AI Damage2013 Mercedes-Benz C 300: common problems
Owners of the 2013 Mercedes-Benz C 300 filed 262 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and suspension. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 262
- involving a crash
- 9
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 38% of all complaints
- 2 Suspension 26% of all complaints
- 3 Structure 22% of all complaints
- 4 Steering 10% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 7% of all complaints
- 6 Service brakes 6% of all complaints
- 7 Engine 3% of all complaints
- 8 Vehicle speed control 3% of all complaints
- Air bags: 99 complaints (38% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Suspension: 67 complaints (26% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Structure: 58 complaints (22% of all).
- Steering: 26 complaints (10% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 19 complaints (7% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 262 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 99 | 5 | 0 |
| Suspension | 67 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 58 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 26 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 16 | 4 | 0 |
| Engine | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| Wheels | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 2 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
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 no warning light was illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated no one was injured nor sought medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was drivable and the driver was able to continue driving to her destination.
The authorities were called and the paramedic were forced to break through her windshield and sunroof to remove her from the vehicle. The contact was immediately transported by ambulance to a local hospital where she was treated for a concussion and a missing tooth. A police report was filed at the scene.
The air bag failed to deploy. The contact sustained whiplash that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The contact was able to drive the vehicle. In addition, the contact heard a ticking noise coming from the steering wheel.
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.
The contact attempted to stop the vehicle by depressing the brake pedal; however, the brakes failed and the vehicle crashed into a fence. The air bags failed to deploy. As a result, a police report was filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was able to be driven from the scene.
While making a right turn into a parking lot at low speed accelerator pedal not depressed the vehicle suddenly accelerated. When brakes were depressed they failed and did not stop nor slow the vehicle. Car crashed into the building. Air bags additionally did not deploy as car hit building in corner at center of front.
At 94,000 miles my car started making a weird noise, before i could even get it into the shop my driveshaft completely failed (at the u-joint, where this has been reported multiple times) My car started clunking and banging in the middle of the road and became extremely unsafe to drive, as well as putting me in an…
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 1,555 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 4% most complained about).
On average one model year of the C 300 has 199 complaints (20 years in the data). This year has 262, above average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
Other years of this model
- C 300 2008672 sources
- C 300 2009576 sources
- C 300 2010453 sources
- C 300 2011480 sources
- C 300 2012267 sources
- C 300 201494 sources
- C 300 2015382 sources
- C 300 2016417 sources
- C 300 2017365 sources
- C 300 2018259 sources
- C 300 2019231 sources
- C 300 2020215 sources
- C 300 2021192 sources
- C 300 2022417 sources
- C 300 2023381 sources
- C 300 2024325 sources
- C 300 2025171 sources
- C 300 202689 sources
- C 300 202710 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2013 Mercedes-Benz C 300?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, suspension, structure. Total complaints: 262. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: rust, corrosion (34%), warning lights, check engine (11%), smoke, burning smell, fire (4%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2013 Mercedes-Benz C 300?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2013 Mercedes-Benz C 300 from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2013 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.