2026 Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 4MATIC 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 2026 Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 4MATIC, 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
- Engine150.0%
- Other / unspecified150.0%
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
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
On Thursday, August 20th at approxmately 5:30PM my 2026 Mercedes Benz suffered a catastrophic transfer case failure and driveshhaft failure at highways speeds, causing a complete loss of propulsion. Putting me in immediate danger of on coming traffic. After the got to the shoulder I waited about 3 plus hours in pouring rain waiting for Mercedes Benz roadside assistance. The safety of this vehicle put me, my wife and family in immediate danger if this happens again. I do have a video I cannot upload as is is too large, but have loaded an image of the car in service showing transfer case. Please let me know how i can share the video.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2026 Mercedes GLS 450 4MATIC. The contact stated that while his daughter was sitting in the rear driver's side seat and attempting to exit the vehicle, the speaker on the rear driver's door scraped her right elbow. The contact stated that the screw holes for the speaker had jaggedly sharp edges, and the holes on the speakers looked like perforations on a grater. The contact stated that the other shiny metal door speakers on each door were also sharp and posed a potential injury risk. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The dealer did not believe that the screw holes on the speaker were sharp. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.
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 .