2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350 E 4MATIC Owner Complaints

I own a 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e plug-in hybrid. The vehicle experienced a complete loss of both the digital instrument cluster/display in front of the driver and the center MBUX infotainment display. Both screens remained completely black even after the vehicle was started and placed in READY mode. The vehicle was still capable of being driven, but the driver instrument display was completely unavailable. As a result, I could not see critical information normally provided through the instrument cluster, including vehicle speed, warning messages, system status, and other important vehicle information. At the same time, there was recurring static/electrical-type noise coming through the vehicle’s speakers at regular intervals. The vehicle was shut down, locked, and allowed to power down before being restarted, but this did not restore either display. This is a significant safety concern because the vehicle can remain operational and driveable while the entire driver instrument display is unavailable. A driver should not have to operate a vehicle without access to the instrument cluster or critical warnings. I am reporting this issue to NHTSA because I believe a complete loss of the instrument cluster and center display while the vehicle remains driveable presents a potential safety defect. I request that NHTSA investigate whether this is a recurring problem affecting the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e and whether a safety-related remedy or recall is warranted.

NHTSA ID

11765412

Incident

Sep 18, 2026

My 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e displayed a “48V battery malfunction” warning on or about July 1, 2026, while the vehicle was less than one year old. The vehicle was taken to an authorized Mercedes-Benz dealership and remained there until approximately July 20. Mercedes-Benz USA became involved, and the dealership ultimately stated that the malfunction had been corrected through a software update. The 48V battery was not replaced. I have not received documentation clearly identifying the specific software update, campaign, operation number, underlying failure mechanism, or pre- and post-repair diagnostic results establishing that the reported malfunction was caused and resolved by software. I am therefore unable to determine whether the battery or another component of the 48V system was defective, or whether the warning was merely cleared. In late August, I also heard a new and pronounced whirring sound near the left-front area of the vehicle after charging. A different authorized dealership charged the high-voltage battery to 100%, attempted to reproduce the sound, and found no charging-system fault codes or abnormal noise. It characterized the sound as normal post-charge cooling operation and performed no repair. I am submitting this complaint because of the original 48V malfunction, the lack of documentation identifying exactly what failed and what software remedy was performed, and the possible relevance to a previously closed NHTSA investigation involving Mercedes-Benz battery-related concerns. Please associate this complaint with any applicable closed investigation and evaluate whether this incident constitutes additional relevant field evidence.

NHTSA ID

11761658

Incident

Jul 1, 2026

The car went from 20 miles an hour and 35 miles an hour (happened 2 times) to a sudden hault like hitting a wall. The first time I had to restart the car. The second car, I had to return it to drive. A big X came up on the dashboard. I have owned the car 17 months. Both issues happened in the last 30 days. Nothing beefore. The car has 4415 miles on it. The dealer (Fletcher Jones) was unable to replicate). There was no warning. They told us it was our problem and we could report it to Mercedes Benz which we will do today.

NHTSA ID

11759874

Incident

Aug 21, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350E 4Matic. The contact stated that while driving 10 MPH and attempting to park the vehicle, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated. The brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle was uncontrollable and crashed into a fence. The driver’s side mirror, bumper, and door were damaged. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy. The instrument panel had previously gone black before the crash and the vehicle previously failed to accelerate as needed. There were no injuries sustained. A Police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for two prior software updates. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000.

NHTSA ID

11755841

Incident

Aug 9, 2026

Mileage

9,000 mi

The contact owns a 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC350E 4MATIC. The contact stated that while driving at 68 MPH, the sunroof glass shattered unexpectedly. The contact was able to pull over, and the vehicle was towed to the nearest dealer. The dealer had not yet diagnosed the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 17,500.

NHTSA ID

11750300

Incident

Jul 13, 2026

Mileage

17,500 mi

The contact owns a 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC350E 4MATIC. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V281000 (Electrical System); but the recall repair failed to prevent a failure. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the instrument panel display was inoperable. The failure was a recurring failure. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 12,540.

NHTSA ID

11747977

Incident

Apr 30, 2026

Mileage

12,540 mi

Suspension exhibits excessive bounce/instability over road irregularities, unsafe on uneven pavement, affects steering control. Car available for inspection. Checked by two authorized dealerships, both closed as "operating as designed" without resolving it. Also inspected by manufacturer's Field Service Engineer, same result. Issue began after a phantom braking event — vehicle braked suddenly and unexpectedly on its own while changing lanes at highway speed, no obstruction present, no driver error — also damaged the steering column, since replaced.

NHTSA ID

11747605

Incident

Jan 14, 2026

All screens on dash were black and a clicking sound could be heard I side the vehicle. This has happened four times. Towed vehicle to MB dealer and they did a software update but it keeps happening anyway.

