MERCEDES-BENZ G 550 · model year

2021 MERCEDES-BENZ G 550

11 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports, and 4 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2021MERCEDES-BENZG 550 carries 11 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 crashes, 2 fires, 30 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 2021 G 550 is electrical system with 3 filings, followed by engine (3) and vehicle speed control (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. This model year has 4 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 15 investigation files overlapping the 2021 G 550. 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.

11
Complaints
2
Crashes
2
Fires
30
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

11 filings

Crashes Reported

2 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM3
ENGINE3
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL1
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM1
SUSPENSION1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS1
SERVICE BRAKES1

Recalls (4)

23V44500026/06/2023

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2021-2023 C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, CLS, SL, GT, GLC, GLE, GLS, and G-Class vehicles. Please refer to MBUSA's recall report for specific vehicle details. The fuel pump may shutdown, which can result in a loss of drive power.

22V36500020/05/2022

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2017-2022 CLA-Class, GLA-Class, GLE-Class, GLS-Class, SLC-Class, A-Class, AMG GT-Class, C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, SL-Class, GLC-Class, CLS-Class, GLB-Class, and G-Class vehicles. Please refer to MBUSA's recall report for specific vehicle model de

21V35300014/05/2021

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2019-2021 G550 and G63 AMG vehicles. Components within the door latch may prevent the rear doors from latching or opening properly.

24V65900009/09/2024

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LOCK

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2019-2023 G 550 and 2019-2022 G63 AMG vehicles that received a replacement door latch during a service visit or prior recall repair. Components within the right-side rear door latch may prevent the rear doors from latching or opening properly.

Recent Complaints

20240605ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Shortly after purchasing a new Mercedes Benz 2021 G550 on [XXX], the SUV started having electrical problems. During early 2022 the vehicle shut off while at a red light and would not restart until a few minutes later. No warning light or error message was seen and when taken to the dealership they could not find anything wrong. Several months later the vehicle stopped/stalled almost causing an accident on the highway. This time the dealership did find something wrong and repaired or replaced it. Not sure exactly what it was but they mentioned something electrical Several months after this error messages began to appear on the dashboard and the car would not start. A tow truck had to take it back to the dealership. The vehicle has now been at the dealership for 4 months since February 8, 2024. They tell us they are awaiting parts or some type of harness from Germany . We are requesting more detailed repair reports from the dealership. The car only has 12,000 miles driven. INFORMATION R

20240605ENGINE

Shortly after purchasing a new Mercedes Benz 2021 G550 on [XXX], the SUV started having electrical problems. During early 2022 the vehicle shut off while at a red light and would not restart until a few minutes later. No warning light or error message was seen and when taken to the dealership they could not find anything wrong. Several months later the vehicle stopped/stalled almost causing an accident on the highway. This time the dealership did find something wrong and repaired or replaced it. Not sure exactly what it was but they mentioned something electrical Several months after this error messages began to appear on the dashboard and the car would not start. A tow truck had to take it back to the dealership. The vehicle has now been at the dealership for 4 months since February 8, 2024. They tell us they are awaiting parts or some type of harness from Germany . We are requesting more detailed repair reports from the dealership. The car only has 12,000 miles driven. INFORMATION R

20240117SERVICE BRAKES

The brakes locked up in the vehicle and computer system nearly causing deadly accident.

20230827CrashFireSUSPENSION

Authorization failed Limited access is the reason there recalled I can't pair ⁶

20230827CrashFireFORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

Authorization failed Limited access is the reason there recalled I can't pair ⁶

20220921ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Driving 2021 Mercedes-Benz G-550 for approximately 8min. Preceding East on a 3 lane South Florida Highway no more than 40 mph. Gas tank 75% full with V-Power From Shell. (filled-3 days prior). Proceeded from the middle lane to the right lane in-order to make a sharp right handed turn onto up coming Shopping Center, that was two lights away. I had turned on my 21 MB G550 air conditioner to auto (off prior). While I was attempting to switch on my turn signal the car suddenly turns-off completely in mid-drive. All warning lights illuminated, steering this 6,000 lbs Mercedes-Benz Beast of a SUV became extremely difficult, as I was already in the sharp right handed turn! I immediately switched on my Mercedes-Benz hazards. I couldn’t apply my breaks immediately, because other vehicles were less then a car length behind my G550 in this single right handed sharp turn with no exterior lighting. I had to wait until my G-Wagon came to a complete stop on it’s own! It lost momentum pretty fast.

