2019 Mercedes-Benz C 300 Electrical Problems

Throttle body and accelerator pedal position sensors failed. Component is available for inspection upon request. Independent service center confirmed failure on 1/3/2026 with 6 stored fault codes: P2101, P0122, P0222, P0123, P0223, P2135. Vehicle shuts off while driving without warning at various speeds. Loss of power steering and power brakes occurs when engine stalls, creating immediate risk of crash, injury or death to occupants and other drivers. Manufacturer customer service confirmed in writing 4 times that engine shutting off while driving is a safety issue and that these exact codes match Service Campaign 2022090005. On 1/7/2026, manufacturer denied campaign applies to this vehicle and refused no-charge dealer inspection, demanding customer pay diagnostic fees to confirm defect they already documented. Vehicle has not been inspected by manufacturer or dealer because manufacturer refuses free inspection. Check engine light illuminated prior to stall events. Manufacturer has actual knowledge of safety defect under 49 U.S.C. 30118 and is creating financial barrier to repair of defect covered by their own service campaign. Request NHTSA investigation and order manufacturer to repair under Service Campaign 2022090005 at no charge.

NHTSA ID

11747712

Incident

Jun 23, 2026

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2019 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that after purchasing the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. The contact stated that at the time of purchase, the odometer reading was approximately 54,000 miles. At the time of registration, the mileage was approximately 54,000 miles, and the same mileage was also reflected on the Carfax report. The contact stated that the mileage discrepancy was later discovered through a public report with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC); however, the mileage was not provided. The contact stated that the mileage discrepancy occurred after two OTA’s were performed on the vehicle. The contact stated that during the OTA’s on the vehicle, the mileage was changed. The contact stated that several documents with the mileage discrepancies were listed with the FTC. The contact also reported the discrepancy to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

NHTSA ID

11716768

Incident

Feb 9, 2026

Mileage

54,000 mi

While driving at approximately 65 mph on the I-405 freeway in Irvine, CA during rainy conditions, my 2019 Mercedes-Benz C300 suddenly and completely lost acceleration without warning. At the same moment, a Check Engine Light illuminated on the dash. I was forced to coast across all lanes and stop in the emergency shoulder in a very unsafe area with high-speed traffic passing close by in low visibility rainy conditions. Multiple vehicles nearly struck us, including one that had to emergency brake directly behind my car in the shoulder. I contacted AAA and the vehicle had to be towed because it was not safe or driveable. My girlfriend was also in the car and both of us experienced significant fear and distress during and after the incident. My mechanic retrieved fault code P019185 and stated this is a known software problem with the engine control unit that requires a Mercedes software update and reset of mixture adaptations per a manufacturer LI/service document. This means the manufacturer appears aware of the defect and the required software fix, yet I received no recall notice or safety warning. A sudden total loss of engine power at highway speeds creates an extreme crash risk and life-threatening danger to the driver, passengers, and surrounding traffic. There have been other serious drivability issues with this vehicle in the past (misfires, coolant pipe failure, etc.), but this incident was the most dangerous. I am reporting this because this defect appears safety-related and could easily cause a fatality if it happens to someone else at freeway speeds. Diagnostic Note from official Mercedes-Benz Fletcher Jones of Newport Beach Mechanic: “FAULT CODE P019185, WILL START WITH PERFORMING THE SOFTWARE UPDATE OF ME CONTROL UNIT, RESET THE MIXTURE ADAPTIONS PER LI DOCUMENT AND RECHECK.” Tow Provider: AAA — tow confirmation available if needed.

NHTSA ID

11708992

Incident

Jan 3, 2026

I am writing to formally report an ongoing issue and safety concern with my vehicle. Since the day I purchased the car, I have experienced numerous mechanical problems and have spent a significant amount of money on repairs. In August, I had to take my vehicle to a local repair shop three times due to persistent issues. The car was also towed by AAA three separate times for safety reasons. My main concern is that the vehicle hesitates during acceleration and feels sluggish while driving, which creates a serious safety risk on the road. I contacted Mercedes-Benz and filed a claim regarding this issue; however, I have not received any meaningful assistance or resolution. I am requesting that this matter be re-evaluated and properly addressed as soon as possible, as my safety and the reliability of the vehicle are at risk. Please confirm receipt of this message and advise me on the next steps or any documentation needed to proceed with my claim. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11691362

