SUV, plug-in hybrid, AWD/All-Wheel Drive, built in United States. Owner complaints on file from Feb 2, 2024 to Mar 24, 2026.
Owner complaints about this model year, by the year they were filed with NHTSA.
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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.
12 complaints on file, page 1 of 1.
My Mercedes Benz GLE450e Hybrid SUV has had a persistent but sporadic safety issue that suddenly causes the vehicle to go into "turtle mode" with a "performance extremely limited" warning when trying to accelerate quickly or sometimes when breaking quickly. In turtle mode, the car quickly loses acceleration, drops in speed and is then unable to accelerate properly. The sudden drop in speed and inability to accelerate causes a major safety issue while driving - particularly on roads with other vehicles also travelling at high speeds. Last Friday, I was driving with my family on Interstate 95 when a tractor trailer truck did not see me beside it and started to switch into my lane. I tried to quickly accelerate to get out of the way before it hit us but my car went into "turtle mode" and the speed suddenly dropped by 15 or 20mph and would no longer drive correctly. Luckily, I was in the right lane and able to swerve onto the shoulder of the highway and narrowly avoid the large truck. Otherwise, if I had been in a middle lane, I would have either been hit by the truck or likely hit another car next to me. This issue has been sporadically occurring with my car for about 5 months now. I have had it into the Mercedes dealer three times and, each time, they say they think they fixed the issue. But, each time the same issue has returned. They said that Mercedes USA knows it is a big issue with their new hybrid SUVs but Mercedes doesn't yet know how to fix the problem and has been unwilling to publicly acknowledge the problem or offer it's customers any assistance. Doing a quick Google search online for "Mercedes hybrid performance extremely limited" also quickly brings up different online forums where other owners of this same car have had the exact same issue that Mercedes has been unable to fix or resolve. Driving a car that can suddenly lose the ability to accelerate is a major safety hazard and I would sincerely appreciate if the NHTSA would help to address it
NHTSA complaint 11726723We've had this car on lease for 23 months, and it has had an escalating pattern of electronic, mechanical and brake issues. Earlier today, on January 5, the car started to slow down and started shaking on the highway today and when I used the brakes the full body of the car started rattling and the brakes were far less responsive than they should have been taking far longer to decelerate than safe. There was an alarm with a turtle warning me to move over. On January 4, We parked our car in a parking lot and went into a store, when we returned all of the windows were lowered and the moonroof's window was also retracted. The car was beeping and making loud noises and then had issues starting. Prior to both of these issues, the car has taken to Mercedes repeatedly for locking passengers into the vehicle and blaring alarms, not allowing passengers to leave and the seatbelts will not retract. The airbag system has also malfunctioned during these periods. Mercedes has repeatedly been informed of these issues and has claimed that there were bugs in the car's code that they had fixed; however, each time they have fixed the issue a new issue has arisen. In late November 2025, a representative from Mercedes corporate asked for us to take the vehicle back to dealer for further inspection after which the dealership said they had carried out major updates and returned the car in early December. After that the car had been hardly driven until this week. This was the first major drive of over 60 miles.
NHTSA complaint 11708972There is a safety recall on prior models of the GLE Front stationery sunroof panel Campaign# 2021070010 NHTSA ID 21V197 Campaign desc 21P7790003 This is exactly what occurred to me on a 2024GLE 450 The glass panel between the windshield and the panoramic sunroof spontaneously shattered… Nothing hit it… It just spontaneously shattered.. Spontaneously shattering glass in an automobile is a safety concern In my opinion… There was no warning … no sound no nothing., no evidence of anything hitting my car nor that section of the roof There was no police report as I noticed the damage when I got to my destination… I immediately drove home so that the impending rain would not further damage any components and brought it to the Mercedes dealer to keep in the garage The vehicle is now at the dealership and they are not claiming any responsibility and want to charge me $600 to diagnose the problem… Clearly they are not helping
NHTSA complaint 11694478At 3000K miles, vehicle spontaneously slowed from 60 mph to 10 mph with no warning. Message: PERFORMANCE EXTREMELY LIMITED, Engine light, turtle sign. Tractor trailer truck behind us swerved and narrowly avoided hitting our vehicle. Car towed to MB Dealership. Over 5 weeks, they were unable to replicate the problem, asked us to pick the vehicle up. (they claimed they consulted with MB engineers) One week after getting vehicle back, same incident occurred, also narrowly averting a MV accident. Vehicle towed to another dealership who finally after 2 months they stated that the vehicle is not reparable. MB is re-purchasing this vehicle, as there is a software issue they cannot repair. I have been made aware from Mercedes Benz dealership, that 100 or more of these vehicles have the exact same issue. There have been NO recalls. MB USA is not forthcoming with information. The problem is dangerous.
