Mercedes-Benz · GLS-Class · 2021
0
Recalls
36
Complaints
-
Not Rated
The 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class has no recalls and 36 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Most reported issue: electrical system (10 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
48V battery has repeated failures where I'm driving. safety concern, When it fail, it will pop up warning1) only drive below 50 miles/hour; then it becomes2) stop vehicle immediately; then ) multi-media system suddenly shut off while I'm driving. I tested by 48V battery which only has below 60% health. with 4 error code all related to V48 battery and management system: B183214; B183216; B183217; B183371; 48V battery is under Emission control component warranty which has 5 years/50000miles in Federal for MediumDutyVehicle and 7 years/80000 in WA state. My car is listed as MediumDutyVehicle in Mercedes service book. Mercedes refused to replace my unhealthy battery. Mercedes Charging me diagnosis fees for failure of V48 Battery. this should be waived since the part is under warranty Mercedes refused to provide battery health report to me even I explicitly asked from them, they just cleared the code and told me my battery is fine
The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLS580. The contact stated that after entering the vehicle, the contact became aware of an abnormally strong fuel odor inside the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics who referred the contact to the local dealer for assistance. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.
Both rear wheels on this vehicle have developed cracks which leads to tire pressure loss. Apparently, this is a common issue with Mercedes' heavier vehicles like the GLS and S series sedans. To be clear, I did not hit anything. I did not do any unusual driving. Both rear tires are fine. While you expect that certain components on a vehicle will have problems, it is also reasonable to expect that wheels will not crack prematuraly. Mercedes is aware of the problems. They were named in a class action lawsuit that was dismissed because cars were out of warranty. Warranty or no warranty, this is a major safety issue as a loss in tire pressure can be catastrophic.
On [XXX], I was heading home from work traveling [XXX] on [XXX] through Atlanta's usual heavy traffic. I smelled smoke inside my car and saw fire flames coming from under my passenger seat. My initial reaction was to try to put the fire out with my hat without burning myself. Also, I had to try to navigate across multiple lanes of traffic without hitting anyone and avoiding anyone hitting me. Safely, i reached the side of the interstate and exited the vehicle. As I stood from afar watching my vehicle burn; the reality sat it that a few minutes earlier that could have been me trapped burning inside, injured or even death because something had failed in my vehicle. Later, when I finally arrived home, I started researching on the internet to see if anyone else had experienced problems with their MB 450 GLS catching fire. Surprisingly, I found that recalls had been issued in April 2022 and March 2024 for a possible fire risk from a 48volt loose ground wire issue under the passenger seat. At that time supposedly there were no reported injuries or crashes related to this issue until now. If I am the first to witness this issue, then so be it because I saw the fire burning from inside under my passenger seat before it FULLY torched my vehicle I reported this issue first to Progressive Insurance and Mercedes-Benz Corporate. Progressive has provided my transportation according to policy for my first 30 days. As I approached the end of my rental period, I spoke with MB Corporate to see if there was anything that they could do as far as providing me transportation. I was told that there was nothing that they could do because they were not a dealership with cars to loan. The joint vehicle fire investigation was schelduled for 29 April 2025. On 25 April 2025, Progressive informed me that MB Corporate had moved the fire investigation date to 29 May 2025. NOW, what am I suppose to do? It has been almost two months that I have been without a vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6
System malfunctioned detail: 48v battery malfunction, 12v battery malfunction. Safety concern: I was driving on [XXX] , the battery malfunction warning suddenly pop up, and I couldn't accelerate my car beyond 30 MPH, my whole family were on the car during that time. it's life threatening issue needs to be addressed. Luckily we managed to pull over to a safe border way. It's first time I encountered this issue, but on [XXX] , seems like many people encountered it. Dealer is inspecting the issue currently. orange warning msg pop up first says "48v battery malfunction", few minutes later become red warning msg, while I pulled my car to the sideway, it became red "12v battery malfunction". INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Vehicle has just over 31k miles. ON multiple occasions, the vehicle randomly shuts off and displays a 48 volt battery error on the screen followed by a check engine light. This has happened in the middle of a busy intersection and at 75mph on the interstate. Each time it does this, I have taken it to a Mercedes dealer for repair/troubleshooting. THey perform the Mercedes required steps to repair the known issue and each time the issue persists. The car has been at a dealership for almost a combined 30 days now with no end in sight. I do not feel safe knowing that Mercedes cant seem to solve the problem and instead puts me back on the road knowing the car is not right and risks injury to my family as the issue has happened at low speed and high speed resulting in extremely dangerous situations for my family. I have 2 open PTSS cases with Mercedes USA (246121906 and 246113294). Researching this issue has revealed this is a known issue with their "mild hybrid" SUVS and many consumers have the same or similar experience to mine.
