Equipment Problems of Mercedes Benz GL450

My 2015 mercedes-benz gle 450 experienced an unexpected vehicle fire on Feb 13th 2026. The vehicle was just parked when I noticed smoke from the engine. The vehicle caught fire within a short period of time, and 911 was called. There was no known external cause for the fire. The incident appeared to originate from the engine compartment. This created a serious safety hazard and posed a risk of injury and property damage. The fire required immediate response from the fire department, and the vehicle was declared a total loss. The vehicle is currently in the possession of the insurance company. This incident raises concerns about a potential mechanical or electrical defect. A vehicle should not catch fire under normal operating or parked conditions. I am requesting that this incident be reviewed as a potential safety defect.

See all problems of the 2015 Mercedes Benz GL450 🔎.

Panoramic sunroof spontaneously shattered at some time between 2/4/26 and 2/5/26. Car was fine when I drove on 2/4/26 and parked at home at approximately 4:30p (still light outside). I got in car next day 2/5/26 at approximately 5:45p (when dark outside). Heard slight air/wind noise as pulled out of driveway and started driving. Looked up and saw sunroof completely shattered (but still fully attached). No glass inside car until the next day when the sun came out and glass started to fall in and create a hole in the broken glass panel. I was the only one who drove the car. Dealer viewed on 2/9/26, and provided repair estimate of $4,500. 30. Still waiting on insurance to authorize repair. I have attached photos from 2/5/26 when discovered and next day 2/6/26 after hole formed and glass started falling into car (blocked by sunshade).

See all problems of the 2016 Mercedes Benz GL450 🔎.

Unknown.

See all problems of the 2008 Mercedes Benz GL450 🔎.

The eis module we have found has an issue with the part from japan that does not have enough sauder on a part of it, so when the temp drops below 50 degrees or less the ignition starts but all the safety features go off and the computer shuts down the vehicle. Reason is the metal contracts in cold weather causing the connections to not fully meet. We have figured this out after many times of replacing the main battery, aux battery thinking this is the issue. After much research on the web and mb forums this seems to be an issue especially in the colder climates with some of the older models. Some others have had have their autos stop in the middle of driving them in cold weather. Not sure why this has not been reported. We are having the issue now with a 2010 mb gl 450 we just purchased in November and every time it gets cold, the auto goes haywire when the temp drops. Warm weather zero issues. Wanted to relay since we do not see a recall and we are working out the bug on this on our own time and money.

See all problems of the 2010 Mercedes Benz GL450 🔎.

Blinkers and horn stopped working windshield wipers coming on without being turned on it’s saying drive to workshop without shifting gears and won’t start in the middle of the highway.

See all problems of the 2007 Mercedes Benz GL450 🔎.

While driving on the freeway, we picked up a big screw in our tire which immediately deflated. To continue our journey, we wanted to replace the tire with the spare wheel. To do that, we used the floor jack that came with the car and this would have been it's first use. While attempting to lift the vehicle, the threaded bushing of this scissor type floor jack completely stripped (see picture). Not only is this super dangerous to have such a floor jack included, but if could have left us stranded for a very long time in case we would have been more remotely. I would suggest to investigate these floor jacks whether the pose any safety hazards and if make mercedes-benz replacing them free if charge.

See all problems of the 2013 Mercedes Benz GL450 🔎.

Coolant reservoir hose blew out on my 2016 Gl450 Mercedes Benz.

Last Wednesday morning June 06, 2023 I started vehicle up to move it closer to my apartment. Once I shifted into "drive", immediately the engine revved up and vehicle accelerated in high rate of speed across the parking lot, I was applying the brakes, but they were not stopping the vehicle, it then slammed into wooded area and crashed head first into creek beyond the wooded area. I was dazed and bleeding from cut beneath my nose, I climbed out of vehicle and back up the incline the vehicle crashed downward into. Baltimore county police responded and I explained to officer what had happened. He advised me to contact my insurance carrier and wrote the incident report #. During the time while awaiting my vehicle's retrieval from the wooded area, I then photographed and video recorded the damages once retrieved. The air bags did not deploy when the vehicle crashed yet the complete front grill and hood of the vehicle was smashed in, front tire blown.

We smelled smoke from under the passenger seat. We had the car in for a recall and service recently and didn’t understand what was happening. Our three children smelled the smoke too. Everyone exited the car and it burst into flames.

See all problems of the 2011 Mercedes Benz GL450 🔎.

Recently discovered that water intrusion in the back of my vehicle is coming from cracks (longitudinal and transverse) on its roof. The roof has no other damage that would have caused the cracks upon discovery, I took it to my local mb dealership and the attendant that looked at it said he had never seen such cracks and know the cause. I followed up with the Mercedes Benz corporation, who requested for my VIN, and following review of my complaint told me that there was no recall affecting roof cracks for my vehicle. They suggested that I reach out to you (NHTSA online). I am not sure when these cracks developed. I was aware of it earlier this year. The water intrusion, when not dried and depending on what time of the year, could cause mold which can seriously affect the occupants of the vehicle. It would be appreciated if you take a look at this, as well as if there are similar complaints on this Gl450 models.

See all problems of the 2012 Mercedes Benz GL450 🔎.

Air conditioner always make musty / moldy odor. Many forums says that is a common problem all across mercedes models and it causes allergic reaction resulting in sneezing all the time when a/c is on. Problem is especially bad for my kids who have environmental allergy like mold/mildew. This horrible odor coming from a/c is due to mold/mildew forming on condenser. Please order a recall ASAP.

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.

See all problems of the 2009 Mercedes Benz GL450 🔎.

