2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 4MATIC

I am submitting this complaint regarding my Mercedes-Benz GLE350 with VIN [XXX] . I have brought the vehicle in for service on multiple occasions—October, January, March, May, and November—due to recurring transmission-related issues. These issues include jerking, delayed acceleration, and irregular shifting. Each time, the dealer did not confirm a definitive fault but performed software updates or adaptations. While the symptoms temporarily disappeared, they repeatedly returned. I am concerned that the root cause remains unresolved, and I seek a proper resolution. Supporting documentation is attached. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11718478

Incident

Oct 1, 2024

I purchased my Mercedes-Benz new, and it currently has only 1,800 miles on it. My wife primarily drives the car, and we have experienced several alarming incidents where the vehicle suddenly shuts down while driving. 1.About two weeks after we purchased the car, it stalled at a stop sign. At the time, we ignored it. 2.On two separate occasions afterward, the vehicle suddenly slowed down and stopped while she was driving on the highway. 3.Most recently, two days ago, while driving to work early in the morning on the freeway, the car suddenly stopped in the dark. Thankfully, there were no cars immediately behind her. She attempted to restart the car, but it would not start immediately. After several minutes, it restarted, and she drove back home, very shaken by the incident. I contacted Mercedes-Benz, and I was told this may be a “software issue.” However, given the seriousness of the situation, I strongly believe this requires urgent investigation. A vehicle unexpectedly shutting down on the freeway is a major safety hazard that could easily lead to a serious accident. I request an immediate and thorough safety inspection of this vehicle, as well as a clear explanation of the cause and corrective action. This issue is extremely dangerous, and I need assurance that the vehicle is safe to drive.

NHTSA ID

11686759

Incident

Sep 9, 2025

I am reporting a serious safety concern involving the Cooper Discoverer Stronghold AT tires currently mounted on my 2025 Mercedes‑Benz GLE 350 (VIN [XXX]), of which I am the first owner. I purchased this vehicle new from a Mercedes dealer. Upon beginning to drive the vehicle, I immediately experienced poor grip and traction, especially in wet road conditions and while cornering, leading to reduced handling stability that I believe poses a significant risk to safety. Despite reaching out multiple times to both Mercedes‑Benz USA Customer Care and my local Mercedes-Benz dealership, I have received no response, acknowledgment, or offer to inspect or remedy the issue. After investigating, I discovered that certain Cooper Discoverer Stronghold AT tires are subject to NHTSA recall 25T006 due to missing DOT date codes (manufactured in week 05 of 2025, February 2–8, 2025) Tires involved in this recall lack the four‑digit production week/year identifier on the white‑lettered sidewall, violating FMVSS Standard 574 Goodyear will replace affected tires at no cost, including mounting and balancing, and dealers must render removed tires unusable before returning them My vehicle's factory‑equipped tires match the recall's size and product description (LT 275/65R18 LRE Cooper Discoverer Stronghold AT), and the symptoms I am experiencing—especially in wet driving and cornering—align with compromised integrity or performance of noncompliant tires. Requested Actions: 1. Please confirm if my vehicle’s tires fall under recall 25T006, and require replacement. 2. I request assistance in securing a safety inspection and tire replacement, if applicable. 3. Please encourage Mercedes‑Benz USA or the dealer network to respond properly to customer safety inquiries without delay. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11677169

Incident

Jul 30, 2025

The contact owns a 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE350 4Matic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and coming to a stop, the contact heard a loud sound coming from the rear end of vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the rearview camera was inoperable. The dealer referred the contact to the manufacturer for further assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 800.

NHTSA ID

11647592

Incident

Mar 11, 2025

Mileage

800 mi

When driving on a quiet, straight road with no other cars anywhere nearby the vehicle suddenly slammed on the brakes until the car came to a complete stop. The seat belt pre-tensioners also activated and there were loud audible warning beeping and red "radar" images on the dashboard. My safety was not at risk in this instance however if the same thing happened while I was being followed then I'd be a risk from being hit from behind. I frequently travel on busy interstates and it scares me to think that this could happen again. The system also activated three times when backing out of my driveway, again nothing was around. I have taken the car to the dealer, Carlton Mercedes-Benz in Greenville, SC, twice and they have failed to find anything wrong with it so made no changes. This leaves me with little confidence in the vehicle. The dealer was not forthcoming about the details of what checks they actually did. Please see above for info on the other warnings etc. that activated during the event.

NHTSA ID

11645260

Incident

Feb 4, 2025

On [XXX] We were driving our 2025 Gle350 fourmatic west on [XXX] between [XXX] and [XXX] @ 7:30 pm, driving at 70 mph in the right lane the panoramic sunroof exploded into shards of glass and rained down on the driver and passenger, it sounded like a gun went off as the front moveable roof panel blew apart. The vehicle had approximately 650 miles on the odometer. Nothing struck the car, no foreign objects were found in the vehicle cabin amidst the 1,000s of shards of glass inside the car. Upon taking the vehicle to Mercedes Benz of Novi for service, their comments were that we must be mistaken and a rock must have struck the vehicles roof. We have filed a claim with AAA insurance INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11628735

Incident

Dec 1, 2024

Complaint During part of the steering movement, it feels heavier or more difficult to steer in the same spot every time. OR Rattling, humming, dry sliding/gravel noise from the electric steering system when steering (see attachment). Complaint does not impact the ability to safely steer or control the vehicle. Cause Ball screw drive (KGT) of electric steering damaged by: 1. External force due to: ‑ Hitting the curb/posts with the front wheels. ‑ Driving over obstacles (e.g. pothole/ threshold/ speed bump/ gully) at an inappropriate speed. 2. Corrosion/ water ingress through a damaged boot (see attachment). ‑ Cracks (1) ‑ High pressure cleaner (2) ‑ Animal bite (3) See various examples listed in the attachments for examples of outside influence. Remedy Remove boot clamps closest to steering gear housing on both left and right (as seen in "Steering Rack Boot Clamp Location"). Pull back boot and inspect for rust, broken end stops, water, or any other anomalies. Replace electric steering. Note: Steering gears replaced due to outside influence or damage must not be claimed under warranty!

