MERCEDES-BENZ GL450 · model year

2016 MERCEDES-BENZ GL450

14 NHTSA complaints, 3 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2016MERCEDES-BENZGL450 carries 14 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 3 crashes, 1 fire, 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 2016 GL450 is unknown or other with 4 filings, followed by seats (3) and engine (2). 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 2016 GL450. 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.

14
Complaints
3
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

14 filings

Crashes Reported

3 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
UNKNOWN OR OTHER4
SEATS3
ENGINE2
STEERING1
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD1
SERVICE BRAKES1
SUSPENSION1
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:LOCK1

Recent Complaints

20250307LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:LOCK

Tailgate sometimes opens while driving. It sometimes takes many attempts to reclose it from the outside of car. It will not reclose using the electronic button on the door. The alert comes on on the dashboard and its extremely dangerous as luggage can fall out. This happened while highway driving last week, scary. Apparently after googling this, it is common issue. The tailgate is one big gate hinged at the top so stuff can fall out.

20240116UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Coolant Reservoir Hose Blew out on my 2016 GL450 Mercedes Benz.

20220802FireENGINE

The contact owned a 2016 Mercedes-Benz GL450. The contact stated when he parked the vehicle and went into a business, he returned within 5 minutes and the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The fire department was already notified and arrived on the scene, then extinguished the fire with water. The police arrived on the scene; however, a report was not filed. The vehicle melted from the front bottom to the windshield. The vehicle was towed to the towing company. There were no injuries. No medical treatments were received on the scene or required. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed yet; however, the contact believes it was a total loss. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 5,000.

Mileage: 5,000

20220706UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Air Conditioner always make musty / moldy odor. Many forums says that is a common problem all across Mercedes models and it causes allergic reaction resulting in sneezing all the time when a/c is on. Problem is especially bad for my kids who have environmental allergy like mold/mildew. This horrible odor coming from a/c is due to mold/mildew forming on condenser. Please order a recall ASAP.

20210810UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1. Transmission spontaneously disengaged park to allow the car to roll backwards 10 feet. No one was in the car at the time of the incident. I have a security system video of the incident. 2. Spontaneous runaway vehicle could have crashed children in the driveway or the street. 3. The dealer is not available to reproduce the problem. 4. No one performed any inspections at this time. 5. The vehicle did not present any warnings messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. I have a security system video that shows the vehicle parked and 20 minutes latter the vehicle spontaneously moving backwards a few feet and then stops. Please contact for a copy of this video.

20191212CrashSERVICE BRAKES

WE PURCHASED THE CAR IN JULY 2019 AND IN ADDITION TO THE CAR HAVING WARRANTY UP TO 50,000 MILES, WE PURCHASED AN ADDITIONAL SERVICE/REPAIR PACKAGE FOR $1,800.00 RECENTLY WE NOTICED THAT WHEN WE FIRST START DRIVING THE CAR HAS A NOISE ON THE RIGHT SIDE, THE NOISE IS MOST NOTICEABLE WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKE AND WHEN RELEASING THE BRAKE. WE TOOK THE CAR TO MERCEDES BENZ OF VALENCIA AND TO SAY THAT THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT STAFF WAS UNWILLING TO HELP IS A GROSS UNDERSTATEMENT. THEY EVENTUALLY DID AGREE TO KEEP THE CAR GOVERNING AND TEST DRIVE IT IN THE MORNING, THEY CALLED THE FOLLOWING DAY ON DECEMBER 3RD AND TOLD US TO COME AND GET THE CAR. BILL THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE STATED THAT THEY HEARD THE NOISE WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKE AND SAID THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO BECAUSE THE BRAKES ON THE CAR ARE NEW AND THAT THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT COULD BE WRONG WITH THE CAR. WE ARE CONCERNED AND , WORRIED ABOUT OUR SAFETY, WE PURCHASED THE CAR AND THE ADDITIONAL REPAIR PACKAGE FOR PEACE OF MIND EXP

