2019 Mercedes-Benz CLS 450 Owner Complaints

My vehicle steering wheel completely disengaged/malfunctioned when driving home. The steering wheel continuously rotates however there is no shifting of wheels. This is hazardous as I had to brake the car and call roadside assistance. It is currently at the Mercedes dealership and will be inspected tomorrow. The car displayed the following error after the steering malfunctioned: ESP® is malfunctioning Other driving systems and driving safety systems may also malfunction. The brake system continues to operate normally. The braking distance in an emergency braking situation can increase. WARNING: Risk of skidding if ESP® is malfunctioning • Drive on carefully.

NHTSA ID

11751960

Incident

Jul 21, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz CLS450. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the failure persisted; however, the contact was able to continue driving to the destination at slow speeds. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission wiring harness. The vehicle was repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V445000 (Electrical System), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 46,000.

NHTSA ID

11680421

Incident

Aug 13, 2025

Mileage

46,000 mi

The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz CLS450. The contact stated while reversing, the rearview camera image was black. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V232000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

NHTSA ID

11669642

Incident

Apr 27, 2025

Mileage

65,000 mi

I have had 5 tire blow outs on my 2019 CLS 450 Mercedes. I purchased the car in August of 2023 and since that time I have experienced 5 tire blow outs on brand new tires within a 1-year time frame. When I got the tire blow outs all of them were while I was driving in local city traffic. This car uses run flat tires. I am having the tires replaced at Discount Tire stores in California. The tire is the following: BRI Potenza 245/35 R20 95 Y. This incident happened on several dates [XXX, XXX, XXX, XXX, XXX]. I have taken the car to the Mercedes dealership Escondido Mercedes. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11632398

Incident

Nov 19, 2023

I am getting repeated flats in this car after hitting small bumps in the car. Whether I am on the freeway or driving around town. I have hit bumps that will blow out the tire. Here are more complaints from consumers : [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11608756

Incident

May 20, 2024

My car started shaking and after putting it on the computer it was an electrical wiring harness issue. I was told it will be 6 k to replace both harnesses. It’s been 8 months and they just received the part. The service tech told me that these cars have this issue due to the position of the harnesses being to close to the exhaust. It dries out the wiring. I went to the Mercedes forum and found numerous complaints about this issue. Recently I baited the Mercedes of downtown Los Angeles and was advised they received another cls 450 with the same issues as myself and several other owners of the cls 450. I have been getting the run around for months. This should be a recall as even if I pay 6k it will happen again! Please help. I even reached out to BBB and the dealership never responded to them. I’ve been in contact with Mercedes head quarters and was advised to reach out to NHTSA

NHTSA ID

11580697

Incident

Aug 11, 2023

I have had to replace 3 wheels at great cost due to cracks. I believe the wheels are defectively designed. The wheels cannot support the vehicle's weight. The cast iron aluminum wheels together with the low profile run flat tires contribute to a road hazard and dangerous condition. I understand that this problem has been encountered by many, many MBZ owners.

NHTSA ID

11552658

Incident

Oct 1, 2023

I had a slow leak in the rear passenger tire for a few weeks now so I took it to the neighborhood tire shop. No nail or puncture was discovered but a hairline crack in the rear wheel. The tire shop manager advised me to call the dealership and ask the part to be replaced as this is a very low mileage vehicle. The crack according to the shop is definitely a defect in the wheel as there was no evidence of impact damage. I contacted the dealer for a warranty replacement as it should be covered under my CPO warranty coverage and they will get back to me. In the meantime I did some research and found several MB Forums that stated the same issue with the CLS 450 and CLS 53 AMG. The forum stated that the issue is with the run flat tire combined with the original factory wheel. Most of them stated that because of the hard sidewall of run flat tire, the pressure causes the wheel to have hairline fractures as American roads are not as perfect as German highways. If my wheel is replaced under warranty then I risk having the same issue happen again. I am also taking chances driving back and forth from work until the replacement is done. With the number of complaints related to the tire and wheel package offered by Mercedes, is there going to be a recall/replacement that will be implemented for affected vehicles. These cars are not cheap by any standard and hope something will be done. Replacing all four wheels and tires on this vehicle is a big expense and something I don't expect to do after investing in an expensive ride. I hope that something is done because waiting for the next crack to happen certainly affects the enjoyment you get in driving these vehicles. I really do love these cars, this is my second vehicle from this brand.

NHTSA ID

11536301

Incident

Aug 2, 2023

I was scared for my life. I was driving on the freeway and went to change lanes then all of a sudden i lost control and slid sideways and luckily didn’t hit anything. These tires only have 3000 miles on them and are COMPLETELY BALD!! This is not safe and horrible. Falken needs to make this right

NHTSA ID

11510194

Incident

Feb 27, 2023

While driving on an interstate highway, I received a yellow "48V Battery malfunction" notice. Because this battery had failed before, I had read on internet forums that the car could just stop working, so I took the next exit (about 3-4 miles). At the top of the ramp, I had a red "Battery Malfunction" (red=stop driving); then, within 15 seconds the car had no power and gave me a critical "engine overheated" message. I was able to coast into a parking lot. Had I not exited, the loss of power would have likely resulted in an accident and we could have been killed. I believe the battery powers the water pump (amongst other things) and that caused the engine to overheat and shut down - but with no warning of overheating. This is the second time the battery has failed - first at 15 months and approx 17,000 miles. I had to wait 3 1/2 months for a new battery (they can't keep up with demand - this tells me the problem is widespread) ) and now around 22,000 miles and 5 months after getting the new battery. A review of the MB internet forums shows this problem is pervasive in Mercedes models that use the 48V batteries and I believe this is extremely dangerous - if I hadn't already been aware of the issue from the previous failure, I wouldn't have known to exit the interstate before the car failed and could easily have been badly injured or even killed in a collision.

NHTSA ID

11434449

Incident

Sep 25, 2021

I AM ALSO HAVING THE IDENTICAL PROBLEM ISSUE AS STATED IN: NHTSA ID NUMBER: 11280637

NHTSA ID

11300055

Incident

Nov 6, 2019

Mileage

1,100 mi

UPON DRIVING OVER CERTAIN BUMPS IN THE ROAD, THE SUSPENSION HAS THE SENSATION THAT THE WHEELS AND/OR LUG NUTS ARE LOOSE. THIS PRODUCES A DISTURBING SIDE TO SIDE MOVEMENT THAT FEELS LIKE THE VEHICLE LACKS CONTROL. THIS CONDITION IS RELATED TO THE FACT THAT ROTORS WEAR OUT PREMATURELY; TWO SETS IN 4700 MILES. BAD ROTORS PRODUCE A SHAKING STEERING WHEEL WHEN COMING TO A STOP. EVEN AFTER REPLACING ROTORS AND THE REPAIRS APPEARS TO BE DONE, THE SHAKING STEERING WHEEL COMES BACK READILY AFTER AN EPISODE OF HITTING BUMPS THAT PRODUCE THE SIDE TO SIDE MOVEMENT. THE SIDE TO SIDE, FISHTAIL, SENSATION HAPPENS ON THE FREEWAY AND SURFACE STREETS AROUND 40-60 MILES AN HOUR. THIS CONDITION IS DISTURBING AND MAKES IT SEEM THAT THE NEXT WELL-PLACED BUMP ON THE ROAD WOULD CAUSE THE CAR TO LOSE CONTROL.

NHTSA ID

11280637

Incident

Feb 12, 2019

Mileage

250 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS450. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE'S WHEELS WERE NOT DESIGNED FOR DAILY DRIVING. THE RIMS WERE BENDING UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE WHILE IT WAS IN MOTION, WHICH CAUSED A BUMPY RIDE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MERCEDES-BENZ OF MASSAPEQUA (101 SUNRISE HWY, AMITYVILLE, NY 11701, (631) 213-2023) SEVEN TIMES. THE RIMS WERE REMOVED AND SHIPPED OFF FOR REPAIRS MULTIPLE TIMES, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED AFTER EACH VISIT TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY STATED THAT THE RIMS AND WHEELS WERE NOT COVERED UNDER THE FACTORY WARRANTY; THEREFORE, THEY COULD NOT ASSIST. THE VEHICLE WAS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALER FOR THE SAME FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10.

NHTSA ID

11222710

Incident

Nov 19, 2018

Mileage

10 mi

MY CAR CUT OFF ON THE BUSY 405 FREEWAY AS I WAS DRIVING. I HAVE HAD THE BRAND NEW CAR 3 MONTHS . I STARED TO RECEIVE THE FOLLOWING ALERTS ON THE CAR PANEL:"BLIND SPOT ASSIST INOPERATIVE , "ACTIVE BRAKE ASSIST FUNCTIONED LIMITED" ,"ATTENTION ASSIST, SYSTEM SUSPENDED". THE CALL SLOWLY STALLED ON THE FREEWAY. I HAD TO EXIT ON THE SHOULDER OF THE FREEWAY WITH MY HAZARD LIGHTS ON. THE CAR CUT OFF. IT STARTED AGAIN. I TRIED TO CONTINUE MY TRIP, BUT THE SAME ISSUE HAPPENED 2 MORE TIMES. I EXITED THE FREEWAY NEAR UCLA . MERCEDES ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE PICKED UP THE CAR FOR TOW. THIS HAPPENED ON MAY 28TH. I STILL DO NOT HAVE ANSWERS AS TO WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY CAR. THE ROADSIDE REP SAID THIS COULD BE DUE TO SENSITIVITY OF SAFETY FEATURE THAT DETECT CARS AROUND THE CAR. IF READING INCORRECTLY , CAR CAN SLOW DOWN OR BEEP - BUT THIS CAR STALLED. I COULD HAVE HIT FROM BEHIND OF KILLED. I WILL REPORT THIS TO MERCEDES CORP

NHTSA ID

11217434

Incident

May 28, 2019

Mileage

2,380 mi