NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Aug 31, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2016 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, A FIRE ERUPTED FROM THE BATTERY OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE AND STATED THAT WATER ENTERED INTO THE ENGINE, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO HYDROLOCK. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER AND DEEMED DESTROYED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FIRE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 18,500.
MY WIFE WAS DRIVING HER CAR ON A PAVED, AND DRY, ROAD. SHE WAS FOLLOWING BEHIND A SUV, THAT APPLIED THE BRAKES ABRUPTLY. SHE HAD DIFFICULTY STOPPING HER CAR AND SHE WOUND UP HITTING THE SUV IN FRONT OF HER. WHILE THIS DOES SOUND UNUSUAL, IT IS FOR THIS CAR (2016 MERCEDES BENZ C300). THE SALESMAN TOLD US THAT THIS CAR WAS EQUIPPED WITH AN ANTI-COLLISION. SYSTEM CALLED "COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS". IT IS SUPPOSED TO ACTIVATE A LIGHT ON THE DASH. IF THE CAR GETS EVEN CLOSER YET, IT IS SUPPOSED GIVE AN AUDIBLE ALARM. IF THE DRIVER DOESN'T RESPOND AND THE CAR GETS EVEN CLOSER TO THE CAR IN FRONT, THE SYSTEM SHOULD DEPLOY THE BRAKING SYSTEM UNTIL THE DRIVER ENGAGES. EVEN IF THE DRIVER DOESN'T DEPLOY THE BRAKES, THE CAR IS SUPPOSED TO STOP BEFORE A COLLISION. IN OUR CAR, THIS SYSTEM DID NOT FUNCTION. THERE WAS NO LIGHT, NO AUDIBLE ALARM, AND NO DEPLOYMENT OF THE BRAKES. THE CAR WAS INVOLVED IN A REAR END COLLISION WITH A MAZDA CRV. SO FAR, MERCEDES BENZ HAS NOT CALLED ME BACK. I FILLED OUT A QUESTIONNAIRE TWO WEEKS AGO TO INFORM THEM OF THE PROBLEM. OUR CAR HAS BEEN SITTING AT THE BODY SHOP AWAITING MERCEDES TO GET BACK TO US. I HAVE DONE EVERYTHING I KNOW TO TRY AND GET MERCEDES TO CONTACT ME. THIS FEATURE WAS GROSSLY MISREPRESENTED BY THE SALESMAN AT ANAHEIM HILLS MERCEDES AND HE HAS BEEN REPRIMANDED FOR IT. WHAT IS WORSE, THE CAR COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS SYSTEM COMPLETELY FAILED. *TR
ON OCT 14TH AT NIGHT CAR WAS DRIVEN IN HEAVY RAIN OFF INTERSTATE I5 OFF RAMP TO EXIT INTERSTATE. THERE WERE CARS BOTH IN FRONT AND BEHIND US EXITING AND UPON DRIVING FURTHER NOTICED THERE WAS STANDING WATER. OTHER CARS WERE MAKING IT THROUGH SLOWLY, THERE WAS NO ROOM TO TURN AROUND. THIS CAR ALMOST MADE IT TO THE END OF THE OFFRAMP AND THEN STALLLED. OTHER CARS WERE FORCED TO GO AROUND. TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR TO NO AVAIL. CALLED FOR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE HOOD AND THEN ALL LIGHTING WENT DARK IN CAR. THEN SAW FLAMES FROM THE HOOD. QUICKLY RAN THROUGH WATER TO ESCAPE AND FLAMES GOT SEVERAL FEET HIGH. PASSER BY'S HAD CALLED 911 AS ENTIRE FRONT OF CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD TO CUT OPEN CAR HOOD TO PUT OUT FIRE. CAR DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR AND THEY TOO WERE INCREDULOUS THAT A NEW CAR WOULD BE ENGULFED IN FLAMES AFTER STALLING IN THE RAIN.
