Mercedes serviceman does not know what caused the burnt cylinders - just that they needed to be replaced and that it was not wear and tear. Not sure if this is related, but there was a 2022 recall on this engine (my car was not part of batch that was recalled) regarding turbo charger oil feed and return lines. The issues included engine vibration at idle and loss of power.
NHTSA complaint #11674209 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
CYLINDER HEAD. - THE CAR MISFIRES AND WHILE DRIVING THE CAR SLOWS DOWN WITHOUT NOTICE. THE CAR ALSO SHAKES WHILE IN IDOL MODE. YES THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN CONFIRMED AT THE DEALERSHIP. NO THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED THAT I AM AWARE OF - BUT IT SHOULD BE BECUASE I HAVE DONE RESEARCH AND MERCEDES HAS SAID 2019-2022 MERCEDES HAVE CYLINDER HEAD RECALLS - IT JUST DOESN'T INCLUDE THE 350GLE MODEL WHICH IT SHOULD BECUASE THE FORUM I AM ON SHOWS THAT IT IS A KNOWN ISSUE AND ALOT OF CONSUMERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AS ME. YES THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS COME ON AND THAT IS WHY I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO SEE WHAT WAS WRONG. MERCEDES SHOULD RECALL ALL VEHICLES THAT HAVE A CYCLINDER HEAD ISSUE NOT JUST THE MODELS THAT HAVE LISTED NOW BECUASE THE ISSUE IS IN MORE THAN JUST THOSE VEHICLES! THE CAR POSES A ISSUE AND A SAFETY ISSUE BECUASE THE CAR CAN STALL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREEWAY CAUSING MAJOR SAFTEY ISSUES! I have photo's I tried to upload but it keeps giving me errors and won't let me upload to this case.
NHTSA complaint #11643905 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving down with my wife at a street, 35 miles per hour speed and suddenly heard an loud Explosion above my head and my wife screamed and I suddenly applied the break to avoid an accident as luckily there was no other car in back and front. There was a sudden break applied and my wife's neck and back got hurt due to sudden break fear of explosion and got severe pain in her neck and back. I pulled over a side and found out that the glass panel burst and cracked all the way across my vehicle between sunroof and the windshield. Dealer said it is not under warranty even I still have warranty as my vehicle has only 36,000 miles and excellent condition and always dealer maintained. Dealer asking $2,700.00 to replace and fix. This is due to MB manufactures defect which I found out that it is prone to break due to poor design and might have caused accident if driving on freeway in speed as it scared the [XXX] out me and my wife while it exploded on top of our head. It happened to several cars and MB has not recalled yet and asking to pay $2,700.00 to replace and fix. Action Law Suit have been filed by others as given below for reference and help to get my vehicle repaired. (1) [XXX] (2) [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11641548 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The air conditioner is constantly leaking refrigerant due to a potential damaged hose which is a known issue for Mercedez-Benz SUVs. I contacted the dealership who advised this is not an issue currently being addressed by the manufacturer and would be at the cost of the vehicle owner.
NHTSA complaint #11640685 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
As I was driving, sunroof suddenly exploded. My screen was partially opened. The sunroof itself was closed. I did not observe anything to hit the car, I did not hear any road debris hit the car. The glass shattered inside the vehicle over myself/my person, also my passenger in the front passenger seat, who is my son. I was so startled and in shock, but able to pull over to a safe area. Glass shards were noted to be down my shirt and pants. Glass shards were noted to be in items that were in my car rear seat. Also on my child. We were able to remove the glass from our person with very minor knicks as expected when handling glass material. There was no warning regarding any component failures or warning lamps, no sounds from the road, and no observed debris hitting the vehicle. It was about 613pm on Tuesday December 31, 2024. The weather was clear, no rain or extreme temperatures. As soon as I was in a safe place, I placed call to Mercedes-Benz at 658p. I was advised to take vehicle to dealership to be inspected as soon as possible. I took the vehicle in at 730am on January 2, when my local dealership was open for business.
NHTSA complaint #11633609 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Cracked windshield. Manufacturer has not been able to supply a replacement for 4 months. Every time I ask for an ETA the day moves back a month. This is a safety concern for many affected drivers with no apparent solution from MBUSA.
NHTSA complaint #11631635 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On [XXX], after I purchased the vehicle on [XXX] from Mercedes Benz Midlothian with 57,000+ mile, this occurred. I was driving south on [XXX] near Fairfield VA, when the SUV started popping, with the roaring of the wheels. Then the vehicle started to slow down no matter what I did with the gas pedal. I then pulled over to the grassy area of the [XXX] , and the vehicle completed died - like a brick. The engine would not start up at all. Safety: The issues for me are the facts that I was traveling 1:45 minutes from my home and I was almost smashed in the rear-end by the traffic behind me - due to a vehicle that totally STOPPED on the highway with a speed limit of 70 miles an hours - without any warnings. I traded in a 2014 ML350 with 279,000+ plus miles and had no major issues with the SUV it was a charm. Now I am dealing with a HUGE issues after purchasing a 2021 vehicle [in three days]. I do not know what the problems are - as the dealership has not diagnosis the issues during this writing. There are no reports from the police, dealership, or manufacturers, insurance at this time of writing. The only warning lights that I was grant was the power of the SUV left the vehicle totally. Just ridiculous. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11620654 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.