The fixed portion of the panorama sunroof exploded while driving on the highway at 65mph in light traffic and temperatures were in the mid 40's. Glass shards fell on the passengers, including three young children under the age of 5. Repairs are being arranged by customer pay and insurance. Manufacture denies fault.

The Gl450 has the balance shaft problem . It skipped timing and caused major engine failure. . This problem is prevalent for the m273 engine. The parts wear prematurely. The timing is affected and the 4 cam power train misaligns. The engine quits and the repair is usually over 4000. 00. It produces 1208 1200 codes along with misfire codes. I feel Mercedes Benz corp is responsible and has liability for the loss. Thank you. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

1. Transmission spontaneously disengaged park to allow the car to roll backwards 10 feet. No one was in the car at the time of the incident. I have a security system video of the incident. 2. Spontaneous runaway vehicle could have crashed children in the driveway or the street. 3. The dealer is not available to reproduce the problem. 4. No one performed any inspections at this time. 5. The vehicle did not present any warnings messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. I have a security system video that shows the vehicle parked and 20 minutes latter the vehicle spontaneously moving backwards a few feet and then stops. Please contact for a copy of this video.

Oil leaking and wicking into camshaft position sensors, camshaft magnets, O2 sensors, engine wiring harness and ultimately, the ecu is destroying all electronic components connected to the engine causing misfiring and seizing. The issue is quite prevalent via internet research as potentially thousands of owners all experience the same issue. Our local Mercedes Benz dealer indicated this issue "just popped up" immediately outside the warranty period (1 yr) for our used purchase, and would require a replacement of the camshaft, sensors, magnets, and wiring harness to the tune of $14,000. This is a design flaw of the engine that placed these components in locations predisposed to contact with engine oil. The root cause of the oil leak is unknown and even Mercedes Benz can not tell why the oil is leaking on these components. If this issue is so prevalent with thousands of owners with the Gl450's, as evidenced by internet searches via Mercedes Benz fan sites, why has no service bulletin or recall been instituted? the overall issue is starting to cause issues with the safety features of the vehicle as well, with alerts (driveline assist, etc) either misfiring or not going off at all.

See all problems of the 2014 Mercedes Benz GL450 🔎.

Same issue as recall campaign 2017020016 launch. The latch securing the the center console doors might not meet the requirements of fmvss 201. The same basic design of the recalled 2017 GLS class SUV center console has been in use in other gl and GLS models for a number of years.

Upon acceleration after a complete stop there are several seconds of hesitation to accelerate and loud clicking sounds that neighboring cars can hear. After doing online research, this issue is not limited to Gl450. Other owners have expressed the same concern in other models: 2008 c300, 2009 c300, 2015 c300, 07 Gl450, 03 Gl450.

Sunroof exploded as I was driving down the freeway. Roadway was smooth and there were no cars in front of me so I'm certain it wasn't a rock or other object that broke it.

Dear lady/gentleman good morning I was driving out from the parking very slow. I do not know what happened but for what I know car increase speed rapidly. I push brakes but doesn't stop as a result my car hit other cars in parking. For what I know steering was lock. Please check if my car had any electronic attack . Thank you in advance ajet delaj 7 winthrop Ave yonkers, NY 10710 cell: 917-605-2039.

The sunroof in this vehicle shattered overnight without any known cause. The vehicle was parked in the driveway at my home. No one was injured in this incident. The vehicle was last driven at 10 p. M. On 05/01/18 without the damage, and at 7:30 a. M. This morning, 05/02/18, when I was getting ready to leave my home, I noticed the middle of the sunroof was sticking up a little bit. . . It looked like a punch from the inside. When I opened the door, a big piece of the middle of the sunroof fell down onto the screen underneath it and the rest of it was shattered but still in place. This was the first day of really warm weather we have had in a while and I don't know if that could be related to the cause. We took the vehicle to the Mercedes Benz dealership and the representative there said he had never heard of this happening; however, there are many incidents reported on the internet of this exact same issue. I hope you can force them to look into this issue for safety reasons and also for the monetary expense to the consumer. It should be a warranty repair item.

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.

While driving on the freeway at about 70 mph the sunroof exploded. We were not behind another car and driving in the middle of an unpopulated area along the !-10 freeway.

Veh suspension fell, almost lost control.

Headrests on second row with easy entry option cannot be removed. Therefore, proper installation of a child safety seat (convertible car seat) is impossible. This family vehicle is unusable safely for a child.

I had just started driving down the road 2 miles and going around 25-30 mph and the car shut off and the steering wheel locked. There was cars behind me and I was able to put my hazards on. Thankfully cars were coming up to stop sign so I was able to steer off road. Started car up and drove a little further and car shut down again and locked steering repeated 4 more times til was able to get home. I was getting ready to get on freeway with my young kids in the car could have been so dangerous.

Left-front strut leaked causing damages. We have been complaining for 4 years that the left-front of the car was making noise;took it to the dealer for service numerous times but they were not able to fix the problem.

1- brakes; vibration and sever shaking while breaking , since 11/2012 at 2500 miles now at 14000 miles . Pads and rotors has been changed 3 times and problem is keep coming back / 2- vibration while driving : since 11/2012 vehicle vibrates at all driving speed 35-70 and varies of the roads. Has been to services 8 times . All tires has been replaced at 7k miles. Vehicle symptoms gets better after road force balance but returns after few hundred miles. Mb USA has declined the repair! 3- additional problems; driver side lumbar support . Rear door could not be closed , cooling system hose problem , key fobs needed to be replaced , ac control does not adjust automatically in auto position. Pre safe collusion system problem.

Airmatic failure front suspension many times since 2007 for gl 450 warrrany replacemant in 2008 , 2009 and now again in 2011.