AI Damage2009 Mercedes-Benz C63: common problems
Owners of the 2009 Mercedes-Benz C63 filed 12 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 12
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 33% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 33% of all complaints
- 3 Engine 17% of all complaints
- 4 Exterior lighting 17% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 8% of all complaints
- 6 Service brakes 8% of all complaints
- 7 Visibility 8% of all complaints
- Air bags: 4 complaints (33% of all).
- Electrical system: 4 complaints (33% of all).
- Engine: 2 complaints (17% of all).
- Exterior lighting: 2 complaints (17% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (8% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 12 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 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 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.
Glass sunroof While driving, heard a loud bang/pop, glass sunroof began to shatter, and fall onto me, creating a unsafe conditions. Pulled over immediately and closed plastic sunshade to prevent entire glass window from collapsing on top of me. Particles of glass and finite glass dust covered interior, and my person.
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2009 mercedes-benz c63. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 16v081000 (air bags). The dealer (mercedes-benz of calabasas, [address], calabasas, [ZIP], [phone]) was contacted and confirmed that parts were not available. The manufacturer was not notified.
Cel illumination, engine misfire, stalling, rough running, low coolant indicator light ups. No external coolant loss detectable. Coolant in the engine oil and/or in the combustion chamber. This is caused by a broken cylinder head bolt. Engine coolant enters into engine oil.
As I was driving I had a light come on my dash telling me I had low coolant and that I needed to have it filled. This has happened a number of times since my short ownership of this vehicle. From what I understand this is a sealed unit and should not be losing antifreeze anywhere.
The vehicle experienced a headbolt failure resulting in coolant flooding one of the cylinder, leaking inside the engine and causing engine failure. I was lucky that I was driving at 20mph at the time of the failure, otherwise it would most likely result in a crash.
Brown wire in left tail light connector melted through the connector and tail light failed to operate, including turn signal.
Rear tail light wiring has burnt up causing failure of the taillight. This happened on both sides of the vehicle. The right side actually began putting out smoke when the burnt connector failed. This fire could have spread with my kids in the car.
Car dash display indicated to check right rear turn lamp. While checking the lamp, the lamp holder assembly was hot. When attempting to unplug the electrical connector to the lamp holder assembly, discovered that the electrical connector was melting (specifically around the ground wire).
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 10,162 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 28% most complained about).
On average one model year of the C63 has 6 complaints (4 years in the data). This year has 12, above average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
- Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2009 Mercedes-Benz C63?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, electrical system, engine. Total complaints: 12. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: headlights and tail lights (17%), engine failure or replacement (8%), overheating, coolant loss (8%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2009 Mercedes-Benz C63?
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 2009 Mercedes-Benz C63 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 2009 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 2026-11-06.