29 of the
122 complaints filed about the Mercedes Benz GLE 450
are about the electrical system —
24% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2020.
My vehicle was in for a normal service to have the spark plugs replaced. However I was told that the engine wiring harness had become brittle (apparently a common and reoccurring problem with my vehicle) and would likely cause misfiring after changing spark plugs. This did indeed happen and if I didn’t elect to have the harness replaced, it would have put myself and my son in danger. It was a very costly repair (over $4000) for something that the vehicle manufacturer is at fault for.
NHTSA complaint #11732609 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Engine compartment heat causes wiring harness insulation to melt and Electrical shorting while driving. Engine has lack of power and acceleration due to heat damage to the engine harness. Check Engine light came on. This is a potential fire risk and should be address by MBUSA. This is a know issue with this model. Car has only 36,000 miles
NHTSA complaint #11716779 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The air conditioning in my 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE SUV has failed due to a refrigerant (freon) leak, leaving the system unable to cool and properly defrost the windshield. This is not an isolated issue—many other GLE owners have reported the same failure on forums and blogs, suggesting a widespread defect. NHTSA has already issued Recall No. 23V177000 (March 2023) for improperly installed A/C drain hoses in 2020–2021 GLE/GLS models, which created water intrusion, electrical shorts, fire risk, and failures of critical systems (eCall, unlocking, limp mode). In addition, a Mercedes-Benz Technical Bulletin dated August 5, 2024 (NHTSA MC-11000597-0001) specifically identifies evaporator refrigerant leaks as a frequent cause of A/C failure. Safety Concerns Loss of cabin cooling in hot weather poses risk of driver fatigue or heat-related illness. Defogging/defrosting may fail in humid conditions, creating visibility hazards. Prior related A/C defects have been tied to short circuits and electrical risks. Consumer Impact This defect has created significant hardship. The A/C failure occurred far earlier than expected for a premium vehicle, leaving me with high out-of-pocket repair estimates. The lack of cooling makes the car unsafe and uncomfortable to drive in hot weather, and the inability to properly defog/defrost windows compromises visibility. I purchased a Mercedes-Benz with the expectation of reliability and safety, and this known defect has undermined that trust. Requested Action Mercedes-Benz should cover the repair costs for affected vehicles, and NHTSA should investigate whether an expanded recall is necessary to include A/C evaporator refrigerant leaks as part of the broader HVAC system defect.
NHTSA complaint #11696116 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On [XXX] the power lock system in my Mercedes auto locked itself with my key and phone inside the vehicle on a hot day with a baby secured in a rear car seat. I did not lock the vehicle or touch the door handle lock. This vehicle is designed to never lock with a key inside. Obviously, this was a life threatening situation as our area was experiencing record heat. Since my phone was also locked inside, I couldn't call for help & had to find a stranger to lend me a phone. Immediately after I took care of the baby & had help, I reported the incident immediately to the Mercedes Emergency Customer Care center via the SOS button in the vehicle. They told me I would hear from someone within 72 hours - it's now been 10+ days since the incident & no communication from Mercedes. The vehicle locked itself again without warning a few days ago but fortunately, there was an adult in the vehicle who was able to unlock it (and the driver had the key on hand outside the vehicle). We have owned 6 Mercedes vehicles - we are familiar with the auto lock system & this is not normal. Srvice is scheduled with the local dealer in Fredericksburg VA the week of July 16, 2025. There was no warning & no warning lights. Normally, the vehicle verbally alerts us when the key is left in the vehicle. In this case, the key was in my purse on the front passenger seat. All doors were unlocked when I placed the baby in her seat and closed the right passenger doors. I walked around to open the drivers side door when I discovered all doors were locked. The vehicle is designed to not be able to lock with a key inside. We have been unable to manually reproduce the incident which leads us to believe the problem is in the electronic coding and needs attention and service from the manufacturing level. This could have easily ended in a fatality. I do not want this to happen to anyone else. I submitted another complaint to Mercedes - this time via letter on their website. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(
NHTSA complaint #11671574 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My wife was driving on [XXX] going ~70mph. Without warning the engine shut down and the vehicle decelerated. A message popped up saying “48 volt malfunction”. A google search indicated the car should not be driven as it could result in a fire. Note the Mercedes dealer in Centerville Ohio completed recall campaign: 2024040002 in May, 2024. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11637585 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Water intrusion. It rained, water leaked into driver seat floor. The water then made it to the electrical parts underneath the driver seat. This seems identical to the recall I am seeing online with the number: 23V-177
