AI Damage2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450: common problems
Owners of the 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450 filed 115 complaints with NHTSA, most often about seats and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 115
- involving a crash
- 5
What fails most often
- 1 Seats 34% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 23% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 15% of all complaints
- 4 Suspension 10% of all complaints
- 5 Service brakes 9% of all complaints
- 6 Steering 8% of all complaints
- 7 Vehicle speed control 6% of all complaints
- 8 Engine and cooling 5% of all complaints
- Seats: 39 complaints (34% of all).
- Electrical system: 27 complaints (23% of all).
- Powertrain: 17 complaints (15% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Suspension: 11 complaints (10% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 10 complaints (9% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 115 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seats | 39 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 10 | 3 | 0 |
| Steering | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Equipment | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 3 | 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.
No warning lights were illuminated. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot and deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The dealer was not notified of the failure.
Mercedes gl450 the front end started riding low after driving it and would then adjust itself, which was very noticeable not the minute amount is supposed to do just for aerodynamics.
He left home for work at about 6am and while still in the subdivision driving about 20 miles/hr on a road with about 1" of snow, he tried to make a right turn but the brakes locked and the steering wouldn't turn and he ended up smashing the front end on a huge stone and ricocheting to a fire hydrant.
I have been asking for one of their field engineers to examine the car and see if the abs sensor is responsible for the possible brake failure. Although the crash may still be my driver error, I don't feel comfortable repairing the car and giving it back to my wife for transportation of the family.
Upon further inspection, the contactâs husband noticed an abnormal hole with smoke coming from the driverâs side seat. There was no visible fire present. No medical attention was sought. No warning light was illuminated.
The contact stated that the SRS warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that while the dealer was servicing the air suspension strut failures, the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle had sustained severe water damage.
The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH in the rain, there was an abnormal smoke odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle then started filling up with smoke. The contact checked and became aware that the back of the front driver's seat was on fire.
The steering wheel airbag spontaneously deployed with no prior warning sensors activated or collision (moments after pulling into driveway at home). Mercedes Benz refuses to take any responsibility, or at least inspect and replace the steering wheel and airbag.
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 3,246 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 9% most complained about).
On average one model year of the GL450 has 38 complaints (11 years in the data). This year has 115, above average.
What to check before buying
- Seats. Occupant sensor, power adjustment, seat mounts.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: seats, electrical system, powertrain. Total complaints: 115. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (35%), A/C or heater (14%), warning lights, check engine (8%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450?
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 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450 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 2007 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.