Complaint Noise from front end thought to be from steering gear. Cause During diagnostics of a front end noise, workshop is under the impression the noise is coming from the steering gear. Remedy If the root cause of the noise cannot be found and is seemingly from the steering rack, perform the below LI's and diagnostics. If they have been performed and the root cause still cannot be determined, a TIPS case must be opened to the Body/Chassis/Entertainment team prior to replacing the steering rack. • LI46.35‑P‑067339 ‑ "Rattling, Humming, Dry Sliding/Gravel Noise When Steering" • LI46.35‑P‑071461 ‑ "Check Tie Rod Outer Joint of Steering Gear" • LI46.10‑P‑077391 ‑ "Knocking Noise In The Area Of The Steering Gear or Steering Column Tube When Braking Or Moving Off; The Steering Wheel Can Also Be Felt To "Crack"" • Remove boot clamps closest to steering gear housing on both left and right (as seen in "Steering Rack Boot Clamp Location"). Pull back boot and inspect for rust, broken end stops, water, or any other anomalies. Keep the boot clamps in case the rack is returned. • If the noise is described as "clacking" or "knocking" when moving the wheel back and forth in quick oscillations and the thrust element in the steering rack has NOT been checked yet, please perform a check and subsequent adjustment, if necessary, as detailed in AR46.20‑P‑0601ME. • Remove sway bar links and see if noise persists. • Perform NVH time‑domain noise diagnosis pointing to the steering rack as the root cause. The TIPS case must contain the following: • Video underneath the vehicle with clearly audible noise while engine is running. • Video inside the vehicle with clearly audible noise while engine is running. • Vehicle checked for history of collisions. • Vehicle history checked for other noise complaints in the area. • List of other checked components (suspension, drive line components, wheel bearings, etc...). • Along with the audible noise, does the feel/noise change through only a certain part of the steering arc sweep? • Provide the thrust element before and after readings.

Complaint Tailgate opens unintentionally. Cause Accidental or unnoticed activation of the button to open the tailgate on the vehicle key. EXAMPLE: when stored in trouser pocket, handbag etc. Remedy As of the 6th generation, the vehicle key can be recoded so that the tailgate no longer opens as a result of a long press on the button, but by double‑clicking on the button instead. This reduces the likelihood of the button being activated accidentally or unintentionally. The recoding can be carried out as follows: 1. Add SA Code O19 into VeDoc (O for Oscar, not "zero") • an XSS ticket may be necessary to add the SA code 2. Perform SCN coding of EIS N73 control unit 3. Deactivate the vehicle key (a successful deactivation is indicated by the LED lighting up 2x briefly and then 1x for a long period). 4. Place the vehicle key in the storage compartment on the key symbol and turn on the ignition. IMPORTANT: all other vehicle keys must be outside the recognition range of the vehicle when doing this! Perform steps 3 and 4 successively for all vehicle keys. Notes: 6th, 7th and 8th generation keys can be deactivated as follows: Up to modification year 22/1 by double clicking the "Lock button" As of modification year 22/1, by press and holding the “Lock button", then double‑click the “Unlock button" at the same time. On model series 167, the storage compartment with the key symbol is located in the armrest. The SCN coding from the EZS is only transferred correctly to the vehicle key under the following conditions: Only one vehicle key is located in the vehicle, this key has been deactivated and it is positioned on the marking in the storage compartment for the data transfer. The costs for this adaptation are to be borne by the customer. For the newer BR 174, 178, 244, 248, 520, and 540, a software update must be initiated, as there is no way to perform SCN coding.

Complaint Traffic sign symbol for "Traffic Sign Assist" is blinking in instrument cluster without obvious cause usually with one of the following scenarios: • Flashing without a speed limit ("‑ ‑"). • Flashing when current vehicle speed is under speed limit. • Flashing between US speed limit symbol and European speed limit symbol. NOTE: • Verify that the concern falls under one of the attachment videos. If not, then it is outside of the scope of this LI. • This also does not cover "Traffic Sign Inoperative" messages on the instrument cluster. Cause There are two identified reasons for this concern: 1. Country code information stored incorrectly at a particular geographic latitude range. 2. Incorrect reference data when the vehicle is started and a GPS signal is not immediately available. Remedy Update head unit software to latest version and the re‑check function in the same location. If vehicle is still exhibiting one of the symptoms as described exactly as in the complaint section or as shown in the video attachments, open a TIPS case to the Body/Chassis/Entertainment inbox with the following: • Video of the concern. • Exact location (latitude and longitude is best)

Complaint 1. General Diagnostic Tips 2. One or More PARK Sensor Activations 3. Red Ring Around Vehicle 4. "Active Parking and Parking Assist Inoperative" on Instrument Cluster 5. Cameras 6. Other Park Topics. Cause Various root causes Remedy See attached diagnostic guide.

Complaint Clanking noise from the area of the speakers in the doors. Cause Under analysis. Remedy To narrow down the cause, first of all remove the door trim. • If the noise continues to occur even with the door trim removed, then continue the diagnosis working towards the speaker and if necessary, create a TIPS case with an informative video as an attachment. Information: Please refer to this document in the warranty claim and, after completing diagnosis, select the damage code corresponding to the component part that caused the problem. • If the noise stops when the door trim is removed, please proceed in accordance with LI72.10-P-067691. Information: In this case, do not use a damage code for the speakers in the warranty claim!