Hatchback, electric, built in Germany. Owner complaints on file from Jul 13, 2015 to Jul 6, 2024.
Owner complaints about this model year, by the year they were filed with NHTSA.
Owner complaints by component. Hover or focus a bar for the crash, fire, injury or death count.
Check a specific vehicle by VIN on NHTSA's site: a campaign may cover only part of a model year's production.
| Campaign | Filed | Subject | Component | Vehicles | Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19V-787 | Nov 1, 2019 | For a full list of the affected models visit: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2019/RMISC-19V787-4620.pdf | Communication | 24,226 | Software update |
| 15V-655 | Oct 14, 2015 | Due to a communication error within the electric drive system, the electric powertrain unit may shut down, temporarily immobilizing the vehicle… | Electrical system | 2,618 | Software update |
The full text of every complaint filed with NHTSA about this model year, newest first. Complaints are filed by owners and are not verified by NHTSA; NHTSA removes personal details before publishing.
25 complaints on file, page 1 of 2.
MERCEDES DEALER NOTES : 07/19/2022 CLIENT STATES STEERING IS STIFF. STARTED ABOUT 1 TO 2 MONTHS AGO AND WOULD SHOW UP ONCE AND AWHILE. WHEN IT WOULD ACT UP WOULD NOT DRIVE IT AND IT WOULD LOCK THE STEERING . THIS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES, WITH ACCIDENT HAZARD. WE DID THE BELOW WORK. ELECTRIC POWER STEERING RACK FAULTY REPLACE COMPLETE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING RACK. WHICH COST US OVER $3000. NOW WE HAVE SIMILIAR PROBLEM STEERING IS TIGHT AGAIN, MAKING FLAPPING NOISE, DEALER RECOMMENDED REPLACEMENT OF POWER STEERING RACK, GEAR BOX 07/02/24 , MERCEDES HAS RECALL ON MANY MODELS DURING YEAR 2015-2018 FOR electric power steering systems, Mercedes says the cars use electric power steering systems that May have soldered contacts that weren't soldered correctly inside the control units. The bad contacts can cause a sudden loss of power steering while driving, causing serious problems if driving around a curve or at slow speeds.
NHTSA complaint 11599546The electric motor was leaking coolant and needs to be replaced. I have read countless accounts that this is a known issue with this car.
NHTSA complaint 11520040Occasionally the car will lurch forward when coming to a stop. As you come to a stop it tries to propel the car forward as you are breaking and coming to a stop. Happens rarely but when it does it's a big safety concern.
NHTSA complaint 11503744Failure of seals and or bearings in the electric motor causing coolant to leak into the electric motor, creating an internal electrical fault, seizing electric motor.
NHTSA complaint 11500606Vehicle stopped suddenly and would not restart. Needs a new $17k drive unit and is out of warranty. Drive unit failed due to faulty design where coolant contaminated the electric motor. Vehicle only has 40k miles. The drive unit was built by Tesla for Mercedes. Tesla also built the same unit for Toyota for the electric Rav4. Toyota recalled their units free of charge for customers. Mercedes is aware of this issue and refuses to extend the warranty or recall the roughly 4000 B250E cars that they sold in the USA from 2014-2017.
NHTSA complaint 11481618The main electric drive motor will start leaking coolant which then damages the motor and even electronics. Well known issue and makes the vehicle unsafe and isn't a matter of "if" but "when" the seals will go bad and this is on our car that has less than 40k miles on the odometer.