Incident

Aug 11, 2025

I had a A1 service completed on 5.23.25 with Mercedes Benz dealership in Sourh San Francisco. 2233 Gellert Blvd. On [XXX] 48 hrs later as I was leaving working- 4-5 blocks before entering the freeway, my car suddenly struggled to drive over 20MPH and the check engine light came on. I pulled over a block before entering freeway. I had it towed and got a Lyft’ ride home. It was a holiday weekend and I had to rent a car . Vehicle accessed 2 days later . I was told it needed a software update and there was a bulletin that came out in 2024 recommending to have the update and I needed to pay to have it repaired by performing a hard/soft upgrade . No empathy was evident . I said I knew nothing about it - dealership said they weren’t obligated to advise. I could have been in a collision or caused and accident and seriously injured had it occured while on freeway . This should be a recall as my life was at risk and so are others driving this year, make and model. The Mercedes Rep. told me she tested the car and was surprised by how it struggled to get past 20 mph, she thought maybe the mechanic had made an error a few days before. I feel very lucky I wasn’t in an accident- or a worst seriously injured! This bulletin warning should be a recall and looked into for a future recall that could save life’s. Knowing, this is a risk for a possible accident , it’s unacceptable that it is only a bulletin and not mandatory to share with owners of the this car. This was very scary and stressful situation. I was stuck in an area in Oakland, Ca known for high crime. In the end Mercedes waived the repair fee, they said under the circumstances and how my life was put as risk . I still think perhaps a wire or something may been disconnected- but no one will admit. Hence they waived fee. Please investigate , I look forward to your findings. Respectfully, [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11664002

Incident

May 25, 2025

The automatic trunk lid started to close and hit my head while I was loading groceries into the trunk. It also started to close and hit my wife in the head when she was unloading the groceries about 15 minutes later. This situation was not reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. There was no notice or warning of pending failure. There appeared to be no visible injury to either person except for a short pain in the head.

NHTSA ID

11432020

Incident

Sep 7, 2021

The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V058000 (Communication, Electrical System). The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The local dealer along with several other unknown dealers were contact and the contact was informed that the recall repair would be done by the manufacturer as an over-the-air (OTA) update. The contact had not experienced a failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that a timeline for the over-the-air (OTA) update was not available. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11419995

Incident

Mar 12, 2021

Dear friends, I have received a safety recall message and contacted to my car dealership. Despite I called few times to different Mercedes my dealership (Mercedes DTLA, Mercedes Corporate office) the recall issue has not been fixed. It has been 3 months since I am calling them and requesting to fix the recall as I am psychologically uncomfortable when I have recalls in my car. Unfortunately, recall on my car has not been fixed and they are not able to give me any answer when this issue will be fixed. Kind regards, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ID

11419977

Incident

Mar 30, 2021

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 MERCEDES BENZ C300. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21V058000 (COMMUNICATION, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT CALLED MERCEDES-BENZ MANHATTAN (770 11TH AVE, NEW YORK, NY 10019, (212) 629-1600) WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE UPDATE WOULD HAPPEN AUTOMATICALLY. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ID

11413391

Incident

Apr 22, 2021

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21V058000 (COMMUNICATION, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED THE FAILURE WHILE APPROACHING A STOP SIGN WHEN THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE FORWARD WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE 5 MPH TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. THE CONTACT TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MERCEDES BENZ OF BLOOMFIELD (36600 WOODWARD AVE, BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI 48304, (248) 644-8400) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE OVER THE AIR (OTA) MODULE NEEDED TO BE UPDATED. THE OTA WAS UPDATED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 8,004. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

11403839

Incident

Feb 9, 2021

Mileage

8,004 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 MERCEDES-BENZ C300W4. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V586000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE CONTACT STATED THAT MERCEDES-BENZ OF CALDWELL (LOCATED AT 1230 BLOOMFIELD AVE, WEST CALDWELL, NJ 07006, (973) 227-3600) EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE REPAIR. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ID

11267955

Incident

Oct 10, 2019