What breaks most · 2007 to 2016 model years
Mercedes-Benz GL450 problems by year
Owners have filed 293 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Mercedes-Benz GL450 across model years 2007 to 2016. Three years stand out: 2007 for seats complaints, 2008 for steering complaints and 2011 for air bags complaints. The quietest years are 2014, 2009 and 2013.
- Years to check closely: 2007, 2008, 2011
- Fewest complaints: 2014, 2009, 2013
- Complaints on file
- 2932007 to 2016, all trims
- Worst year
- 200799 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 1633 fires · 23 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 65kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 30Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99 | 4 | 2 | Seats (35) | |
| 42 | 4 | 2 | Steering (17) | |
| 12 | 1 | 3 | Air bags (8) | |
| 29 | 1 | 3 | Air bags (18) | |
| 42 | 2 | 3 | Air bags (32) | |
| 33 | 2 | 3 | Air bags (19) | |
| 18 | 1 | 3 | Electrical system (5) | |
| 6 | 0 | 3 | Unknown or other (2) | |
| 6 | 1 | 3 | Seats (3) | |
| 6 | 0 | 5 | Seats (3) |
What fails on the 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seats | 35% |
35 | 0 | — |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 23% |
23 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450 |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 14% |
14 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 11% |
11 | 1 | Shop suspension parts for the 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450 |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 9% |
9 | 0 | Shop steering parts for the 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450 |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 7% |
7 | 0 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450 |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 7% |
7 | 2 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450 |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 6% |
6 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450 |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Heating element in drivers side defective. The car seat caught on fire. Mercedes refuses to fix under warranty. Will only cover 25% of a 1400$ repair. This does not include the damage done to the seat.
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Vehicle goes on one side, dealer blames and repairs struts, same issue happen after 5 months, and dealer blames air suspension bellows. Stiff and noisy steering may also be related to takata recall.
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My 2011 gl450 mercedes suv is driving sideways one front and one back suspension airbags are not working i feel like my care is going to flip over when i turn. This is a hazardous problem. Can cause accidents a deaths not only on the driver but other people on the road
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Mercedes-Benz GL450 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2007, 2008, 2011 carry the most filings on the Mercedes-Benz GL450. The 2007 alone has 99 complaints, led by seats.
What is the most common Mercedes-Benz GL450 problem?
On the 2007 model year, the most-reported component is seats with 35 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Mercedes-Benz GL450 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Mercedes-Benz GL450 complaints that include mileage is about 65,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.