NHTSA complaint 11469255THE CAR STARTED TO MAKE A SOFT TICKING SOUND. I BOUGHT THE CAR AT 11121 MILE ON JULY 2,2018 LAST WEEK I HAD THE MERCEDES BENZ DEALER PICK. THE PROBLEM WAS THE ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. MILEAGE ON CAR NOW IS 28452. ASKING 17,000 DOLLARS FOR REPAIR. I HAVE THE PREMIUM SAFE DRIVE EXTENDED WARRANTY THEY ARE WILL TO PAY ONLY 10,000 DOLLARS. *TR
NHTSA complaint 11325351THIS MB MODEL HAS AN ELECTRIC MOTOR THAT FAILS AT AROUND 35000 TO 40000 MILES, AND MAKES THE VEHICLE TO STOP SUDDENLY CAUSING SERIOUS RISKS TO THE DRIVER IF THIS HAPPENS IN ANY MAIN HIGHWAY. TWO WEEKS AGO MY WIFE WAS DRIVING NORTHBOUND AT THE FAST LANE OF THE PALMETTO EXPRESSWAY , IN MIAMI FL, WHEN THE CAR STOPPED GIVING NO TIME TO AVOID COMING TRAFFIC. FORTUNATELY ONE FDOT RANGER WAS DRIVING SAME WAY AND PROTECT MY WIFE TURNING ON ITS EMERGENCY LIGHTS WHILE THEY WAIT FOR A TOW TRUCK TO ARRIVE. THIS MODEL OF MB IS ASSEMBLED WITH A TESLA MOTOR THAT HAS BEEN PROVEN TO FAIL, BUT TESLA HAS TAKEN FAST ACTION TO AVOID INCONVENIENCES TO ITS CUSTOMERS. MB HAS DOING NOTHING TO ADVICE ITS CUSTOMERS ON THIS CRITICAL ISSUE, PUTTING ON RISK ON A DAILY BASIS ALL DRIVERS THAT RIDE TIS MB MODEL. I FIGURE IF OTHERS ARE FACING SIMILAR ISSUES, IT WOULD BE GOOD TO GET A RECALL SET UP IF MB DOES NOT STEP UP TO THE PLATE. IT TOOK FOUR YEARS FOR THESE ISSUES TO SHOW UP NEAR THE END OF MY WARRANTY, AND SINCE THE CARS REMAIN ESSENTIALLY THE SAME THROUGH THE 2017 MODELS, WE MAY EXPECT TO SEE OTHERS MODEL YEARS SHOW THE SAME ISSUES AS THE END OF THEIR WARRANTIES COME UP. I HOPE NOT, FOR EVERYONE ELSE BUT BEST BE PREPARED. MY VEHICLE CAN BEEN INSPECTED AT THE MERCEDES BENZ OF MIAMI DEALER WHERE REPAIR ARE UNDERWAY.
NHTSA complaint 11281313CAR STALLED WHILE GOING ON EXPRESSWAY AT 30 MPH. COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER. HAD TO PULL OVER AND POWER OFF THE CAR. RESTART OF THE CAR AFTER A WHILE AND EVERYTHING WAS BACK TO NORMAL.
NHTSA complaint 10854506CAR WAS STOPPED AND THE ENGINE TURNED ITSELF OFF. RESTARTED MANUALLY. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER FOR REPROGRAMMING. DID THE SAME THING AGAIN.
NHTSA complaint 10809888WHILE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION, THE ENGINE HAS SWITCHES OFF AND THE CAR GOES IN NEUTRAL. THIS HAS HAPPENED ALREADY 3 TIMES (APPROXIMATELY ONCE PER MONTH). IT HAS HAPPENED WHILE ON THE INTERSTATE, WHILE DRIVING ON A SMALL ROAD, AND WHILE APPROACHING A STOP SIGN. THE CAR CAN BE RESTARTED NORMALLY. WE HAVE HAD THE CAR AT THE MERCEDES DEALER IN SEPTEMBER 2015, AND THE TRIED TO FIX THE PROBLEM BY INSTALLING THE LATEST SOFTWARE. HOWEVER, IT JUST HAPPENED AGAIN. THIS CAR IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE THE LAST TIME THE CAR STALLED WHILE DRIVING, WE LET THE CAR COME TO A COMPLETE STOP, WITHOUT TOUCHING ANYTHING BUT THE BREAK, AND MAKE A PICTURE OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THIS PICTURE IS ATTACHED TO THE REPORT TO DOCUMENT THE INCIDENCE.
