There are 7 owner-reported brakes complaints for the 2013 Mercedes-Benz C-Classin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The Brake lines in this car rot very early in life span. This is a severe issue as no one would know unless car is brought in for repair. There is already a extended warranty for subframe rotting for my c300 and several other models and years . Both of these should be repaired due to poor manufacturing not just the subframe. Both of these issues even independently put everyone on the road at risk of potential failure. Car has been brought in for repair and has been pointed out to me both by independent party and Mercedes Benz dealership in my area. There are NO WARNINGS also multiple claims for both rusting and rotting
The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while pulling into a parking space and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that she depressed the brake pedal but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that while the vehicle was approaching a building ahead, she veered to the right and hit the front bumper of an occupied vehicle. The vehicle then drove over the sidewalk. The contact stated that while approaching the end of the sidewalk, she veered to the right and the vehicle stopped after approximately 200 feet. The air bags did not deploy. There was no injury sustained. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an auto collision repair shop. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 23,032.
I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND MY EXIT WAS COMING UP SO I PRESSED ON THE BRAKES AND THE PEDAL WAS STIFF AND I COULD NOT SLOW THE CAR DOWN. ONCE THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN ON ITS OWN DUE TO ME DRIVING ON A INCLINE I TURNED THE CAR OFF. STARTED THE CAR AND TRIED IT AGAIN AND I STILL HAD NOT POWER TO THE BRAKES. I INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND SAW THAT THE BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM PUMP WAS LEAKING OIL. I HAD TO FIND A REPLACEMENT PART AND INSTALL IT.
TURNING INTO A PARKING SPACE TODAY, MY CAR BRAKES FAILED. I COULD NOT STOP MY VEHICLE EVEN WHEN I PRESSED DOWN COMPLETELY ON THE PEDAL. I ENDED UP JUMPING THE PARKING SPACE "CURB/STOPPER" AND HIT A LIGHT POST. I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS PRIOR BUT IT WAS EXTREMELY FRIGHTENING. I HAVE HAD OTHER ISSUES WITH THE CAR - THE RADIO WHERE WORKS INTERMITTENTLY AND THE VOLUME SPORADICALLY INCREASES AND DECREASES WITH NO RESOLUTION EVEN AFTER DIAGNOSTICS AND SOFTWARE UPDATES PER THE DEALER. THIS, HOWEVER, WAS AN ISSUE THAT COULD HAVE HAD WORSE CONSEQUENCES. AFTER THE COSMETIC DAMAGE IS FIXED, I PLAN TO HAVE MERCEDES RUN DIAGNOSTICS ON THE BRAKE SYSTEM.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO STOP THE VEHICLE, THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP. IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT HAD TO WAIT UNTIL THE VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP AND THEN TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,000.
ON 09-12-16 I WAS INVOLVED IN A REAR END COLLISION (35+ MPH). I WAS STOPPED IN TRAFFIC (INTERSTATE HIGHWAY). MY VEHICLE WAS IN ECO MODE AND THE VEHICLE'S BRAKE HOLD FEATURE WAS ACTIVATED, THE BRAKE WAS FULLY ENGAGED/PRESSED, AND HOLD WAS DISPLAYED ON THE FORWARD INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. WHILE STOPPED, ANOTHER VEHICLE STRUCK MY VEHICLE FROM THE REAR. MY VEHICLE'S NECK-PRO RETRAINT SYSTEM ACTIVATED AND THE HAZARDS ACTIVATED. NO AIR BAGS WERE DEPLOYED. HOWEVER, A FEW SECONDS AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE BRAKE HOLD FEATURE DEACTIVATED AND MY VEHICLE BEGAN TO ROLL INTO RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. AFTER ACTIVELY PUMPING THE BRAKES, TO NO AVAIL, I INITIATED AN OFFENSIVE MANEUVER AND SWERVED THE VEHICLE OFF OF THE HIGHWAY AND ONTO UNPAVED SIDE ROAD/SHOULDER. MY VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ROLL FORWARD AND ONLY STOPPED AFTER I FULLY PRESSED/ENGAGED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. IS DEACTIVATING BRAKE HOLD IN A REAR END COLLISION A DESIGN FLAW, OR IS THIS THE INTENDED FUNCTION?
ON 8/26/14 I WAS STOPPED AT A LIGHT. WHEN I WENT TO TAKE-OFF, THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. IT FINALLY DID BUT VERY SLOWLY. THIS OCCURRED TWO MORE TIME AT THE NEXT TWO STOP LIGHTS. I WAS THEN IN A CENTER TURN LANE TO TURN ACROSS THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC & WHEN I TRIED TO ACCELERATE, THE CAR DIED AND THE ELECTRONIC DISPLAY GAVE A YELLOW ERROR MESSAGE THAT THE CAR WAS INOPERABLE DUE TO AN ISSUE WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM. I IMMEDIATELY PUT THE CAR IN PARK, TURNED IT OFF & THEN STARTED IT BACK UP. FORTUNATELY IT RE-STARTED, THE ERROR MESSAGE WAS GONE & I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE INTO MY OFFICE PARKING LOT. MY MERCEDES SERVICE DEPT. SAID NO CODES REGISTERED ON THE COMPUTER, PROBABLY BECAUSE I TURNED THE CAR OFF SO QUICKLY IT DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO. TODAY, 8/17/14, I AM HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. MY CAR IS BACK AT THE MERCEDES SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THIS IS, IN MY OPINION, A DANGEROUS & LIFE THREATENING PROBLEM. *TR
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