NHTSA complaint #11628758 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My 2022 Mercedes GLE450 had water intrusion from the an AC vent hose that was not 'fixed' properly by Mercedes after they issues a recall for ALL 2020 and 2021 GLE450's. It took 9 months, endless gaslighting from Mercedes that I flooded the vehicle myself, a failed state-sponsored arbitration hearing only to find out Mercedes did NOT properly diagnose the vehicle from the start. I had officially 'given up' after almost a year of fighting this was not my fault, only to drive disassembled passenger seat and floor area down to Mercedes... to see the vehicle dripping water right into where nearly $20,000 of electronics were compromised. Mercedes has since fixed the vehicle, under warranty, yet they did NOT tel lme anything until the day the vehicle was fixed that it would be covered under warranty. They keep this away from the local dealer and had a traveling technician work on the vehicle to keep it entirely under wraps. I genuinely hope Mercedes is held accountable for taking full advantage of their customers while admitting (at least locally) that the 'fix' for the previously recalled vehicles is inadequate. Water intrusion, causing shorting of electronics and potential fire is a MASSIVE safety concern and they need to not only be held responsible yet held responsible for the pain and suffering caused by gaslighting customers and KNOWINGLY committing insurance fraud by forcing their customers to file insurance claims after not properly addressing the recall.
NHTSA complaint #11610169 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE450. The contact stated while reversing, the rearview camera was inoperable. The message "Active parking Assist and Parktronic inoperative - See Operator's Manual" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an unknown software update was performed; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that an unknown wiring harness had experienced an electrical short due to water entry underneath the floorboard. The dealer informed the contact that the parts were not available for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that parts were not available. The failure mileage was 26,994.
NHTSA complaint #11607283 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
There were two incidents that had similar symptoms: one before the dealership said they fixed and one afterwards. The issue is that while driving I would get three warning, all at the same time: coolant too hot, 48v battery malfunction, shut the engine off. The first time it happened immediately after I turned on the vehicle and within 5 minutes of leaving a parking lot. The second time it happened after about 3 hours of driving at highway speeds. After the first time it happened dealership said they fixed the issue by upgrading the software (battery software?). Both times it happened on the highway. The first time on the uphill, and vehicle immediately shut off and could not make it up the ramp. The second time in the tunnel on the flat road, could not make it to the exit. Both times created extremely dangerous situation as I had no time to take the exit and vehicle shut off about 30 seconds after warning popped up. The second time in the tunnel was especially dangerous as there was no shoulder and i had to stop in the middle of the right lane as cars were going at 60 mph by me. I was really worried for myself and my family. I have to trust that Mercedes is capable of fixing the issue and providing a reliable vehicle I can depend on and trust for the safety of my family.
NHTSA complaint #11575432 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
I am like many other Mercedes GLE 450 owners, having breakdowns related to the "48V and 12V" battery malfunction issue that Mercedes has been dealing with for the last couple of years. My brand new car (less than 4,000 miles) has broken down twice, leaving me stranded with no power waiting on a flat bed tow to a dealership. The vehicle gives warning messages about the 48V and 12V batteries and then loses power immediately. Once I was stranded in the middle of the road, the other time I was able to get to the shoulder before the car completely lost power.
NHTSA complaint #11528964 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
While driving at highway speed, 48V system malfunction warning light illuminated, then vehicle coolant/overheat light. Vehicle lost all power, or possible entered a "limp" mode, and I was able to coast to a stop. Turned off vehicle. Checked underhood. No obvious overheating or leaks or other problems. Vehicle immediately restarted and has run fine since. This occurred in March 2022 with about 3500 miles on vehicle. Now has about 7500 miles. No further occurrence. I have not had the vehicle examined by the dealer.
NHTSA complaint #11483261 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
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.
The contact owns a 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE450. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V354000 (Back Over Prevention, Electrical System) however, the over-the-air software update was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and it was confirmed that the software update was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA complaint #11451827 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
48 V BATTERY MALFUNCTIONED, I WAS ADVISED THAT IT WAS NOT CHARGING. WHICH LED TO ADDITIONAL MESSAGES INCLUDING THE CAR WAS NOW OVERHEATING, TO PULL THE CAR OVER AND NOT DRIVE IT. AT THAT POINT I LOST ENGINE POWER AND WAS UNABLE TO EVEN DRIVE THE CAR UP A SLIGHT HIM.
NHTSA complaint #11449255 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.