at 73,000 miles
Port Saint Lucie, FL
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
See attached letter for complaint
NHTSA complaint #11756442 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
FaultScore report
2021 Mercedes Benz GLE 450 problems
Owners have filed 28 complaints about the 2021 Mercedes Benz GLE 450 with NHTSA between 2020 and 2026. The largest single group is the electrical system. Across this model's run it ranks 3 of 5 worst.
C
FaultScore 49/100
Higher is worse. Measured against the other years of the Mercedes Benz GLE 450.
How this is worked outThe numbers
28
Complaints
0
Crashes reported
0
Fires reported
0
Injuries reported
3,000 mi
Median mileage at failure
Half of reported failures happened before this
80%
Failed under 36,000 miles
Inside a typical bumper-to-bumper warranty
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 — 57
- Against the median year of the Mercedes Benz GLE 450. 50 means typical for this model; 100 means roughly double.
- Severity — 0
- 0% of these complaints involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of 9.7%.
- Early failure — 100
- 80% of failures with a mileage on record happened under 36,000 miles, against a national rate of 29%.
How 2021 compares with every other Mercedes Benz GLE 450
Click any bar to open that year's report.
What breaks on a 2021 Mercedes Benz GLE 450
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
Electrical System
9
32.1%
Median failure at 3,000 miles
Engine & Cooling
7
25.0%
Median failure at 3,000 miles
Other & Unspecified
3
10.7%
Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
3
10.7%
Transmission & Drivetrain
3
10.7%
Median failure at 73,000 miles
Windows, Mirrors & Wipers
1
3.6%
Lights
1
3.6%
Acceleration & Cruise Control
1
3.6%
When it fails
Odometer readings owners gave when they filed. About half of all complaints include one.
Under 1,000 miles
1
20.0%
1,000 – 9,999 miles
2
40.0%
10,000 – 24,999 miles
1
20.0%
50,000 – 74,999 miles
1
20.0%
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.
Dec 2020
peak 6
Aug 2026
The most recent complaints
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
Leesburg, VA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1. Failed component/system. Primary issue is stalling under normal operating conditions. The vehicle is available for inspection. It is a 2024 Porsche Panamera. It is currently with the dealership at Chantilly. 2. The vehicle stalls while I was crossing a highway potentially leading to a collision. The second time it stalled my daughter was in the vehicle, which could have put her in danger and others on the roadway. 3. The dealership could not replicate the issue 4. The dealership will not have Porsche engineering try to identify the issue they are just stating they cannot replicate it while test driving. 5. There was no indication or warning light that stalling would occur. There were software issues that occurred as soon as I received the vehicle, which I had let Porsche know, and that was an additional malfunction which they have stated they have fixed. This would be the second time that they worked on this issue. I would like to note that I purchased the vehicle in November and as of November 22 Porsche has been in possession of my vehicle. They returned it on December 2 stating they had fixed all issues. On December 3 the dashboard warnings occurred again. Therefore, the car was returned to the dealership, and they have had it longer than I have. There is a lemon law in Virginia that states that the dealership has one attempt to fix a life-threatening issue. I believe this is a life-threatening issue that could injure or kill myself and or my family. I believe Porsche is not taking this seriously and because they can’t replicate the stalling, they would like to return the car, as is even though I experience two incidences of stalling across the freeway .
NHTSA complaint #11634734 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Gretna, LA
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Currently unavailable camera view restricted” The message went away but I’ve noticed it appearing more often
NHTSA complaint #11590839 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Gretna, LA
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Currently unavailable camera view restricted” The message went away but I’ve noticed it appearing more often
NHTSA complaint #11590839 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Gretna, LA
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Currently unavailable camera view restricted” The message went away but I’ve noticed it appearing more often
NHTSA complaint #11590839 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Bogart, GA
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Driving down a multi-lane highway at 70 mph, a 48V battery malfunction warning goes off as well as the yellow check engine light. A few seconds later a ‘coolant’ error alert pops up. SUV loses acceleration with power dropping from 70 mph to 55 mph to 35 mph. Another message displayed on screen warning me to “Pull over and turn the engine off.” Narrowly missing being hit from the back, I was able to coast to an upcoming exit into a store’s parking lot before the car stalled completely.