NHTSA complaint 10783052MY B-CLASS ELECTRIC HAD A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. HERE'S THE DETAILS: LEFT THE HOUSE IN SAN DIEGO AT 7:00 AM. OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE ABOUT 75+DEGREES. ABOUT 1 MILE FROM THE START, I BRAKED SLIGHTLY TO MAINTAIN SPEED OF ABOUT 25 MPH, COASTED TOWARDS AND UPHILL, PUT MY FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR TO MAINTAIN SPEED AND THERE WAS NO POWER-JUST COASTING. THERE WAS NO UNUSUAL SOUND AND NO WARNING DISPLAYED. THE CAR APPEARED NORMAL EXCEPT THE GUAGE WAS SHOWING FULL REGENERATIVE BRAKING WHILE THE CAR WAS COASTING. TRANSMISSION WAS IN D-AUTO. POWER STEERING WORKED, AC AND RADIO WERE STILL ON. I BROUGHT IT TO A STOP. PUSHED THE BUTTON TO TURN IT OFF. AT THAT TIME ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH LIT UP. I PUSHED IT AGAIN AND THE CAR WAS BACK TO NORMAL WITH THE INDICATOR SHOWING ZERO BETWEEN REGENERATION AND DISCHARGE. I FINISHED THE DRIVE WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. MILEAGE: 1620 MILES PURCHASED: JUNE 2015 MFG DATE: 4/15 TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER TWO HOURS LATER AND TOLD THEM ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND THAT THE FORUM SAYS THERE IS A CODE UPDATE AVAILABLE. WAITED THERE FOR 3 HOURS. THEIR PAPER WORK SAYS: 1639 541011, 540991, 540992. PROGRAMMED POWER TRAIN CONTROL UNIT. PERFORMED SHORT TEST; NO RELEVANT FAULT CODES. CHECKED POWER TRAIN CONTROL UNIT FOR SOFTWARE UPDATES. UPDATE WAS AVAILABLE. PROGRAMMED AND CODED POWER TRAIN CONTROL UNIT. COMPLETE.
NHTSA complaint 107813313XS I HAVE HAD THE CAR STOP WORKING WHILE DRIVING. ALL THREE OCCASIONS WHILE COMING TO A QUICK STOP THE CAR QUIT WORKING. I HAD TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP, PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND RESTART THE VEHICLE. I LEASED THE CAR IN JULY/AUGUST 2015, LAST INCIDENT WAS ON 9/22.
NHTSA complaint 10781215ON 10-5-15, MY 2015 MERCEDES B CLASS WITH 3300 MILES DECIDED TO LOSE ALL POWER IN THE MIDDLE OF 101 IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. LUCKILY TRAFFIC WAS MOVING AT 15MPH, I HAD TO COMPLETELY STOP THE CAR IN THE MIDDLE LANE. PUT THE CAR IN PARK, SHUT IT OFF AND RESTART TO REGAIN POWER. THERE WERE NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OR SIGNS THAT THE CAR WAS BROKEN, I JUST SIMPLY LOST ALL DRIVE POWER EVEN THOUGH I WAS IN D. IT WAS SCARY AS I WAS ON THE 101 AT ABOUT 4PM. THIS ALSO HAPPENED AT ANOTHER WHEN I FIRST GOT THE CAR, PLEASE GET MERCEDES TO FIX THIS BEFORE I GET REAR-ENDED AND CRUSHED.
NHTSA complaint 10780926DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 65MPH, EXPERIENCED COMPLETE AND SUDDEN LOSS OF DRIVE/POWER. CAR CHARGE WAS AROUND 1/2 FULL. HAD TO PULL TO THE SHOULDER AS THE CAR ROLLED TO A COMPLETE STOP. FINDING LOTS OF OTHER REPORTS ONLINE, DEALER HAS BEEN UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE ROOT CAUSE AFTER 1 WEEK. DEALER REPORTED OTHER SIMILAR INCIDENTS FROM OTHER DRIVERS.
