AI Damage2016 Mercedes-Benz GL450: common problems
Owners of the 2016 Mercedes-Benz GL450 filed 13 complaints with NHTSA, most often about seats and engine. The maker issued 69 service bulletins for this year. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 13
- involving a crash
- 1
- Technical service bulletins (TSB)
- 69
What fails most often
- 1 Seats 23% of all complaints
- 2 Engine 15% of all complaints
- 3 Suspension 8% of all complaints
- 4 Visibility 8% of all complaints
- 5 Service brakes 8% of all complaints
- 6 Steering 8% of all complaints
- 7 Latches, locks, linkages 8% of all complaints
- Seats: 3 complaints (23% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 1.
- Engine: 2 complaints (15% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 4.
- Suspension: 1 complaints (8% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 6.
- Visibility: 1 complaints (8% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 4.
- Service brakes: 1 complaints (8% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 1.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 13 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 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Engine | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Suspension | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Exterior lighting | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Equipment | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Powertrain | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Engine and cooling | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Structure | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Wheels | 0 | 0 | 2 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
We took the car to mercedes benz of valencia and to say that the service department staff was unwilling to help is a gross understatement. They eventually did agree to keep the car governing and test drive it in the morning, they called the following day on december 3rd and told us to come and get the car.
Tailgate sometimes opens while driving. It sometimes takes many attempts to reclose it from the outside of car. It will not reclose using the electronic button on the door. The alert comes on on the dashboard and its extremely dangerous as luggage can fall out. This happened while highway driving last week, scary.
The contact stated when he parked the vehicle and went into a business, he returned within 5 minutes and the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The fire department was already notified and arrived on the scene, then extinguished the fire with water. The police arrived on the scene; however, a report was not filed.
The windshield is weak prone to break/crack easily. In less than 3 years 4 windshields have been required. Not normal and this is potentially dangerous.
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 mercedes-benz gl450. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 17v241000 (steering). The part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.
2nd row head rest unsafe and unuseable - the headrest is too low and too high for a child or small person to use. When in down position, seat pushes head forward; when it is up, it's too tall for the head. Also headrest is very difficult to pull up.
The second row seat headrest is unusable for my children. It hits them in the head and they are totally uncomfortable. I see now that this is a major source of problems for this vehicle. Many parents are complaining. Mercedes has no cure for it. Not ok.
Therefore the car seat is once again in an unstable condition even though secured by the seat belt restraint system. For the "shorter" people, the headrest at the fully extended position is extremely uncomfortable as the headrest protrudes, as indicated above, and so the person's head is resting on an edge of the…
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 9,843 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 27% most complained about).
On average one model year of the GL450 has 38 complaints (11 years in the data). This year has 13, below average.
What to check before buying
- Seats. Occupant sensor, power adjustment, seat mounts.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
- Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
Manufacturer service bulletins
Bulletin titles as filed with NHTSA.
- Complaint Clanking noise from the area of the speakers in the doors
Cause Under analysis. Remedy To narrow down the cause, first of all remove the door trim. • If the noise continues to occur even with the door trim removed, then continue the diagnosis working towards the speaker and…
- Complaint Repeat workshop visit for vehicle vibration while braking from 60MPH. NOTE
Although the symptom is similar to a tire or wheel vibration, it is usually readily noticeable that it is distinctly different if it happens at all times or only while braking. Cause Although the cause of the vibration…
- Complaint During part of the steering movement, it feels heavier or more difficult to steer in the same…
Complaint During part of the steering movement, it feels heavier or more difficult to steer in the same spot every time. OR Rattling, humming, dry sliding/gravel noise from the electric steering system when steering…
- Dear Mercedes-Benz Owner
In our continuing efforts to ensure the proper performance of Mercedes-Benz products and to enhance the satisfaction of our customers, Mercedes-Benz USA is extending the warranty coverage for the Diagnostic Module for…
- Complaint A popup is seen on the HU with the message "data connection temporarily not available"
Potentially affected functionalities in NTG4.5, NTG5 1.Weather 2.Local Search 3.IP Radio 4.Send2Car 5.Speech Detection Service 6.Navigation 7.iHeartRadio 8.Traffic Cams Cause MB Apps is sundowned for all vehicles with…
- Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end)
The noise is heard once in each instance when changing direction of travel. Note: Sound file in attachment Cause If the complaint is eliminated by experimentally loosening the outboard collar nut (by 1 turn), the…
- Complaint Creaking noise, in irregular sequence when driving slowly in combination with slight steering…
Complaint Creaking noise, in irregular sequence when driving slowly in combination with slight steering movements and/or Creaking/crackling noises from the area of the wheel bearing on the front axle when cornering/…
- Complaint After successful commissioning of the HERMES control unit (N112/9) with XENTRY Diagnosis DVD…
Complaint After successful commissioning of the HERMES control unit (N112/9) with XENTRY Diagnosis DVD 03/2026, the message "SOS - service not activated" appears on the instrument cluster. In addition, the following…
- Complaint The customer requests deactivation of the N112/9 HERMES communication module Note
Deactivation of the HERMES control unit (N112/9) is not supported for gray-market vehicles. Cause Before deactivating the HERMES control unit (N112/9), it must be clarified by the legal department of the respective MPC…
- Complaint There are several types of complaint about noises or poor windshield wiper wiping performance
A: Wiper blades squeaking, chattering, shuddering B: The windshield is not wiped completely (streaking) C: During the downward movement water is pulled back onto the windshield from the A-pillar (Figure 1) D: After…
- Complaint Noises at the front axle when cornering or maneuvering (video files attached) Note
Save video files locally and play them with Windows Media Player. Cause Driving with summer tires in combination with low outside temperatures. At low outside temperatures or in wet conditions, a noise may be produced…
- In our continuing efforts to assure the proper performance of Mercedes-Benz products and to enhance the…
In our continuing efforts to assure the proper performance of Mercedes-Benz products and to enhance the satisfaction of our customers, Mercedes-Benz USA ("MBUSA") is extending the coverage for the exhaust valve…
NHTSA lists 69 bulletins for this year; the 12 newest are shown here.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2016 Mercedes-Benz GL450?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: seats, engine, suspension. Total complaints: 13. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: windows, sunroof (15%), A/C or heater (8%), headlights and tail lights (8%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2016 Mercedes-Benz GL450?
NHTSA lists 69 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 2016 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 2016 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.