AFTER STOPPING AND WAITING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT FOR 15-30 SECONDS, I HAD MY FEET ON THE BRAKES AND LEFT TURN INDICATOR ON. THE "HOLD" OPTION TO LOCK MY BRAKES WAS NOT ENGAGED. THE CAR WAS STATIONARY. WITHOUT WARNING, THE CAR SHIFTED INTO DRIVE AND JOLTED FORWARD INTO THE VEHICLE AHEAD OF ME AT THE LIGHT. (I WAS THE SECOND CAR IN LINE, AND I STOPPED ABOUT A HALF CAR LENGTH BEHIND THE OTHER DRIVER.) THE ACCELERATION WAS NOT A TYPICAL, GRADUAL MOVEMENT ASSOCIATED WITH WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I RELEASE MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE TO DRIVE. IT WAS A SUDDEN AND JARRING JUMP REGARDLESS OF THE FACT THAT MY FOOT NEVER LEFT THE BRAKE. I TRIED TO PRESS THE BRAKES MULTIPLE TIMES TO STOP THE FORWARD MOVEMENT, BUT MY CAR HIT THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME TWICE. THE STEEL BUMPER OF THE OTHER VEHICLE WAS NOT DAMAGED. THE FRONT AREA OF MY HOOD (EMBLEM AND GRILL) WERE CRUSHED. I REPORTED EARLIER ELECTRONIC ISSUES TO MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP AS NOTABLE ODDITIES, BUT NONE MADE ME THIS CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY OF OTHERS, MY PASSENGERS, AND MYSELF. AS RECENTLY AS A WEEK EARLIER, MY REAR-VIEW CAMERA FROZE AND LOCKED AS I WAS REVERSING INTO MY GARAGE, SO HAD I TRUSTED THE SCREEN IN MY CAR, I WOULD HAVE REVERSED ANOTHER 5-10 FEET INTO MY GARAGE. I COULD NOT UNFREEZE IT WITHOUT PUTTING THE CAR BACK INTO DRIVE AND RESTARTING MY CAR. MONTHS EARLIER, THE SENSOR ON MY SIDE MIRRORS STARTED TO GO OFF WITHOUT ANY OTHER SOURCE OF DANGER OR COLLISION ON VACANT STREETS. THE AIR PRESSURE ALERT WARNED THAT MY TIRES WERE BECOMING DANGEROUSLY FLAT; HOWEVER, EN ROUTE TO THE GAS STATION, THE PRESSURE MONITOR NOTED THAT ALL TIRES WERE NOW RETURNING TO NORMAL PRESSURE LEVELS AND NO INFLATION WAS NEEDED. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY PECULIAR EVENTS WITH THIS NEW C300 IN RECENT MONTHS, BUT MY PRIMARY CONCERN AS A CAREGIVER IS THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION FROM A STOPPED POSITION--OR FROM ANY POSITION--WITHOUT MY DIRECTION OR INTENT.
C300 ANTI COLLISION SENSOR MALFUNCTION LIGHT DISPLAYED AND LOSS ENGINE POWER FOR SEVERAL SECONDS. THE CAR WAS TRAVELING APROX 20 MPH AT THE TIME ON CITY STREET. THEN POWER RESUMED, THE WARNING LIGHT WENT OUT. MERCEDES-BENZ OF TEMECULA, CA COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM. WORKORDER 229423, 9/13/16
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS AN EXTENSIVE GLARE THAT IMPACTED THE CONTACT'S VISIBILITY PERTAINING TO THE MIRRORS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND ADVISED THE CONTACT TO HAVE A DEALER INSPECT THE VEHICLE. THE SERVICE CENTER MANAGER AT THE DEALER TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE AND INDICATED THAT THERE WAS A HIGH GLARE CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY. THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER PROVIDED NO REPAIR SOLUTION. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE IF THE VEHICLE WOULD BE REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE. UPDATED 09/08/16*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN MAKING A RIGHT OR LEFT TURN, HE LOSES THE VISION OF THE ROAD. *TR
WHENEVER CAR IS PUT IN REVERSE, THERE IS A LOUD SCREECHING NOISE WHEN BACKING OUT.