Mileage: 40,058

20191212CrashENGINE

WE PURCHASED THE CAR IN JULY 2019 AND IN ADDITION TO THE CAR HAVING WARRANTY UP TO 50,000 MILES, WE PURCHASED AN ADDITIONAL SERVICE/REPAIR PACKAGE FOR $1,800.00 RECENTLY WE NOTICED THAT WHEN WE FIRST START DRIVING THE CAR HAS A NOISE ON THE RIGHT SIDE, THE NOISE IS MOST NOTICEABLE WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKE AND WHEN RELEASING THE BRAKE. WE TOOK THE CAR TO MERCEDES BENZ OF VALENCIA AND TO SAY THAT THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT STAFF WAS UNWILLING TO HELP IS A GROSS UNDERSTATEMENT. THEY EVENTUALLY DID AGREE TO KEEP THE CAR GOVERNING AND TEST DRIVE IT IN THE MORNING, THEY CALLED THE FOLLOWING DAY ON DECEMBER 3RD AND TOLD US TO COME AND GET THE CAR. BILL THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE STATED THAT THEY HEARD THE NOISE WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKE AND SAID THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO BECAUSE THE BRAKES ON THE CAR ARE NEW AND THAT THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT COULD BE WRONG WITH THE CAR. WE ARE CONCERNED AND , WORRIED ABOUT OUR SAFETY, WE PURCHASED THE CAR AND THE ADDITIONAL REPAIR PACKAGE FOR PEACE OF MIND EXP

Mileage: 40,058

20191212CrashSUSPENSION

WE PURCHASED THE CAR IN JULY 2019 AND IN ADDITION TO THE CAR HAVING WARRANTY UP TO 50,000 MILES, WE PURCHASED AN ADDITIONAL SERVICE/REPAIR PACKAGE FOR $1,800.00 RECENTLY WE NOTICED THAT WHEN WE FIRST START DRIVING THE CAR HAS A NOISE ON THE RIGHT SIDE, THE NOISE IS MOST NOTICEABLE WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKE AND WHEN RELEASING THE BRAKE. WE TOOK THE CAR TO MERCEDES BENZ OF VALENCIA AND TO SAY THAT THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT STAFF WAS UNWILLING TO HELP IS A GROSS UNDERSTATEMENT. THEY EVENTUALLY DID AGREE TO KEEP THE CAR GOVERNING AND TEST DRIVE IT IN THE MORNING, THEY CALLED THE FOLLOWING DAY ON DECEMBER 3RD AND TOLD US TO COME AND GET THE CAR. BILL THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE STATED THAT THEY HEARD THE NOISE WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKE AND SAID THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO BECAUSE THE BRAKES ON THE CAR ARE NEW AND THAT THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT COULD BE WRONG WITH THE CAR. WE ARE CONCERNED AND , WORRIED ABOUT OUR SAFETY, WE PURCHASED THE CAR AND THE ADDITIONAL REPAIR PACKAGE FOR PEACE OF MIND EXP

Mileage: 40,058

20180526VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD

THE WINDSHIELD IS WEAK PRONE TO BREAK/CRACK EASILY. IN LESS THAN 3 YEARS 4 WINDSHIELDS HAVE BEEN REQUIRED. NOT NORMAL AND THIS IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS.

Mileage: 3,500

20180502UNKNOWN OR OTHER

THE SUNROOF IN THIS VEHICLE SHATTERED OVERNIGHT WITHOUT ANY KNOWN CAUSE. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY AT MY HOME. NO ONE WAS INJURED IN THIS INCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS LAST DRIVEN AT 10 P.M. ON 05/01/18 WITHOUT THE DAMAGE, AND AT 7:30 A.M. THIS MORNING, 05/02/18, WHEN I WAS GETTING READY TO LEAVE MY HOME, I NOTICED THE MIDDLE OF THE SUNROOF WAS STICKING UP A LITTLE BIT...IT LOOKED LIKE A PUNCH FROM THE INSIDE. WHEN I OPENED THE DOOR, A BIG PIECE OF THE MIDDLE OF THE SUNROOF FELL DOWN ONTO THE SCREEN UNDERNEATH IT AND THE REST OF IT WAS SHATTERED BUT STILL IN PLACE. THIS WAS THE FIRST DAY OF REALLY WARM WEATHER WE HAVE HAD IN A WHILE AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT COULD BE RELATED TO THE CAUSE. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE MERCEDES BENZ DEALERSHIP AND THE REPRESENTATIVE THERE SAID HE HAD NEVER HEARD OF THIS HAPPENING; HOWEVER, THERE ARE MANY INCIDENTS REPORTED ON THE INTERNET OF THIS EXACT SAME ISSUE. I HOPE YOU CAN FORCE THEM TO LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE FOR SAFETY REASONS