NHTSA complaint #11536714 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Bogart, GA
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Driving down a multi-lane highway at 70 mph, a 48V battery malfunction warning goes off as well as the yellow check engine light. A few seconds later a ‘coolant’ error alert pops up. SUV loses acceleration with power dropping from 70 mph to 55 mph to 35 mph. Another message displayed on screen warning me to “Pull over and turn the engine off.” Narrowly missing being hit from the back, I was able to coast to an upcoming exit into a store’s parking lot before the car stalled completely.
NHTSA complaint #11536714 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Bogart, GA
ENGINE
Driving down a multi-lane highway at 70 mph, a 48V battery malfunction warning goes off as well as the yellow check engine light. A few seconds later a ‘coolant’ error alert pops up. SUV loses acceleration with power dropping from 70 mph to 55 mph to 35 mph. Another message displayed on screen warning me to “Pull over and turn the engine off.” Narrowly missing being hit from the back, I was able to coast to an upcoming exit into a store’s parking lot before the car stalled completely.
NHTSA complaint #11536714 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 13,525 miles
Rochester, NY
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE450. The contact stated that on two separate occasions the vehicle failed to start on the initial attempt. The vehicle was towed to dealer who diagnosed that the firmware needed to be updated. The vehicle was repaired. The failure recurred a second time approximately 90 days later. The vehicle was towed to the same dealer who diagnosed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 13,525.
NHTSA complaint #11509252 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Atlanta, GA
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Wipers are not installed correctly on all 2021 GLEs on the 167 platform. Wipers make excessive noise and fo not effectively clean the windows. Dealer acknowledges the problem, states of is a common issue but has no known way to fix it.
NHTSA complaint #11485393 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The Plains, VA
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Car shut itself off in rush hour traffic. Slight Smokey smell. Dash light indicating a 48 Volt problem. Got vehicle towed to dealership.
NHTSA complaint #11471032 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The Plains, VA
ENGINE
Car shut itself off in rush hour traffic. Slight Smokey smell. Dash light indicating a 48 Volt problem. Got vehicle towed to dealership.
NHTSA complaint #11471032 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Portland, OR
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
2021 MB GLE 450 bought in April 2021, now approximately 8000 miles with two separate events of not starting. Cannot jump. Once 48V battery system updated (3 months ago), required tow to dealer. Now again at dealer with the same issue and recommended for battery change (last time was software update). Very unsafe, happened first time in public garage at night with no start, and second time in the morning when I was trying to go to work. Based on various blogs and class action law suit against MB in NJ, seems like MB is aware of 48V battery problem, and installed a bad batch of batteries. Frustrating to purchase $80000 car and learn that it is not safe at all, with possible malfunction at any time.
NHTSA complaint #11461858 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Portland, OR
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2021 MB GLE 450 bought in April 2021, now approximately 8000 miles with two separate events of not starting. Cannot jump. Once 48V battery system updated (3 months ago), required tow to dealer. Now again at dealer with the same issue and recommended for battery change (last time was software update). Very unsafe, happened first time in public garage at night with no start, and second time in the morning when I was trying to go to work. Based on various blogs and class action law suit against MB in NJ, seems like MB is aware of 48V battery problem, and installed a bad batch of batteries. Frustrating to purchase $80000 car and learn that it is not safe at all, with possible malfunction at any time.
NHTSA complaint #11461858 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Portland, OR
ENGINE
2021 MB GLE 450 bought in April 2021, now approximately 8000 miles with two separate events of not starting. Cannot jump. Once 48V battery system updated (3 months ago), required tow to dealer. Now again at dealer with the same issue and recommended for battery change (last time was software update). Very unsafe, happened first time in public garage at night with no start, and second time in the morning when I was trying to go to work. Based on various blogs and class action law suit against MB in NJ, seems like MB is aware of 48V battery problem, and installed a bad batch of batteries. Frustrating to purchase $80000 car and learn that it is not safe at all, with possible malfunction at any time.
