2024 Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 Owner Complaints

Around 4pm 2/26/2026 my wife was driving southbound on I-65 around Middle River Bridge just north of Mobile AL. We were in the right lane when the car began to hydroplane; she immediately took her foot off of the accelerator and did not apply breaks. I was in the back seat due to a previous day surgery. The rear of the vehicle swayed back and forth a few times as the vehicle drifted. Then it was violently moved from one side of the lane to the other and eventually into a hard and distinct left hand 720 spin. We then collided into the concrete barrier next to the left hand lane. It was intense but a glancing blow mostly on the driver’s side. The spin ended with us pointing northbound in the left lane. Just as I thought the crash was over the car lunged in the forward direction like it was going to take off and quickly came to a stop. The weather was very hard rain and my wife was slowing for traffic ahead (which turned out to be another accident going up the General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge. Incredibly the car was still running and I was able to slowly drive to safety and not cause any further accidents. Later in the evening (screen shot shows 6:42pm) after reporting to my insurance I looked on Google maps to find the approximate area our crash occurred I could see another accident happened with a significant backup of traffic. I believe the lane assist and brake assist tried to correct the drifting and over corrected the vehicle into a spin. Lane assist in the 2024 Mercedes-Benz 450GLE is difficult to turn off and comes back on with restarting the ignition. I could not turn off Ln Assist and stay off when I purchased the vehicle, so believed it would operated like my 2022 Ford F-150 which stays off. Neither Cruise control, or Self drive was engaged. I believed lane assist could not be turned off and there are no warnings issued by Mercedes-Benz of the potential hazard although I now find Lane Assist can definitely be linked to hydroplaning accidents

NHTSA ID

11740606

Incident

May 27, 2026

I manually opened the power lift gate of my 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLE 450. While loading items into the rear of the SUV, the power lift gate closed autonomously and without warning, striking me on the right side of my face and neck. No hands-free gesture was made. Key fob was secured in my purse (in shopping cart) at a distance and was not activated.The lift gate did not detect my presence and did not stop or reverse. The impact resulted in localized swelling and tenderness to my face/jaw area.

NHTSA ID

11737948

Incident

May 14, 2026

12 V battery completely drained while in operation resulting in me being stranded and requiring the vehicle to be towed.

NHTSA ID

11716938

Incident

Feb 4, 2026

The panel between the windshield and the sunroof shattered with cracks going the full width of the roof at the top and bottom of the glass panel.

NHTSA ID

11698792

Incident

Oct 31, 2025

The Mercedes GLE450 was stopped at a red light. When the light turned green, the driver entered the intersection. The automatic braking system engaged without reason (there was open road ahead), bringing the car to a sudden standstill. The driver accelerated again, but this time the car went backwards into the car behind him. The driver had not shifted into reverse. So the car both slammed on the brakes, and switched the transmission into reverse, without driver input. Mercedes-Benz USA conducted an investigation and produced data showing that the car shifted into reverse while it was driving forward; they claimed this was driver error. However, the dealer (and our own experience) says it is impossible to shift the car into reverse when it is driving forward; the car must be stopped before it can shift into reverse. We have asked them to explain this seeming incoherence in their explanation, but they have not responded. Our conclusion is that the car malfunctioned. We still have the dashcam footage recorded during the incident, if that is needed.

NHTSA ID

11686212

Incident

May 19, 2025

On [XXX] the power lock system in my Mercedes auto locked itself with my key and phone inside the vehicle on a hot day with a baby secured in a rear car seat. I did not lock the vehicle or touch the door handle lock. This vehicle is designed to never lock with a key inside. Obviously, this was a life threatening situation as our area was experiencing record heat. Since my phone was also locked inside, I couldn't call for help & had to find a stranger to lend me a phone. Immediately after I took care of the baby & had help, I reported the incident immediately to the Mercedes Emergency Customer Care center via the SOS button in the vehicle. They told me I would hear from someone within 72 hours - it's now been 10+ days since the incident & no communication from Mercedes. The vehicle locked itself again without warning a few days ago but fortunately, there was an adult in the vehicle who was able to unlock it (and the driver had the key on hand outside the vehicle). We have owned 6 Mercedes vehicles - we are familiar with the auto lock system & this is not normal. Srvice is scheduled with the local dealer in Fredericksburg VA the week of July 16, 2025. There was no warning & no warning lights. Normally, the vehicle verbally alerts us when the key is left in the vehicle. In this case, the key was in my purse on the front passenger seat. All doors were unlocked when I placed the baby in her seat and closed the right passenger doors. I walked around to open the drivers side door when I discovered all doors were locked. The vehicle is designed to not be able to lock with a key inside. We have been unable to manually reproduce the incident which leads us to believe the problem is in the electronic coding and needs attention and service from the manufacturing level. This could have easily ended in a fatality. I do not want this to happen to anyone else. I submitted another complaint to Mercedes - this time via letter on their website. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(

NHTSA ID

11671574

Incident

Jun 27, 2025

The contact owns a 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLE450. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle suddenly decelerated to 15 MPH. The contact became aware that the cruise control system had changed the set speed independently. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence, with the vehicle accelerating or decelerating independently. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to diagnose the failure. The contact was advised that the cruise control should not be activated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 1,500.

NHTSA ID

11654957

Incident

Apr 16, 2025

Mileage

1,500 mi

The contact owns a 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLE 450. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle came to a sudden stop while approaching a puddle of water. The contact was thrown forward. There was an unknown warning light illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The contact confirmed that there was no surrounding object that would have activated the Forward Collision Avoidance. The contact sustained injuries to her hand, finger, and nail but medical attention was not provided. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer informed her to disable the driver assist and that there was no error code since it does not record. The contact was concerned that the Forward Collision Avoidance would activate while driving on the highway and it could result in a crash. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 2,058.

NHTSA ID

11612724

Incident

Sep 4, 2024

Mileage

2,058 mi

Every time I apply the brake pedal, it pops, like it’s going to either brake off or it’s loose somewhere. Every single time.

NHTSA ID

11607755

Incident

Aug 1, 2024

The throttle pedal assembly is supposed to be bolted to the floor. Two studs are sticking up from the floor and the throttle pedal assembly fits over the two 6 mm studs. Two nuts might have been installed at the factory, but now they are no where to be found. The whole throttle pedal assembly is off the two studs and tilted sideways and very unstable. As the throttle can not be controlled by the driver, the vehicle is unsafe to operate.

NHTSA ID

11593307

Incident

Jun 9, 2024