NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2009 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes-Benz GL450. The contact stated that the ABS and check engine warning lights were illuminated, and the struts had failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V315000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed prior to the recall repair, due to the failure. The contact declined to pay the diagnostic fee, and the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the dealer failed to honor the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 156,000.
The contact owned a 2009 Mercedes-Benz GL 550.The contact stated that while driving at 15- 20 MPH, the driver in front of him was attempting to turn but swerved to the left in his lane, the brake pedal was applied but delayed to respond. The contact crashed into an unknown minivan. There were no warning lights illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. There was no reported fire. A police report was filed. The passenger occupant sustained injuries to her back and shoulder and medical attention was provided. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The contact received NHTSA Campaign Number: .2V315000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). after the failure was experienced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no additional assistance. The manufacturer requested that he preserve the vehicle. The vehicle was deemed a total loss. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes-Benz GL450. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle started shuddering. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who informed the contact that the vehicle was not safe to drive. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the recall repair of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V315000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) was completed; however, after the recall repair was completed, the vehicle failed to start. The dealer replaced the battery and completed other unknown repairs on the vehicle. The contact stated that he picked up and drove the vehicle to his residence; however, the vehicle failed to start the next day. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they would reimburse the rental car cost. The failure mileage was approximately 143,300.
The car has started not shifting normally. It can get stuck in gear. So, you may pull to a stop sign and not be able to move because it’s stuck in 4th. What makes this really dangerous is that it will randomly shift into neutral. This can be on a shoulder-less two lane highway (this has happened) and you have no power to even get the car off the road. It also has taken to surging and jumping in and out of neutral, the engine reving without even touching the gas. So far it has only done that for seconds, but if the engine were to be reving, stuck in neutral, and then go back to drive, it would be a guaranteed accident. I think this is a model issue too because I had another Mercedes SUV that started doing the same thing.
I was driving 70 down an interstate a Saturday around 4:30 pm and heard a noise as if my sunroof opened a bit, then I heard a loud pop and a rush of air and looked in my rearview mirror and didn't see anything, I looked up seen the sunroof was gone. All I could think about is that could have really caused a serious accident. Glad no one was around me at the time. I doubled back twice and could not find the sunroof glass. I got home and put a couple pieces of cardboard and plastic down and duct taped it before the snow storm hits. A day after and my heart is still racing knowing that could have cause a wreck.
TAKATA INFLATORS : THE SRS LIGHT IS CONTINUOUSLY STAYING ON IN THE VEHICLE. AS SOON AS THE VEHICLE IS STARTED THE LIGHT COMES ON AND DOES NOT GO OFF UNTIL THE VEHICLE GOES BACK OFF.
I AM HAVING ISSUES WITH MY SUSPENSION. I'VE HAD TO REPLACE IT TWICE IN 1 YEAR. A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED ON THIS.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MERCEDES-BENZ GL550. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO MERCEDES-BENZ OF DAYTONA BEACH (1188 N TOMOKA FARMS RD, DAYTONA BEACH, FL) FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING, BUT THE RESULTS WERE NOT DISCLOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 106,000. *TT CARFAX THE VIN PROVIDED HAS NO DISPLAYABLE RECORDS. UPDATED 11/28/18*JB
I PURCHASED MY MB GL450 IN 2010 AND AT THAT TIME IT WAS COVERED AS A PRE-OWNED MB VEHICLE. UNDER THE WARRANTY, I HAD THE AIR RIDE SUSPENSION FIXED TWICE. ONCE ON FRONT LEFT AND RIGHT. AFTER THE WARRANT EXPIRED, I HAVE HAD TO DO BOTH SIDES OF MY SUSPENSION AGAIN. NOW THE FRONT LEFT HAS FAILED AND NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED. I HAVE READ MY BLOGS AND POSTS ABOUT THIS MB SUSPENSION DEFECT AND WANT HOPE THE NHTSA CAN PUSH MB TO ISSUE A RECALL TO FIX THIS FAILED PRODUCT.
TAKATA RECALL MY VEHICLE IS PART OF THE RECALL AND THERE IS STILL NO FIX FOR MY PROBLEM. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, WE ARE DRIVING WITH A TICKING TIME BOMB.
TAKATA RECALL THE RECALL WAS INSTITUTED FEBRUARY 2016, YET TO DATE THERE HAS BEEN NO REMEDY OFFERED BY THE MANUFACTURER AND NO INDICATION AS TO WHEN THEY WILL BE REPLACING THE AIRBAGS.
TAKATA RECALL A RECALL NOTICE WAS ISSUED FOR MY VEHICLE'S (2009 BENZ GL450) AIRBAGS. HOWEVER, TAKATA / MERCEDES BENZ DO NOT HAVE A REMEDY AVAILABLE FOR MY VEHICLE DESPITE THE RECALL DATE BEING MORE THAN 1 YEAR AGO.
