MERCEDES-BENZ M166 · model year

2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M166

1 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2012MERCEDES-BENZM166 carries 1 consumer safety complaint 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 M166 is power train with 1 filings. 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 M166. 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.

1
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

1 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
POWER TRAIN1

Recent Complaints

20191121POWER TRAIN

THIS MODEL HASN!T A TRANSMISSION FLUID MEASUREMENT STICK, BUT EITHER NOT INDICATE AT MONITORING SCREEN IF NEEDS FLUID, ALSO THE TRANSMISSION FLUID PAN BECOME RUSTED DUE TO LOW MATERIAL QUALITY LEAKING ALL FLUID AND CAUSING SERIOUS AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DAMAGES, COSTING OVER US$6000.00 IN REPAIR. I WANT THAT YOU AGENCY OPEN A INVESTIGATION. I HAVE THE OLD PAN TO BE EXANMINATED FOR FAULTY MATERIAL AT ALL VEHICLE OF THAT YEAR AND MODEL.

Mileage: 129,105

Compare 2012MERCEDES-BENZM166 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M166 have?
The 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M166 has 1 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M166?
The most-complained component for the 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M166 is POWER TRAIN with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include various components.
Is the 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M166 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.