2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350 E Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350 E, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Electrical150.0%
- Engine150.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
This is in reference to a 2020 Mercedes GLC350e Plug-In Hybrid. Sole owner purchased January 2020 with under 4 Thousand miles on the odometer, 3 years extended warranty. Took car only to MB Henderson dealership for service/maintenance performance on the vehicle and nowhere else. Dealership has records. The GLC350e received no recall of any kind. On November 11, 2021, the car coolant alert displayed and instructed to shut engine down, key off of ignition and stop everything -- car was not safe to drive. In contacting MB Henderson, NV dealership, they concurred with the display and asked that the vehicle be towed to their facility for further inspection -- No MB Dealership had the capacity to tow the vehicle to their service facilities. So I called using my own AAA Towing and the dealership received the 2020 GLC350e at their facility. They had it overnight and the next day. After checking everything found they can't reproduce the Coolant warning alert display and said the car was safe to drive. Fast forward to March 8th, 2020 this display resurfaced while driving on Interstate 15 southbound to Los Angeles. Called dealership, and their recommendation was again repeated -- Shut off engine, tow it to the nearest dealership. The locatioin was between Bakers and Barstow, and the nearest MB dealership was in Riverside, CA. This is a desolated area and unsafe to stay or leave the car where it is. With what I learned from the November 12, 2021 service performed by the dealership, they couldn't find anything wrong with the car. I felt it important to get off the freeway and proceed to Barstow and call the Riverside Dealership when I get there. This I did and before reaching Barstow, the car engine started to smoke and the hood bulged up. In seconds the bulge was increasing in size, a sliver of flame appeared. This scared me, so I got out of the car in a hurry, and dialed 911 and the insurance company. The flame got more intense and it was totaled.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
This is in reference to a 2020 Mercedes GLC350e Plug-In Hybrid. Sole owner purchased January 2020 with under 4 Thousand miles on the odometer, 3 years extended warranty. Took car only to MB Henderson dealership for service/maintenance performance on the vehicle and nowhere else. Dealership has records. The GLC350e received no recall of any kind. On November 11, 2021, the car coolant alert displayed and instructed to shut engine down, key off of ignition and stop everything -- car was not safe to drive. In contacting MB Henderson, NV dealership, they concurred with the display and asked that the vehicle be towed to their facility for further inspection -- No MB Dealership had the capacity to tow the vehicle to their service facilities. So I called using my own AAA Towing and the dealership received the 2020 GLC350e at their facility. They had it overnight and the next day. After checking everything found they can't reproduce the Coolant warning alert display and said the car was safe to drive. Fast forward to March 8th, 2020 this display resurfaced while driving on Interstate 15 southbound to Los Angeles. Called dealership, and their recommendation was again repeated -- Shut off engine, tow it to the nearest dealership. The locatioin was between Bakers and Barstow, and the nearest MB dealership was in Riverside, CA. This is a desolated area and unsafe to stay or leave the car where it is. With what I learned from the November 12, 2021 service performed by the dealership, they couldn't find anything wrong with the car. I felt it important to get off the freeway and proceed to Barstow and call the Riverside Dealership when I get there. This I did and before reaching Barstow, the car engine started to smoke and the hood bulged up. In seconds the bulge was increasing in size, a sliver of flame appeared. This scared me, so I got out of the car in a hurry, and dialed 911 and the insurance company. The flame got more intense and it was totaled.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .