Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
1
Latest Nov 3, 2025
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
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InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
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Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
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Overview
Our database contains 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C Class, most frequently naming the electrical and exterior lighting categories. 8 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Complaint activity over time
When owners filed reports about this model year
Not enough dated records to plot a meaningful trend — 1 month of data.
What owners report
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
Electrical150.0%
Exterior lighting150.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Safety recalls
No recalls in our database for this model year
That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.
Recent owner complaints
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
ElectricalExterior lighting
Filed Nov 3, 2025
The taillights in my 2012 c300 was starting to go out intermittently. At first the notification came on for the brake light but the brake light kept working. Afterwards the rest of the taillights and the sidemarker light went out as well. I went to go take a look and the grounding wire was oxidated and corroded. A known issue in which there was a recall made for the 2008-2011 version of the w204 but this did not apply to the 2012 w204. As of last week my entire rear drivers side light is out which is a safety hazard especially at night. The hazard lights dont work in case of an emergency on one side, the brake lights are out to notify the driver behind me take I need to stop which can lead to a rear end collision, as well as the left turn signal not working leading to drivers not knowing that I will be turning left or needing to merge left as needed. All of this is a known safety hazard to Mercedes but no recall has been submitted yet.
NHTSA ID
11697258
Incident
Oct 25, 2025
Manufacturer communications
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
LI68.05-P-059193
EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:ANTI-THEFT DEVICES
SENTEX gate operator with Clik Card Remote not compatible with Homelink
LI54-15-P057373
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS
XENTRY (MERCEDES): THE FUSE AND RELAY BOXES (SRB) IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT OR REAR COMPARTMENT HAS A MALFUNCTION AND DISRUPTIONS TO COMMUNICATION PATHS CAUSING A NO START IN VEHICLE. MODEL 2012-2013 204, 207, 212, 218, 231, 246, 176, 117, 172. *PE
LI33-15-P047471
SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:LEAF SPRING ASSEMBLY:U-BOLT, LEAF SPRING TO AXLE
XENTRY (MERCEDES): WITH STEERING AT FULL LOCK, NOISE CAN BE HEARD, LIKE KNOCKING AND/OR CREAKING, COMING FROM AREA OF FRONT AXLE WHEN MANEUVERING. MODELS 203 (C240, 320, 32, 230), 171 (SLK350, 55, 280), 209 (CLK 320, 500, 55, 63), 204 (C300, 350, 250, 63), 207 (E350, 550). NO YEARS LISTED. *PE UPDATED 12/30/13. *PE UPDATED 5/9/14. *PE
SC-2013110005
TIRES:TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE
MERCEDES: SEE DOCUMENT SEARCH BUTTON FOR OWNER LETTER. AN INCORRECT SPARE TIRE WAS INSTALLED, IN SOME VEHICLES, DUE TO A CODING OPTION ERROR AND SPARE TIRE FAILS TO FIT FRONT WHEEL HUBS. MODEL 2013 C CLASS. *PE
LI-47-40-P053871
ENGINE
XENTRY (MERCEDES): CHECK ENGINE LIGHT (CEL) IS ACTIVATED; STORED IN ENGINE CONTROL UNIT IS VERY FINE LEAK. AUTOMATIC FUEL TANK LEAK TEST SOFTWARE IS SENSITIVE AND CAN PRODUCES AN ERRONEOUS DIAGNOSIS. MODELS 204, 212, 218, 221, 216,AND 166 WITH NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE UPDATE 11/22/13. *PE
SC-2013050005
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
MERCEDES: THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DO NOT MEET INTERNAL SPECIFICATIONS, IN SOME VEHICLES, THAT CAUSES, IN SOME CASES, THE TRANSMISSION TO MAKE NOISES AND NEED TO HAVE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION REPLACED. MODELS 2011 204 (C SERIES), X204(C SERIES), 212(E SERIES). *PE
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Compare model years
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.