20220921ENGINE

Driving 2021 Mercedes-Benz G-550 for approximately 8min. Preceding East on a 3 lane South Florida Highway no more than 40 mph. Gas tank 75% full with V-Power From Shell. (filled-3 days prior). Proceeded from the middle lane to the right lane in-order to make a sharp right handed turn onto up coming Shopping Center, that was two lights away. I had turned on my 21 MB G550 air conditioner to auto (off prior). While I was attempting to switch on my turn signal the car suddenly turns-off completely in mid-drive. All warning lights illuminated, steering this 6,000 lbs Mercedes-Benz Beast of a SUV became extremely difficult, as I was already in the sharp right handed turn! I immediately switched on my Mercedes-Benz hazards. I couldn’t apply my breaks immediately, because other vehicles were less then a car length behind my G550 in this single right handed sharp turn with no exterior lighting. I had to wait until my G-Wagon came to a complete stop on it’s own! It lost momentum pretty fast.

20220921FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Driving 2021 Mercedes-Benz G-550 for approximately 8min. Preceding East on a 3 lane South Florida Highway no more than 40 mph. Gas tank 75% full with V-Power From Shell. (filled-3 days prior). Proceeded from the middle lane to the right lane in-order to make a sharp right handed turn onto up coming Shopping Center, that was two lights away. I had turned on my 21 MB G550 air conditioner to auto (off prior). While I was attempting to switch on my turn signal the car suddenly turns-off completely in mid-drive. All warning lights illuminated, steering this 6,000 lbs Mercedes-Benz Beast of a SUV became extremely difficult, as I was already in the sharp right handed turn! I immediately switched on my Mercedes-Benz hazards. I couldn’t apply my breaks immediately, because other vehicles were less then a car length behind my G550 in this single right handed sharp turn with no exterior lighting. I had to wait until my G-Wagon came to a complete stop on it’s own! It lost momentum pretty fast.

20210616ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

While pulling away from a red light, the vehicle jolted a small amount, then it shut down, only providing power to the dashboard, which produced an array of safety warnings. Power steering and throttle were completely dead leaving me powerless in traffic. I pulled to the shoulder of the road, placed the vehicle in park (as it seems that the failure put the car into neutral). I was able to restart the vehicle and continue driving home with no warning lights or issues. (Several other owners are having this same issue-I found them by googling the problem). My vehicle has under 5k miles on it and is always stored indoors in a climate controlled environment.

20210616ENGINE

While pulling away from a red light, the vehicle jolted a small amount, then it shut down, only providing power to the dashboard, which produced an array of safety warnings. Power steering and throttle were completely dead leaving me powerless in traffic. I pulled to the shoulder of the road, placed the vehicle in park (as it seems that the failure put the car into neutral). I was able to restart the vehicle and continue driving home with no warning lights or issues. (Several other owners are having this same issue-I found them by googling the problem). My vehicle has under 5k miles on it and is always stored indoors in a climate controlled environment.

20210616VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

While pulling away from a red light, the vehicle jolted a small amount, then it shut down, only providing power to the dashboard, which produced an array of safety warnings. Power steering and throttle were completely dead leaving me powerless in traffic. I pulled to the shoulder of the road, placed the vehicle in park (as it seems that the failure put the car into neutral). I was able to restart the vehicle and continue driving home with no warning lights or issues. (Several other owners are having this same issue-I found them by googling the problem). My vehicle has under 5k miles on it and is always stored indoors in a climate controlled environment.

Compare 2021MERCEDES-BENZG 550 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2021 MERCEDES-BENZ G 550 have?
The 2021 MERCEDES-BENZ G 550 has 11 NHTSA complaints, 2 crashes, 2 fires, 30 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2021 MERCEDES-BENZ G 550?
Yes, the 2021 MERCEDES-BENZ G 550 has 4 recall(s). The most common affected component is FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2021 MERCEDES-BENZ G 550?
The most-complained component for the 2021 MERCEDES-BENZ G 550 is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE and VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL.
Is the 2021 MERCEDES-BENZ G 550 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.