NHTSA ID

11738083

Incident

May 4, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350E. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle began decelerating, losing drive power till the vehicle stalled. The contact turned on their hazards and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The Check Engine, Blind Assist, Exit Warning Inoperative, Towing Not permitted, with several other warning or failure lights illuminated. The failure occurred twice. The dealer diagnosed that the ignition unit had failed. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure occurred again. The vehicle was returned to the dealer diagnosed that the motor for the instrument panel had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the contact was not sure if the failure was resolved. The manufacturer was informed of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

NHTSA ID

11735471

Incident

Apr 4, 2026

Mileage

10,000 mi

The contact owns a 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC350E 4Matic. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the sunroof made an exploding sound and shattered. The contact stated that the shattered glass fell inside the vehicle, on the contact's head wrap, neck, and body. There was no injury sustained. The contact temporarily pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that debris might have caused the sunroof to shatter; however, the contact stated that the vehicle was being driven on a smooth road surface during the failure, and that the sunroof had shattered due to an internal failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.

NHTSA ID

11709102

Incident

Jan 5, 2026

Mileage

6,000 mi

Screens went blank/Black on three separate occasions requiring towing to Dealership; This included no speedometer or backup camera function making it unsafe to drive; Dealer each time stated that they updated software to resolve. The third incident was Nov 21,2025

NHTSA ID

11705822

Incident

Nov 21, 2025

The contact owns a 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC350E 4Matic. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact observed that the sunroof glass had shattered. The contact inspected the vehicle but found no evidence of an impact to the sunroof glass. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but was not yet inspected. The contact was advised that the insurance provider should inspect the vehicle. The contact stated that the 360-degree camera had not detected an impact. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.

NHTSA ID

11699444

Incident

Nov 8, 2025

Mileage

1,000 mi

Hatch closes on your head while loading groceries into the vehicle. The kick sensor is activated by the movements that a person naturally makes when loading cargo into a vehicle. It happens to pretty-much everyone who has ever loaded groceries into the car. There is no way to disable it, per the dealer.

NHTSA ID

11686583

Incident

Sep 11, 2025

The contact owns a 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350E 4Matic. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the infotainment system and the instrument panel turned black. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a software glitch. The software was updated; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to Mercedes-Benz in Englewood (28 Grand Ave, Englewood, NJ 07631), where the assessment was confirmed. The software was updated; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle had been rebooted several times as per dealer instructions; however, the reboot took up to an hour. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The contact was referred to a dealer for rental vehicle assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.

NHTSA ID

11680626

Incident

Feb 22, 2025

Mileage

1,000 mi

Two times while driving on highways the check engine light and the turtle light which indicates speed restriction went on. And vehicle slowed I continue to drive to the next available exit. I turned off the car for a short time when I turned it back on the speed restriction was off but the check engine light was still on after the car had been driven home or to a destination and had been off for a while half an hour in one case several hours in the other the check engine light was no longer on. The dealer did not find a solution to the problem on my first visit. The car is now in the shop for my second visit I have about 8,000 miles on a new car.I view this as a significant safety issue because a sudden change in speed is never good on a highway and I have no idea if the brakes lights went on once the speed was reduced which would make it even more dangerous.

NHTSA ID

11669817

Incident

Apr 26, 2025

All touch screens went black wihout any warning. Was not able to see speedometer or any of the other onscreen functions for the vehicle. Car was drivable however, the signal lights horn and basic electrical funtions did not work

NHTSA ID

11652374

Incident

Mar 18, 2025

I picked up a brand new 2025 Mercedes GLC on [XXX]. On [XXX], I was driving through a tunnel with my [XXX] niece and my wife when I suddenly lost functionality of the gas pedal and the check engine light went on. I was able to hobble it out of the tunnel even though there was a long line of cars behind me. I was able to get the car towed to the dealership. The dealership inspected my car and advised me that there were bubbles in the fuel line which they have been seeing with multiple 2025 GLC models. Mercedes corporate advised the dealership to empty the fuel line and re-fuel it, that a recall was going to be issued, and that Mercedes corporate would be working on a permanent fix via software update to be released in Q1 of 2025. I have tried to reach out to Mercedes corporate but have not had any success. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11631581

Incident

Dec 13, 2024

Mileage

200 mi

I experienced a serious incident involving the Hands-Free Access function in my 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e. While unloading a rollable walker from the trunk, the trunk door unintentionally closed, striking me hard on the head. I have a mobility issue and use a rollable walker every day. This requires me to load and unload the walker into and from the trunk multiple times a day. The impact of the trunk door caused me to lose my balance, resulting in a fall onto a concrete surface. This fall caused me to hit my head again on the ground, exacerbating the injury. The unintentional operation of the trunk created a hazardous situation, especially given my physical limitations and frequent need to access the trunk. This unintentional closing of the trunk door has happened several times, creating an ongoing safety concern. I attempted to locate detailed information about the Hands-Free Access function in both the printed and online operator's manuals for the 2025 GLC 350e, but I could not find a description of this feature. This lack of documentation raises further safety concerns, as it prevents users from understanding the proper use, potential risks, or deactivation options for the feature. The incident caused a head injury and a subsequent fall, leading to a secondary head impact on the concrete. I am deeply concerned about the potential for similar accidents involving other users. I urge the NHTSA to investigate the Hands-Free Access feature on the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e for potential safety defects. Additionally, I request an inquiry into why this feature is not adequately documented in the operator's manuals, as this lack of information may put other users at risk. I would also like to see an option for this feature to be deactivated or disabled at the owner's will. This would allow users who find the feature problematic or unnecessary to turn it off, ensuring safer and more personalized use of the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11630091

Incident

Nov 16, 2024