There are 34 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2011 Mercedes-Benz C-Classin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
my ESL (electronic steering lock. ) has went out when I did research this something that always happened please fix
The right rear tail light housing harness melted due to an electrical issue. Wire tends to heat up too much. This caused my right rear tail light, right break light and right side turn signal not to function.
Melted taillight socket board.
The sam box (electrical system fuze panel) located under the hood is in a spot where if the lid isn't on correctly water will drain from the windshield right into the sam box and cause the vehicles electrical system to deploy the steering wheel airbag. That's at least what happened to me. It was raining out that day and I guess I went over a bump that caused the lid of the sam to get out of place. I drove home and the car seat for a few hours. I went out upon unlocking the door as soon as I pulled the handle to open the driver side door the steering wheel airbag blew and the vehicle is now in srs mode. The dealership had told me that it's a design flaw but wants me to pay for the diagnostic. No lights were on and I did not file a police report.
The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that when starting the vehicle, the ignition was not reading the key, and the steering wheel was locked. The message to remove the key from the ignition was displayed. Additionally, the fuel gauge was inoperable and not reading the fuel level. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a locked steering wheel and the steering wheel lock needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the parts were ordered to complete the repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,100.
Due to apparently deficient sunroof water drain system design, rainwater and condensation entered the passenger compartment under the carpeting, potentially damaging the vehicle's electrical wiring. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. A dealer has inspected and confirmed the damage. Initial symptoms of the problem were wet carpeting and the sound of water sloshing around under the floor of the passenger compartment.
I researched that the sunroofs on these models are faulty and have caused water/electrical damage under the carpeting and seats of the vehicles. That is what has happened with my 2011 C300 Sport.
Rear taillight ground wire melting. Dealer said that this recall was performed previously, so now I had to pay for the repair parts. NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V177000
Went to work and came out and the vehicle says to remove key from ignition. Was stuck in the middle of the night in freezing temperatures and had no way to get anywhere. It’s a common problem that Mercedes knows about and is charging thousands of dollars to repair because it can only be done through them.
The rear tail light housing harness melted due to an electrical issue. This caused my rear tail light & break lights not to function.
ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2020 MY VEHICLE WAS NOT STARTING IN ORDER TO TAKE ME HOME AT 9:40 PM. DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE ESL IN THE STEERING COLUMN I AM NOW FORCED TO WAIT HERE UNTIL A TOW TRUCK COMES. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN THIS LOCATION AND WISH MY VEHICLE WOULD START KNOWING THAT IT HAS THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF VOLTAGE AT THE BATTERY.
IT WAS MY IPHONE THAT GOT HACKED FIRST, THERE WERE THESE HEAT LASERS STARTED TO TARGET ME, ONE DAY I WAS SLEEPING IN MY CAR, THE CAR WAS PARKED IN A PARKING GARAGE, THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR JUST STARTED DEFROSTING. YES, MY DEFROSTS CAME ON AND MY WINDOWS BEGIN TO FOG UP. NEXT, I STARTED TO NOTICE THOSE SAME "HEAT LASERS" THAT WERE TARGETING ME FROM MY IPHONE ARE CONSTANT ON MY HEAD AND STOMACH WHILE I'M DRIVING MY CAR. ALSO, A SYMBOL STARTED TO APPEAR ON MY DASHBOARD, LATER DISCOVER IT WAS THE "AUXILIARY BATTERY" ., THEN MY LIGHTS ARE ALWAYS FLICKING, AND WHEN I HAVE THE HEAT OR AIR CONDITION ON, THEY ARE NOT AS COLD OR HOT, THE TEMP WAS BEING TAMPERED WITH, AS IF THE CAR WAS ADJUSTING THE CONTROLS. NOW, A GREEN LIGHT SYMBOL IS CONSTANTLY APPEARING ON MY DASHBOARD, SO THE HACKERS WERE USING MY "AUXILIARY BATTERY" , NOW THEY ARE USING THE "LIGHTS" ON MY CAR TO TARGET ME NOW. YES, THIS HACKER, HACKED AND IS ATTACKING ME WITH SOME TYPE OF LASER WHILE DRIVING MY CAR. THIS HAPPENED FEBUARY 11, 2020 WHEN MY CAR BEGIN TO DEFROST ON ITS OWN. NOW, IM IN THIS NIGHTMARE, AT THE HANDS OF A HACKER TARGETING ME, WITH SOME "HEAT LASERS" I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE FBI (INTERNET CRIME COMPLAINT CENTER) BECAUSE OF THE HEAT LASERS, I'VE BEEN EXPERIENCING WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE BEEN TO THE DOCTOR ON SEVERAL OCCASION DUE TO THE 'HEAT LASER TARGETING MY BODY/ORGANS., ON 04/17/2020.