NHTSA complaint 10778913UNEXPECTED LOSS OF POWER - WE HAVE EXPERIENCED TOTAL LOSS OF ACCELERATION AND THROTTLE POWER RESULTING IN THE VEHICLE ROLLING/DRIFTING TO A STOP. IN ORDER TO REGAIN THROTTLE POWER, THE CAR MUST BE PLACED IN PARK AND THE ENGINE START BUTTON DEPRESSED. THIS LOSS OF POWER HAS OCCURRED TO ME AT LEAST 3 TIMES AT LOW SPEEDS (10-25 MPH), ONCE AT 45 MPH AND ONCE AT 65 MPH WHILE DRIVING IN THE FAR LEFT LANE OF 73 SOUTH TOLL ROAD, CALIFORNIA. ALSO IMPORTANT IS THAT AT THE TIME FORWARD POWER IS LOST, THE REGENERATION GAUGE ON THE FAR RIGHT OF THE DASHBOARD MOVES IMMEDIATELY TO MAXIMUM INDICATION AND ALL WARNING LIGHTS BECOME ILLUMINATED. DURING THE FIRST DEALER SERVICE ON JULY 24, 2015 THE DEALER FOUND CODE MESSAGE U029887, U016883 AND U029287 MISSING. DEALER PERFORMED A SOFTWARE UPDATE AND UPDATED PTCU DRIVETRAIN N127 MODULE. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED THE PTCU DRIVETRAIN N127 TWICE - ONCE ON SERVICE DATED JULY 29, 2015 AND AGAIN ON SERVICE DATED AUGUST 28, 2015. ON SERVICE DATED JULY 29, 2015 DEALER REPLACED DRIVETRAIN GATEWAY MODULE N93/8. FOUND CODE C10C800 NOT RELATED. ON SERVICE DATED AUGUST 28, 2015 DEALER RETRIEVED ALL DATA FROM PTCU DRIVETRAIN MODULE N127. OWNER HAS VIDEOTAPED THE LOSS OF POWER OCCURRING AND PROVIDED IT TO DEALER. OWNER'S CHILDREN ARE FRIGHTENED TO DRIVE IN THE VEHICLE. TEENAGE DAUGHTER WAS VERY FRIGHTENED DRIVING AT 65 MPH WHEN SHE EXPERIENCED UNEXPECTED TOTAL LOSS OF POWER AND HAD TO DRIFT INTO THE THE LEFT SHOULDER OF A BUSY FREEWAY AND RESTART THE CAR AFTER COMING TO A STOP. MERCEDES AND TESLA - YOU HAVE A LEMON!
NHTSA complaint 10776495I WAS DRIVING ON THE 91 FREEWAY IN ANAHEIM CA WHEN MY BRAND NEW (APPROXIMATELY 1000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER) 2015 MB ALL ELECTRIC AUTOMOBILE BEGAN TO DECELERATE. MY FOOT WAS ON THE ACCELERATOR AS I LOST ALL POWER TO THE ENGINE. THE BATTERY WAS FULLY CHARGED. THE RADIO AND ALL OF THE ELECTRONIC INTERIOR FEATURES WERE INTACT. I WAS IN THE 3RD LANE OF TRAFFIC (OUT OF 5). LUCKILY THE TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT AS I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY AND THE CAR CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. I WAS QUITE UNNERVED BY THE INCIDENT BUT THE CAR STARTED UP AND I CONTINUED MY COMMUTE TO WORK UNEVENTFULLY. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE MERCEDES DEALERSHIP AND THEY EVALUATED THE CAR. THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE EVENT AND COULD NOT FIND AN ANOMALY IN THE ON BOARD COMPUTERS. I PRESENTED TESTIMONY FROM THIS VERY WEBSITE DISCLOSING 7 OTHER RECENT SIMILAR EVENTS IN THIS MODEL CAR. I ADVISED THE DEALERSHIP THAT I WAS NOT TAKING POSSESSION OF THE AUTO UNLESS SOMETHING WAS DONE. THEY PRESENTED THE INFORMATION TO MERCEDES BENZ/TESLA TECHNICAL SUPPORT. THE GATEWAY POWERTRAIN CONTROL UNIT WAS REPLACED. I EXPRESSED MY CONCERN TO THE MB DEALERSHIP THAT THIS MAYBE A SYSTEMIC PROBLEM, GIVEN THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. THE DEALERSHIP REPRESENTATIVE EXPRESSED SYMPATHY WITH MY SITUATION BUT DECLARED THAT THIS IS SOMETHING WE SHOULD TAKE UP WITH DAIMLER-BENZ. THE DEALERSHIP IS A SEPARATE ENTITY WHICH ONLY BUYS/SELLS AND PROVIDES MAINTENANCE FOR MB AUTOMOBILES. I EXPRESSED THAT THIS DEFECT HAS ME CONCERNED EVERY TIME I ENTER A FREEWAY. THE SERVICE MANAGER COULD NOT REASSURE ME THAT THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. I HOPE IT DOES NOT TAKE FATALITIES BEFORE THERE IS A RECALL.
