MERCEDES-BENZ C204.9 · model year

2012 MERCEDES-BENZ C204.9

4 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2012MERCEDES-BENZC204.9 carries 4 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 2012 C204.9 is engine with 1 filings, followed by unknown or other (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 2012 C204.9. 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.

4
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

4 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1
STEERING1

Recent Complaints

20200829ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

MY VEHICLE AND MANY OTHER MERCEDES BENZ MODELS SUFFER A FAILED ELECTRONIC IGNITION SWITCH AND ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK. THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT AMONGST MANY MODELS/YEARS OF MERCEDES BENZ VEHICLES AND ONLY A DEALER CAN REPAIR. THE COST OF REPAIR IS $1,900. THE CAUSES THE VEHICLES TO BE UNABLE TO START, AND VERY CLEARLY, A MANUFACTURER DEFECT.

20200829STEERING

MY VEHICLE AND MANY OTHER MERCEDES BENZ MODELS SUFFER A FAILED ELECTRONIC IGNITION SWITCH AND ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK. THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT AMONGST MANY MODELS/YEARS OF MERCEDES BENZ VEHICLES AND ONLY A DEALER CAN REPAIR. THE COST OF REPAIR IS $1,900. THE CAUSES THE VEHICLES TO BE UNABLE TO START, AND VERY CLEARLY, A MANUFACTURER DEFECT.

20200810UNKNOWN OR OTHER

MY VEHICLE STARTED TO PULL LEFT WHEN BRAKING. HAD ALL BRAKES REPLACED AND PULLING CONITNUED. AFTER FURTHER REVIEW, FOUND OUT THAT THE REAR CROSSMEMBER / SUB-FRAME WAS ROTTED ON THE DRIVER SIDE. WHEN BRAKING, THE REAR DRIVER SIDE WHEEL SHIFTS. YOU CAN SEE THE REAR CALIPER MOVE UP. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE SUBFRAME IS SO ROTTED THAT IT SHIFTS THE ARMS COMING OFF OF IT (EITHER TRAILING OR TORQUE ARM), CAUSING A DANGEROUS SHIFT IN THE BRAKE/WHEEL. CALLED MERCEDES CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND ALL THEY OFFERED WAS A SMALL DISCOUNT ON THE FULL REPAIR COST, WHICH OF COURSE IS ALREADY OVERPRICED. MY VEHICLE IS 8 YEARS OLD, GARAGE KEPT, ORIGINAL OWNERS, AND ONLY HAS ABOUT 45,000 MILES ON IT. NOTHING ELSE ON THE CAR IS ROTTED. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A QUALITY CONTROL ISSUE BY THE MANUFACTURER. UPON FURTHER REVIEW, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR 2008-2015 MERCEDES VEHICLES.

Mileage: 45,000

20200204ENGINE

TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER ALL OIL CHANGES WERE DONE PERFECTLY WITH THE CORRECT OIL AND ORIGINAL FILTER.

Mileage: 69,000

Compare 2012MERCEDES-BENZC204.9 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ C204.9 have?
The 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ C204.9 has 4 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ C204.9?
The most-complained component for the 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ C204.9 is ENGINE with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include UNKNOWN OR OTHER and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Is the 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ C204.9 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

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.