TAKATA RECALL
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MERCEDES-BENZ GL550. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V081000 (AIR BAGS) IN MID OCTOBER OF 2017 AND WAS WAITING PATIENTLY FOR THE PART. THE DEALER (MERCEDES-BENZ OF PEMBROKE PINES, 14199 PINES BLVD, PEMBROKE PINES, FL 33027, (954) 644-5035) WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THE RECALL WAS CLOSED BECAUSE THERE WERE NO OPEN RECALLS ASSOCIATED WITH THE VIN. THE CONTACT RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM THE DEALER ON JULY 13, 2018 STATING THAT IT WAS A FINAL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V081000 (AIR BAGS), WHICH INDICATED THAT THE RECALL REPAIR WAS INCOMPLETE AND AN APPOINTMENT NEEDED TO BE SCHEDULED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE AND THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING A RESPONSE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.
WE HAD TROUBLE TOWING OUR TRAVEL TRAILER, WE LOOKED UNDER OUR CAR AND THE WELD WAS BROKEN ON OUR HITCH. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEIR INSPECTION CONFIRMED IT WAS A "BAD WELD".THEY WANT US TO PAY $900 TO FIX. THIS IS THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM AND HITCH THAT WAS RECALLED IN 2007 AND 2008, SO MERCEDES CONTINUED TO USE THE SAME HITCH AND WELD IN YEAR 2009 AND NOW IT HAS FAILED AFTER 4 TIMES TOWING. THE RUST ON OUR PICTURE INDICATES THE WELD HAD FAILED MUCH PRIOR TO US REALIZING IT.
I WAS DRIVING ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK TODAY 2/3/2017 AND I WAS MERGING ONTO HIGHWAY WHEN I HEARD A LOUD EXPLOSION. I THEN SAW THAT MY SUNROOF HAD SHATTERED AND WAS BOWED OUT. THERE IS A LARGE HOLE IN THE CENTER OF THE SUNROOF AND THE REST OF THE GLASS IS SPIDERWEBBED. NOTHING HAD HIT MY CAR OR MY SUNROOF. I WAS ONLY GOING ABOUT 15 MPH AS I WAS STILL ON A ON RAMP. IT WAS VERY SCARY AND DANGEROUS. I CALLED MERCEDES WHO IS NO HELP. THEY NEED TO RECALL THIS OR BE HELD RESPONSIBLE. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED ME TO CRASH OR IF MY SUNROOF COVER WAS OPENED I WOULD HAVE BEEN SHOWERED IN GLASS.
TAKATA RECALL: STILL NO REMEDY AVAILABLE PER MERCEDES BENZ; FIRST NOTICE RECEIVED 2/2017.
IT'S TAKING TOO LONG TO GET THESE AIRBAGS REPLACED! NEWS REPORTS CONTINUE TO REPORT ON INJURIES AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO GET FIXED AND TAKATA IS NOT ABLE TO MEET THE DEMAND WHILE THEY CONTINUE TO PRODUCE NEW AIR BAGS FOR NEW CARS? WHERE IS NHTSA PRIORITIES HERE? I HAVE 4 CARS THAT ALL NEED REPLACING AND MY 3 DRIVERS IN THE HOUSE ALL FEEL UNSAFE! FEDERAL GOV SHOULD INSIST ALL MANUFACTURING EFFORTS ON BEHALF OF TAKATA GO INTO REPLACEMENT AIRBAGS AND NOT NEW CAR PRODUCTION! ONE PISSED OFF CAR OWNER/TAX PAYOR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MERCEDES-BENZ GL320. SHORTLY AFTER REMOVING THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION, WHITE SMOKE APPEARED FROM THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT OBSERVED FIRE FROM THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 183,000.
TAKATA RECALL. DUE TO THE TAKATA RECALL, THE VALUE OF MY CAR HAS DIMINISHED BY APPROXIMATELY $5-6K, RESULTING IN ME BEING UPSIDE DOWN ON MY LOAN. I AM NOW STUCK DRIVING MY FAMILY IN AN UNSAFE VEHICLE THAT I CANNOT SELL WITHOUT A SIGNIFICANT LOSS.
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MERCEDES-BENZ GL450. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V081000 (AIR BAGS) AND STATED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME FRAME TO SCHEDULE THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER DID NOT GIVE A SPECIFIC DATE FOR WHEN THE PART WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER COULD NOT PROVIDE AN ESTIMATED DATE FOR WHEN THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WOULD RECEIVE THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT WAS NOT EXPERIENCING A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE. UPDATED 05/10/17*LJ UPDATED 10/10/2017*JS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES BENZ GL450. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V081000 (AIR BAGS) 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. PART DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
MERCEDES BENZ OF SANTA MONICA CALIFORNIA SENT ME A RECALL NOTICE OVER A YEAR AGO, WHEN I MADE A APPOINTMENT TO COME IN THEY CALLED ME AND SAID THEY WEREN'T GOING TO FIX IT AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE, THEN THEY SAID THEY SEND ME ANOTHER NOTICE WHICH THEY NEVER DID. MY PHONE NUMBER IS [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
TAKATA RECALL: MERCEDES BENZ HAS NO INFORMATION ON WHEN MY TAKATA AIRBAG WILL BE REPLACED. MEANWHILE I CANNOT SELL MY VEHICLE OR DO A TRADE-IN WITH AN OPEN RECALL ITEM. I NEED TO KNOW HOW I CAN GET MY AIRBAG REPLACED ASAP.
