Total Complaints
6 filings
MERCEDES-BENZ C204 · model year
6 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2013MERCEDES-BENZC204 carries 6 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2013 C204 is air bags with 3 filings, followed by electronic stability control (esc) (1) and electrical system (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 15 investigation files overlapping the 2013 C204. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
6 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 3 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
| STEERING | 1 |
MY ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK FAILED. LUCKILY, I WAS PARKED BUT NOW THE CAR WILL NOT START, OR UNLOCK THE STEERING WHEEL. IF THIS FAILED WHILE I WAS DRIVING IT WOULD BE A DANGER. I KNOW THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM, THAT MERCEDES HAS SINCE FIXED IN ITS LATER MODELS, BUT CONTINUES TO CHARGE $2000 FOR A FIX THAT IS ONLY POSSIBLE AT THE DEALERSHIP. THIS IS A BAD DESIGN ISSUE WITH THIS CAR.
Mileage: 118,000
MY ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK FAILED. LUCKILY, I WAS PARKED BUT NOW THE CAR WILL NOT START, OR UNLOCK THE STEERING WHEEL. IF THIS FAILED WHILE I WAS DRIVING IT WOULD BE A DANGER. I KNOW THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM, THAT MERCEDES HAS SINCE FIXED IN ITS LATER MODELS, BUT CONTINUES TO CHARGE $2000 FOR A FIX THAT IS ONLY POSSIBLE AT THE DEALERSHIP. THIS IS A BAD DESIGN ISSUE WITH THIS CAR.
Mileage: 118,000
MY ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK FAILED. LUCKILY, I WAS PARKED BUT NOW THE CAR WILL NOT START, OR UNLOCK THE STEERING WHEEL. IF THIS FAILED WHILE I WAS DRIVING IT WOULD BE A DANGER. I KNOW THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM, THAT MERCEDES HAS SINCE FIXED IN ITS LATER MODELS, BUT CONTINUES TO CHARGE $2000 FOR A FIX THAT IS ONLY POSSIBLE AT THE DEALERSHIP. THIS IS A BAD DESIGN ISSUE WITH THIS CAR.
Mileage: 118,000
TAKATA AIRBAG RECALL NOT REPAIRED BY MANUFACTURER OR DEALER
THIS RECALL HAS BEEN OPEN 11 MONTHS WITH NO REMEDY YET AVAILABLE. I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE WITH PASSENGERS IN THE FRONT SEAT DUE TO THE FAULTY AIR BAG THAT EXISTS IN MY CAR. PLEASE MAKE THE MANUFACTURER REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE AIR BAG SO THAT MY CAR IS SAFE ONCE AGAIN.
MERCEDES-BENZ CONTACTED ME ABOUT THE RECALL TO FIX THE ISSUE BUT THE RECALL STATES 'RECALL INCOMPLETE REMEDY NOT YET AVAILABLE'. IF THIS IS THE CASE THEN WHY DID THEY CONTACT ME TO SUPPOSEDLY FIX THE ISSUE?
Mileage: 119,000
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.