NHTSA complaint #11461858 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Hillsborough, NC
POWER TRAIN
Was driving down a 2 lane road at about 55 MPH, and a warning light message appeared on the dash and said "battery no longer charging" then another message that said "coolant overheating vehicle shutting down" appeared. And the car would no longer accelerate. So I had to pull over on a busy 2 lane road and turn off my car and turn it back on, and then the car was working normally again. This could have been very bad if it was on a multi-lane highway. My safety was put at risk. I took the Vehicle in, and they said they cleaned some engine contact points and this was because the car lost contact with the engine
NHTSA complaint #11459441 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Hillsborough, NC
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Was driving down a 2 lane road at about 55 MPH, and a warning light message appeared on the dash and said "battery no longer charging" then another message that said "coolant overheating vehicle shutting down" appeared. And the car would no longer accelerate. So I had to pull over on a busy 2 lane road and turn off my car and turn it back on, and then the car was working normally again. This could have been very bad if it was on a multi-lane highway. My safety was put at risk. I took the Vehicle in, and they said they cleaned some engine contact points and this was because the car lost contact with the engine
NHTSA complaint #11459441 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Hillsborough, NC
ENGINE
Was driving down a 2 lane road at about 55 MPH, and a warning light message appeared on the dash and said "battery no longer charging" then another message that said "coolant overheating vehicle shutting down" appeared. And the car would no longer accelerate. So I had to pull over on a busy 2 lane road and turn off my car and turn it back on, and then the car was working normally again. This could have been very bad if it was on a multi-lane highway. My safety was put at risk. I took the Vehicle in, and they said they cleaned some engine contact points and this was because the car lost contact with the engine
NHTSA complaint #11459441 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vero Beach, FL
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Recall 21V354 has not been completed. They have had since May 14. I have contacted MBUSA twice and they will not give me a completion date.
NHTSA complaint #11442703 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vero Beach, FL
POWER TRAIN
On two separate occasions recently, the vehicle suddenly lost all power without warning and stopped. Luckily, these incidents did not occur while driving in high speed traffic, and the car restarted once shut off. When it lost power, all warning lights came on at once. After the first incident, dealer "updated the 48v system and esp control modules and The vehicle is operating as designed." The first incident was on November 9, the second incident was on November 29.
NHTSA complaint #11442064 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vero Beach, FL
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On two separate occasions recently, the vehicle suddenly lost all power without warning and stopped. Luckily, these incidents did not occur while driving in high speed traffic, and the car restarted once shut off. When it lost power, all warning lights came on at once. After the first incident, dealer "updated the 48v system and esp control modules and The vehicle is operating as designed." The first incident was on November 9, the second incident was on November 29.
NHTSA complaint #11442064 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vero Beach, FL
ENGINE
On two separate occasions recently, the vehicle suddenly lost all power without warning and stopped. Luckily, these incidents did not occur while driving in high speed traffic, and the car restarted once shut off. When it lost power, all warning lights came on at once. After the first incident, dealer "updated the 48v system and esp control modules and The vehicle is operating as designed." The first incident was on November 9, the second incident was on November 29.
NHTSA complaint #11442064 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Slidell, LA
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I was driving at full speed on the interstate (75mph) when the vehicle died completely. I had only seconds to maneuver the vehicle to the shoulder. There was no indication of a service issue with the vehicle prior to this incident. The car is/was approximately 2 weeks old, with about 500 miles of usage. Vehicle would not restart so I could attempt to get to a safer location.
NHTSA complaint #11432776 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Slidell, LA
ENGINE
I was driving at full speed on the interstate (75mph) when the vehicle died completely. I had only seconds to maneuver the vehicle to the shoulder. There was no indication of a service issue with the vehicle prior to this incident. The car is/was approximately 2 weeks old, with about 500 miles of usage. Vehicle would not restart so I could attempt to get to a safer location.
NHTSA complaint #11432776 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 3,000 miles
Wilmington, MA
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE450. The contact stated while driving at various speeds the vehicle loss motive power. The 48V battery malfunction and coolant hot turn-off vehicle message were displayed on the instrument panel. The battery indicator warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed with a software issue. The contact was informed that the software needed to be updated. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 3,000.
NHTSA complaint #11424125 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.