NHTSA complaint 10766546THERE HAS BEEN TWO INCIDENT, IN WHICH I AM DRIVING THE CAR AND THE ACCELERATOR DOES NOT RESPOND, REQUIRING ME TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANE CHANGE TO GET OFF THE ROAD, THESE SITUATION HAVE BEEN VERY FRIGHTENING AND I FEAR FOR MY LIFE DRIVING SUCH A CAR. THE FIRST SITUATION OCCURRED AUGUST 2015 , WHILE TRAVELING ON A HIGH WAY AT 65MPH. THE CAR STOP ACCELERATED AND I LUCKLY MADE AN EMERGENCY LANE CHANGE WITHOUT HARM MYSELF, FAMILY CAR OR ANYONE ELSE. I IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED SOS ON MY CAR AND WAS TOLD THE CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE, AFTER I RESTARTED IT. I TOOK MY CAR IN FOR A REPAIR, THEY DID A SOFTWARE UPDATE AN PROMISED IT WONT HAPPEN AGAIN. OCCURRED AT 1500 MILES, ROUGHLY 2 MONTH AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR. 1500 MILES LATER, ABOUT 7 WEEKS, IT HAPPENS AGAIN. THIS TIME ON A SMALL ROAD, I ALSO HAVE VIDEO OF THE, CAR WHERE I AM NOT ABLE TO PUT THE CAR INTO DRIVE AND IT IS STUCK IN NEUTRAL BUT CAN GO INTO REVERSE/DRIVE. THE REGENERATION WAS AT 100% AND ALL WARNING LIGHT ON, SAME THING AS FIRST TIME. NOTE I STILL HAVE THE VIDEO TOOK THE CAR IN, DEMANDED THE CAR BE REPAIRED. DID SOME RESEARCH DETERMINE OTHER CAR HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. EVEN THE RAV4 EV HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM, COMMONALITY BETWEEN THE B-CLASS AND RAV4 IS THE TESLA BATTERY AND DRIVE TRAIN. I BELIEVE THIS HAS HAPPEN TO OTHER PEOPLES AND THIS IS DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN, THIS CAR SHOULD BE RECALLED FOR ALL OWNERS AND REPAIRED
NHTSA complaint 10764173I WAS DRIVING AT 55 MPH ON THE FREEWAY WITH BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I LOST POWER TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. NO MECHANICAL PROBLEM WAS INDICATED ON THE DASH: THE CAR WAS 'READY' AND WAS IN 'D' YET I HAD NO POWER WHATSOEVER TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. I COULD NOT PULL OVER TO GET OUT OF TROUBLE BECAUSE I WAS SURROUNDED BY FAST MOVING TRAFFIC AND HAD NO POWER. I COULD NOT BRAKE TO TRY TO RESTART THE CAR WITHOUT BEING REAR ENDED BY THE CONSIDERABLE TRAFFIC BEHIND ME ON THE FREEWAY. MY ONLY OPTION WAS TO CONTINUE TO COAST FROM MY INITIAL SPEED WITH THE HAZARD LIGHTS ON EVEN THOUGH I WAS AT HIGH RISK OF BEING STRUCK BY ANOTHER DRIVER. ONCE STOPPED IN THE FAST LANE OF THE FREEWAY, IT TOOK 2 OR 3 ATTEMPTS AT SWITCHING THE POWER ON AND OFF BEFORE THE CAR WAS ABLE TO MOVE AGAIN. THE FAILURE SYMPTOMS APPEAR SIMILAR TO THE RAV4 EV THAT HAS THE SAME POWER COMPONENTS SUPPLIED BY TESLA, AND SINCE MARCH/APRIL 2015 IS THE SUBJECT OF A RECALL NOTICE FOR THIS POWER LOSS ISSUE. WE PURCHASED THIS NEW VEHICLE FROM AN AUTHORIZED MERCEDES DEALER ON JUNE 30, 2015, THERE WAS NO DISCLOSURE OF THIS ISSUE. THE MERCEDES ELECTRIC VEHICLE FAILURE PUT ME AND MY PASSENGER IN A POTENTIALLY FATAL SITUATION.
NHTSA complaint 10760362SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AT 65-70MPH. NO INDICATION OF ANY PROBLEM ON DASH BOARD, EXCEPT AN INDICATION THAT IT WAS AT MAXIMUM REGENERATION. GEAR SELECTION INDICATOR DISPLAYED THAT THE CAR WAS IN DRIVE, NOT IN NEUTRAL. NO RESPONSE FROM THROTTLE PEDAL PRESSING. SLOWLY DRIFTED ACROSS MULTIPLE LANES OF HIGHWAY UNTIL I REACHED THE SHOULDER AND CAME TO A STOP. TURNED CAR OFF AND THEN BACK ON, AFTER WHICH THE CAR BEHAVED NORMALLY AGAIN.
NHTSA complaint 10759022Technical service bulletins and other notices the manufacturer sent to dealers. A bulletin is not a recall.