2016 MERCEDES BENZ C-300. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE FUEL SYSTEM CAUSES GAS STATIONS NOZZLE TO DISENGAGE PREMATURELY, WHICH MAKES FILLING FUEL TANK DIFFICULT. *SMD
I BOUGHT A NEW 2016 C-CLASS MERCEDES BENZ . I HAD THE CAR FOR LESS THAN 24 HOURS WHEN THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE VEHICLE IN AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE A FIX FOR THE PROBLEM. IT IS A PROBLEM WITH THE AMBIENT AIRFLOW. THE ENGINE DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY, CAUSING A ROUGH RIDE. WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE THE ENGINE WILL STALL AND THEN SHOOT FORWARD.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 MERCEDES-BENZ C300W. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V114000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. 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. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 71 MPH, A KNOCKING SOUND WAS PRESENT COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO THRUST BACK AND FORTH AS IF IT WERE RUNNING OUT OF FUEL. ALSO, A BURNING ODOR WAS PRESENT BEFORE THE SPEED SUDDENLY REDUCED TO APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH. THE SPEED WOULD NOT INCREASE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALER (SMITH MOTORS IN HAVERHILL, MA) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE WAS FAULTY. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. AFTER THREE MONTHS AT THE DEALER, THE MOTOR WAS REPLACED TO REMEDY THE FAILURE. WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, A SCREECHING NOISE WAS PRESENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE BRAKE PADS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 354.
SINCE THE PURCHASE OF OUR 2016 MERCEDES IN DECEMBER OF 2015, WE HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING THE WARNING DISPLAY OF THE TIRE PRESSURE ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE FIRST OCCURRENCE PRIOR TO TAKING IT TO A DEALERSHIP MY WIFE TOOK IT A LOCAL TIRE SHOP WHERE THE OWNER PUT AIR IN THE TIRES AND THE LIGHT WENT OFF. IT OCCURRED SEVERAL MORE TIMES AND I ALWAYS WENT TO LOCAL GAS STATIONS AND PUT AIR IN. AFTER GETTING FRUSTRATED WE DROVE TO THE DEALERSHIP IN VALENCIA CALIFORNIA SHOWED THE SERVICE ATTENDANT THE ALERT ON THE DASH. HE RETRIEVED AN AIR PUMP AND PUT AIR IN ALL THE TIRES ACCORDING TO THE SPECS AND SENT US ON OUR WAY WITHOUT DISCUSSING THE WARNING ALERT WHICH WENT OFF. AFTER APPX A WEEK AND A HALF OF DRIVING WE RETURNED WITH THE SAME PROBLEM.. MY WIFE SPENT 4 HOURS WAITING AND ACCORDING TO THE SERVICE RECEIPT THEY SAID THE TIRES WERE ROTATED AT THE CLIENT'S REQUEST AND NEVER MENTIONED THE ALERT ON THE DASH BEING REPORTED BY THE OWNER. WE HAVE TAKEN IT A COUPLE OF MORE TIMES ONE OF WHICH THE CHECKED AND SUBMERGED ALL THE TIRES TO CHECK FOR LEAKS AND RIM DAMAGE WHICH THEY ALL CHECK OUT PROBLEM FREE. AND AS USUAL THE ALERT CAME BACK ON AFTER APPX. A WEEK AND A HALF OF DRIVING. TODAY THE ALERT IS BACK ON WITH ANOTHER RED WARNING SIGN AND WE ARE GOING TO DRIVE IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP IN VALENCIA TOMORROW SINCE THEY WILL NOT SEND A TOW SERVICE OUT WHEN THE OWNER'S MANUAL CLEARLY STATES "IN DANGER OF AN ACCIDENT PULL OVER AND DO NOT DRIVE". THIS IS THE SECOND RED LIGHT WARNING ON THE VEHICLE AND IT APPEARS THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. ON THE FIRST OCCASION WHEN THE RED LIGHT CAME ON WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE IN REGARDLESS OF THE RED LIGHT WARNING. I CONTACTED THE MERCEDES BENZ USA COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT THIS MORNING AND FILED A COMPLAINT. THE DEPT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS INSTRUCTED ME TO FOLLOW THE ARBITRATION GUIDELINES IN THE BACK OF THE MANUAL.
TAKATA RECALL - HAVE TWO RECALLS ON THIS AUTOMOBILE. MERCEDES DEALERSHIP SAID THEY CANNOT REPLACE. WHAT ARE OPTIONS. HAVE BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE INVOLVED.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V114000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
my car broke down while driving on the freeway, with only 58,000 miles the piston broke in cylinder 1 causing my car to loose power can cause an accident due to breaking down on freeway problem has been confirmed by a certified mechanic shop check engine light started flashing the moment the engine failed