Table 1 shows one common electrical system related problems of the 2011 Mercedes Benz GLK350.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Electrical System problems |
My kids and I went into a football game and when we came out I used the key fob to unlock the doors but the vehicle didn’t recognize my key fob when I tried to start it. There were no lights or warnings leading up to this incident. The dash didn’t say anything besides “remove key from ignition”. We were stranded for 5 hours before I had to have it towed. It cost roughly $2000 to have it repaired with no clear reason for why it happened. It was a censor on the steering column that was somehow deprogrammed while we were in the stadium and suddenly failed to recognize its own key fob once it was inserted into the ignition. The anti-theft security feature kicked in and I could not get the vehicle to respond or bypass the system and it left me and 4 children stranded in a very dangerous area for several hours with no information as to why this happened or how to avoid it in the future. The steering column locked up when the tow truck driver tried to load it and caused a significant amount of added expenses on to the repair costs and towing costs.
After inserting key - there is no response. Tried several times. Fob locks and unlocks the doors. After a couple of days - it started with no problem. A week later, we are having the same problem with no response after inserting the key in ignition switch. This troublesome to know that I cannot rely on the ignition switch working all the time.
Delay and no start condition when turning the ignition key.
Control unit failed. Had to be towed to mb dealer. Failed unit was replaced with remanufactured unit 1-204-900-59-12-80. Cost $1215. 89. Has the problem been corrected with the remanufactured unit or is this an ongoing problem. This time the unit failed in a parking lot. Failure on the highway would be a safety issue.
Security module failed which locked steering and prevented car from starting. Had to toe to dealer and repair was $1000. Many complaints and hundreds of similar failures on this and c class models on internet. This failure stranded my wife in another city and should be considered a safety defect. Vehicle had just been driven to a doctor visit but refused to start after visit. Mercedes roadside assistance technician knew exactly what was wrong when called to the car and stated he had seen dozens of this failure in only the past few months.