MY CAR SOUND LIKE THE POWER STEERING HAS GONE IT'S VERY LOUD. ALSO SECONDARY AIR FLOW JUST REPLACED AND NOW IT'S GOING TO NEED ANOTHER ONE AT 2000 A POP. FINALLY THE ELECTRICS IS VERY WEIRD. LIGHTS WILL GO OUT THEN COME BACK ON. MY DAY TIME RUNNING LIGHTS STAY ON DAY AND NIGHT NO MATTER WHERE I TURN THE LIGHT SWITCH. THE DAY TIME RUNNING LIGHT IS ON EVEN WHEN I TURN ON HIGH BEAMS. NO MATTER IF IT'S MOVING OR NOT ALL THESE THINGS ARE HAPPENING.
I WAS LEAVING WORK. I UNLOCKED THE VEHICLE WITH THE KEY FOB, PLACED THE KEY FOB IN THE IGNITION, AND IT FAILED TO START. I WAS LEFT STRANDED WITHOUT A WAY TO LEAVE. I HAVE BEEN TOLD MY PROBLEM LIES WITHIN A "FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH" THAT ONLY MB CAN REPAIR. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AMONG THE C-CLASS MODELS AND I AM HOPING MB CAN ADDRESS THE ISSUE WITH A RECALL.
I AM WRITING TO FILE A COMPLAINT. THE VEHICLE DID NOT START AFTER THE KEY WAS PUT INTO THE IGNITION. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE DID NOT START AT ALL. THE TOW SERVICE WAS CALLED. THE TOW REPAIR REPRESENTATIVE INDICATED THE PROBLEM MAY BE THE "IGNITION SWITCH," AS THE BATTERY WAS FINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE ENTIRE IGNITION SWITCH HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE COST WAS $1214. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. FORTUNATELY, THE VEHICLE WAS IN A SECURE PLACE -- THE HOME GARAGE. HOWEVER, HAD IT BEEN IN ANOTHER LOCATION, A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD COULD HAVE OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS APPROXIMATELY 91,000 MILES, SO IT IS INCONCEIVABLE AS TO WHY AN IGNITION SWITCH WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THERE WAS NO WARNING. THIS IS AN ITEM THAT IS CLEARLY A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT AND SHOULD BE UNDER WARRANTY.
PASSENGER SIDE LOWBEAM LIGHT BURNT OUT APPROX 2 MONTHS AGO, BULB REPLACED. FIVE DAYS AGO PASSENGER SIDE LOWBEAM LIGHT BURNT OUT AGAIN. PARKED CAR AFTER ABOUT A 15 MILE DRIVE, WITHIN 30 MINUTES CAR WAS ON FIRE AND ENTIRE FRONT END BURNT COMPLETELY. SHOULD THERE BE A RECALL FROM MERCEDES FOR FAULTY WIRING TO HEADLIGHTS BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED OR THEIR HOME DESTROYED IF FIRE STARTS WHILE CAR PARKED IN GARAGE?
SIMILAR TO THE RECALL ISSUE (AND OPEN INVESTIGATION), THE GROUND WIRE FOR THE REAR LEFT TAIL LIGHT OVERHEATED, MELTING THE LIGHT CARRIER.
THE CAR WILL NOT START, NO POWER, NO LIGHTS, NO RADIO, NO RESPONSE AFTER INSERTING THE KEY. I TRIED BOTH KEYS AND SAME ISSUE EXISTS WITH BOTH KEYS. THE ELECTRICAL IGNITION SWITCH NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.
MY 2011 MERCEDES C 300 HAS A FAILED IGNITION LOCK THE CAR STOP ON ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, I HAD TO HAVE A TOW TRUCK TO PICK IT UP AND TOW TO SHOP $$$ AND I BEGIN TO DO SOME RESEARCH THERE ARE SO MANY CARS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM THIS NEED TO BE ON THE RECALL LIST AND ALSO IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR PLEASE HELP
"TAKATA RECALL" I CONTACTED THE THE AUTHORIZED MERCEDES-BENZ DEALER HAS FAILED TO REMEDY THIS SAFETY RECALL IN A TIMELY MANNER, I HAVE CONTINUOUSLY REACHED OUT FOR YEAR AND HALF AND THE MERCEDES-BENZ DEALER CONTINUOUS TO STATED THAT THE AIR BAGS ARE ON BACK ORDER.
Showing 1–20 of 34 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026