THIS COMPLAIN IS ABOUT THE RECALL REPORT AS BELOW FEB 11,2016 MANUFACTURER RECALL NUMBER2016020003 NHTSA RECALL NUMBER16V081 DESCRIPTION: I HAVE NEVER BEEN CONTACTED BY THE MANUFACTURER ABOUT THIS RECALL. APPARENTLY, THE MANUFACTURER HAS FAILED OR IS UNABLE TO REMEDY THIS SAFETY RECALL FOR YOUR VEHICLE IN A TIMELY MANNER.
I PURCHASED TIRES IN JANUARY 2015 , IN OCTOBER 2015, MY SIGNALL DISPLAYED CHECK TIRE PRESSURE. I HAD THE TIRE INSPECTED AN ROTATED AT PLACE OF PURCHASE. WITHIN WEEKS MY TIRE WAS COMPLETELY FLAT. I STOPPED AT THE NEAREST STATION AND WAS TOLD I HAD A CRACK IN THE INNER SIDE WALL. ON 10/15/2015 I RETURNED TO THE PLACE I PURCHASE THE TIRES. I EXPLAINED THAT I BELIEVED, THAT MY TIRE IS FAULTY. THE MERCHANT TOLD ME " YOU MUST HAVE HIT SOMETHING, IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME ".. I EXPLAIN TO HIM THAT I DIDN'T HIT ANYTHING, I HAD THE TIRE INSPECTED BY ANOTHER TIRE PLACE AND IT WAS STATED, THE TIRE HAS TO BE FAULTY, BECAUSE WHERE THE CRACK IS SEEN, INNER SIDE WALL. I SAID TO MERCHANT, IF I HAD RUN OVER SOMETHING IT SHOULD DAMAGE TO THE PART OF THE WHEEL THAT TOUCHES THE SURFACE.. MY WHEEL WAS PLUGGED IN THE MEAN TIME. THE SELLER OF THIS TIRES REFUSE TO REPLACE THE TIRE. HE SAID HE WOULD SELL ME A NEW TIRE FOR $389. PLUS TAX.. I HAVE A WARRANTY ON THE TIRES, IF THE TIRE CRACKED ON THE INNER SIDE WALL , WHY AREN'T THEY BEING HELD RESPONSIBLE? DO I HAVE TO HAVE A BLOWOUT ON THE HIGHWAY, WAIT FOR AN INVESTIGATION; AND THEN FIND THAT ALL COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED; IF THE MERCHANT HAD BEEN HONEST? HAD I BEEN A MALE, THIS SITUATION WOULD HAVE BEEN SETTLE WITH A HAND SHAKE!! I FIND THIS TO BE OUTRAGEOUS.. HOW MANY OTHER'S WILL THIS HAPPEN TO? HIS SUGGESTION THAT I SHOULD JUST BUY A NEW TIRE FROM HIM IS, DISHONORING THE WARRANTY , ONLY TO HAVE ANOTHER CRACK SURFACE IN 6-8 MONTHS...
MERCEDES BENZ GL320CDI BLUETEC> SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING AT THE SPEED OF 40 MPH. LOST POWER STEERING AND BRAKES AND WAS NEARLY STRUCK BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. AN EARLIER VERSION THE 2008 MODEL HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCE ON THREE OCCASIONS. SUBSEQUENTLY TRADED VEHICLE IN FOR A 2009 MODEL. TOLD BY DEALER PART "CRANK SHAFT POSITION SENSOR" IS THE CAUSE. PART IS BEING ORDERED FROM GERMANY AND WOULD TAKE AT LEAST A WEEK. I SUSPECT THE PART IS IN SHORT SUPPLY DUE TO FREQUENT OCCURRENCES OF THIS ISSUE. A DANGEROUS SITUATION IS LURKING WITH THIS FAULTY SENSOR. *TR
HITCHED AN AIRSTREAM TRAILER WEIGHING 7400 LBS (PER CAT SCALE) TO NEW MERCEDES BENZ GL320 (TOW RATING 7500 LBS). WITHIN 40 MILES, WELDS ON THE FACTORY-SUPPLIED TRAILER HITCH BROKE AND THE HITCH BENT SIDEWAYS. ONE WELD STAYED IN PLACE UNTIL THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, AT WHICH POINT THE HITCH FAILURE WAS DISCOVERED. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MERCEDES BENZ G550. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A FOG SYSTEM WIRING IN THE FRONT OF THE WINDSHIELD AND IT IS COVERED WITH A SQUIZZLE LINE. WHEN HEADLIGHTS SHINE ON THE SYSTEM, THE WINDSHIELD LOOKS LIKE A DISCO BALL MOVING IN CIRCLES. THE FOG SYSTEM AFFECTS THE LIGHTING AND GLARE OF THE HEADLIGHTS FROM ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THE VEHICLE CANNOT BE DRIVEN AT NIGHT DUE TO THE GLARE OFF THE WINDSHIELD. THE DEALER CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS DESIGNED IN THAT MANNER; THEREFORE, NOTHING COULD BE DONE TO ASSIST. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200.