Mileage: 24,000

20170710STEERING

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 MERCEDES-BENZ GL450. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V241000 (STEERING). THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT SPOKE TO AUTOHAUS OF PEORIA (2322 W VAN WINKLE WAY, PEORIA, IL 61615) WHO STATED THAT THEY HAD NOT HEARD OF THE RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

20170619SEATS

2ND ROW HEAD REST UNSAFE AND UNUSEABLE - THE HEADREST IS TOO LOW AND TOO HIGH FOR A CHILD OR SMALL PERSON TO USE. WHEN IN DOWN POSITION, SEAT PUSHES HEAD FORWARD; WHEN IT IS UP, IT'S TOO TALL FOR THE HEAD. ALSO HEADREST IS VERY DIFFICULT TO PULL UP. BASICALLY, THIS PART IS NOT USEABLE BY ANYONE EXCEPT A VERY TALL PERSON. SHOULD BE REPLACED BY MERCEDES. INJURIES CAN OCCUR DUE TO THIS DESIGN. NO INCIDENT HAS OCCURRED; ONLY COMPLAINTS ABOUT USING THE HEAD REST.

20160105SEATS

THE SECOND ROW SEAT HEADREST IS UNUSABLE FOR MY CHILDREN. IT HITS THEM IN THE HEAD AND THEY ARE TOTALLY UNCOMFORTABLE. I SEE NOW THAT THIS IS A MAJOR SOURCE OF PROBLEMS FOR THIS VEHICLE. MANY PARENTS ARE COMPLAINING. MERCEDES HAS NO CURE FOR IT. NOT OK.

20150915SEATS

MY FATHER AND MOTHER IN-LAW RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2016 MERCEDES BENZ GL450 AS OUR FAMILY CAR. THE HEADRESTS FOR THE 2ND ROW SEATS WITH THE "EASY ENTRY" OPTION APPEAR TO POSE A COMFORT AND SAFETY ISSUE FOR BOTH CAR SEATS AND "SHORTER" PEOPLE... I WOULD SAY 5'-3" AND SHORTER. WITH THE "EASY ENTRY" OPTION THE 2ND ROW HEAD RESTS ARE ONLY 2 POSITION, FULLY LOWERED OR FULLY EXTENDED. FULLY ADJUSTABLE HEIGHTS ARE NOT POSSIBLE. BOTH POSITIONS POSE A COMFORT AND SAFETY ISSUE. AT THE FULLY LOWERED POSITION, A CHILD'S CAR SEAT WOULD NOT BE FLUSH WITH THE SEAT AS THE HEAD REST FORCES THE CAR SEAT TO LEAN FORWARD IN AN UNSTABLE CONDITION. ALSO FOR "SHORTER" PEOPLE, THE HEAD REST AT THE FULLY LOWERED POSITION FORCES A PERSON'S HEAD TO LEAN FORWARD IN A VERY UNCOMFORTABLE AND UN-NATURAL POSITION. WITH THE HEADRESTS AT THE FULLY EXTENDED POSITION, THE CAR SEAT BACK DOESN'T QUITE REST ON THE THE SEAT AS THE HEAD REST STILL PROTRUDES FROM THE VERTICAL PLANE OF THE SEAT. THEREFORE THE CAR S

Mileage: 35

Compare 2016MERCEDES-BENZGL450 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2016 MERCEDES-BENZ GL450 have?
The 2016 MERCEDES-BENZ GL450 has 14 NHTSA complaints, 3 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2016 MERCEDES-BENZ GL450?
The most-complained component for the 2016 MERCEDES-BENZ GL450 is UNKNOWN OR OTHER with 4 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SEATS and ENGINE.
Is the 2016 MERCEDES-BENZ GL450 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.