AI Damage2012 Mercedes-Benz GL450: common problems
Owners of the 2012 Mercedes-Benz GL450 filed 47 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 47
- involving a crash
- 3
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 47% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 17% of all complaints
- 3 Suspension 15% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 11% of all complaints
- 5 Seat belts 6% of all complaints
- 6 Electrical system 4% of all complaints
- 7 Electronic stability control 4% of all complaints
- 8 Fuel/propulsion system 4% of all complaints
- Air bags: 22 complaints (47% of all).
- Service brakes: 8 complaints (17% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Suspension: 7 complaints (15% of all).
- Powertrain: 5 complaints (11% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seat belts: 3 complaints (6% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 47 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 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 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 were no warning lights illuminated. Both air bags under the steering wheels deployed. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The police arrived on the scene and filed a report. The front of the vehicle hood, bumper, and radiator was destroyed. There were no injuries or medical treatments.
On january 8, 2014, the owner of the 2012 mercedes benz gl450 was inside her vehicle within the garage of her residence, preparing to leave to perform errands. Realizing she need to attend to her young children, she put the vehicle's electronic transmission into park and was exiting the vehicle when the gl450 suddenly…
I was driving on the highway my break warning light came and when I tried pulling over car would not stop my break pedal went all the way to floor causing me to hit the back of another car and I had to get a tow
dash light in red keeps indicating SRS , also dash says SRS Malfunction front left service required, Pre-Safe Inoperative See operators Manuel. also seatbelt case falling off.
The contact had stated that while depressing the brake pedal there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.
Breaks became unusable due to lost power break fluid caused by corrosion on the lines. Fluid was completely gone and breaks were not effective at all. Dashboard showed RED light with break error. Dealer confirmed that rust build up caused the failure.
While I was driving the car, with the seat belt fastened, the seat belt suddenly popped out. This was a scary experience! Repeated attempts to fasten the seat belt again did not work.
When I would be stopped on a hill/incline and then accelerate the car would violently jerk (as if I had hit something). It would not go forward until after the sudden jerking motion stopped. It would also behave this way when I backed up a hill or incline.
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 5,507 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 15% most complained about).
On average one model year of the GL450 has 38 complaints (11 years in the data). This year has 47, above average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Mercedes-Benz GL450?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, service brakes, suspension. Total complaints: 47. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (9%), knocking, grinding or other noise (6%), seat belts (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2012 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 2012 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 2012 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.