NHTSA complaint 11639956"While driving on the highway, my new Mercedes GLE450e, it suddenly stalled, and a 'turtle' symbol appeared on the dashboard. This indicated that the vehicle had entered 'limp mode.' At that point, I lost acceleration and had minimal power, making it difficult to maneuver safely. The dealership claims they have fixed the issue, but I am reporting this as a safety concern in case it affects other vehicles."
NHTSA complaint 11639487Message appears on dashboard stating “performance extremely limited” vehicle loses power and doesn’t allow you to accelerate properly. For example I stopped at a stop sign then turned onto 55mph road, message appeared. And vehicle wouldn’t accelerate above 35mph. Had to put hazards on to avoid other cars running into me from behind. The vehicle is currently in the Mercedes service department for the fourth time in two months because of this issue. They have had it for 19 days this visit and a total of 35 days for all 4 service visits. I was supposed to receive the vehicle back today after they replaced the second coolant system (I didn’t know there were two) but I received a call this morning stating the issue hasn’t been resolved with the coolant system replacements.
NHTSA complaint 11638221Cracked glass roof panel between windshield and sunroof. Wind blow sound a little louder for several days and it cracked today when I drive on highway. It maybe dangerous if the entire panel fly away and hit cars behind.
NHTSA complaint 11629741On [XXX] I was backing out of our driveway on a clear day. Normally the 2024 Mercedes Benz GLE 450e would beep when I get near an object in the back. This time, for some reason, there was no beeping or other audible or visual alert at all. As I was backing up, I was looking in the rear view while turning slightly. The rear of the GLE struck a mailbox that was installed in a large, half-wine barrel base. Bothe the wine barrel and the mailbox were hit with the rear of the GLE. In the past the reverse sensors have worked sometimes fine and sometimes they did not work at all. I have brought the GLE to the local Mercedes Benz dealer. They replicated the fault(finding the reverse sensor was not working) and then remedied by installing a software patch and other work described in the work order that I can send to NHTSA. This may be an ongoing issue with the GLS models or other Mercedes models. It is too soon know for sure if the remedy by the local dealer has fixed the reverse sensors issue. To be determined in an exact amount, the GLE suffered thousand dollars(likely above $ 5.000) worth of damage in body work and repairs to the rear as a result of the accident. No injuries fortunately. Please investigate if this is a safety recall or other remedies may be needed for the GLE to keep pedestrians and drivers safe. Thank you. Sincerely [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint 11629347While coming off the highway on an exit ramp, several car warnings/lights appeared and the car abruptly decelerated such that I could not drive more than ~30 miles/hour. The warning message said "performance extremely limited" and two warning lights (an engine and a turtle) came on. This problem has occurred on three separate occasions and after each incident, I took the car into the dealer for repair, each time with repair efforts seemingly made. During the third time in the shop, the dealer completely replaced the power electronics unit and cooler. While the car was in the shop the second time, I also contacted the corporate headquarters of the manufacturer about options to refund or replace the car under my state's lemon law. After multiple follow-up calls on my part since my inquiry was opened about 7 weeks ago, I have yet to receive any update on my inquiry, leaving me driving a car with questionable reliability for highway driving and wondering if there might be a need for a broader safety recall.
NHTSA complaint 11584160Almost hit a car at front of me because the suv brakes doest not work properly
NHTSA complaint 11576339Break’s doesn’t work good on this car
NHTSA complaint 11569653I received the attached Notice of Safety recall on 2/2/24 regarding an increase risk of crash due to a software error in the ESP unit. The letter also states that there is no remedy available yet. When I reached out to dealership who leased me the car they assured me that my car was safe to drive although no further explanation was given as to why they felt it was safe. And , I was further informed that they were prohibited from selling any vehicles in their inventory that were subject to the same recall as my vehicle.
NHTSA complaint 11569613Technical service bulletins and other notices the manufacturer sent to dealers. A bulletin is not a recall.