I was driving only 30mph through my suburban neighborhood bringing my kids to school in the morning when a loud shotgun sound hit my car causing me to be distracted and distraught. My entire sunroof had exploded on me for no reason. Mercedes is currently undergoing a class action lawsuit for this. But since it is not completely yet, I’m being told I need to pay $3700 out of pocket for the default damages and servals days without a vehicle.
Vehicle was purchased pre-owned. Mercedes Me is still associated with previous owner. Mercedes unable to remove association at dealership or on the phone. I can provide bill of sale and identification. Previous owner can remote start, track and control the vehicle I own. This presents a clear and obvious security and safety issue. I am not prepared to drive to *another* dealership and ask *again* to get this done. I own the car and the previous owner can do whatever they like with it. Unacceptable.
Vehicle was purchased pre-owned. Mercedes Me is still associated with previous owner. Mercedes unable to remove association at dealership or on the phone. I can provide bill of sale and identification. Previous owner can remote start, track and control the vehicle I own. This presents a clear and obvious security and safety issue. I am not prepared to drive to *another* dealership and ask *again* to get this done. I own the car and the previous owner can do whatever they like with it. Unacceptable.
1. Unknown, smoke started coming from under the passenger side seat, car is a complete loss. 2. Smoke damaged my lungs, there was a large amount of exploding glass, and it could have led to a structure fire. 3. Not applicable 4. In process, but it was recalled for this issue 5. No
Cluster Information Display Black out on and off. Cannot see speedometer and headup display also turns off. Problem occured 5/13/22, 6/17/22, and 6/13/23. Problem is still not fixed after going to mechanic 3 times. 7/16/24 went in to mechanic again for the same problem but mechanic concluded that there are no further solution possible to fix this problem. When the problem occurs, the cluster information display is blacked out for about 3 to 4 hours, and only fixed when 1 or 2 days are fixed. It is dangerous to drive without the cluster display which includes speedometer, remaining gas, engine warning light, and many more important information that is needed and required to drive safely without crash.
I was driving and all of a sudden. The car felt like it was swirling left and right and I was trying my best to straighten the steering wheel, but it felt like I had no control of the car. I eventually hit the median on the road and while all this was happen my dashboard was flashing with all the lights, but my eyes were on the road trying to fix the steering wheel so I don’t know exactly what light was on. When I hit the median, I was finally able to regain full control of the car. It kind of felt like my car was accelerating and swerving at the same time and I was not even stepping on the pedal. I am not sure what caused this, but my car was recently in the shop for some battery issue.
We accepted delivery of our brand new vehicle in May 2021 from the dealer. In July 2021, the vehicle became completely disabled due to failure of the 48 volt battery. In October 2021, the dealer replaced 48 volt battery failed again causing the vehicle to become completely disabled. In December 2023, our 3rd replacement 48 volt battery failed. Each time the vehicle is out of service for a week or longer. The dealer is not providing any information about what may be causing the failures. Vehicle has become completely unreliable and dangerous. Mercedes Benz USA has offered us a 200 service credit and 3,000 off a new vehicle and advised they are not aware of any defects.
Delivered an unfinished or car with a broken part,Seat Problem not locking properly, Electrical Problem, Engine Light Came on, ESP warning, Suspension Problem, Battery Problem, Steering Jerking, Mirror Problem which they said Mercedes Benz aware of it, some sort of sound, car getting hot excessively.
The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLS450. The contact received notification of 23V445000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time to for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool showed no open recall.
Wipers - I have had repeated issues with the windshield wipers on this vehicle. I have taken it to the dealership 3 times and I have not gotten a satisfactory solution to the issue. The wipers skip across the windshield making intermittent wipers distracting. The dealer's service manager said this is a known issue caused by the OEM wiper blades. I've also been told they can't recommend a solution. AC - The AC in my 2021 GLS 450 smells like moldy socks which makes me suspect there is some build up on the coils or in the vent. I had the vehicle serviced 2 times at the dealership for this issue where the tech informed me the issue was not likely to be resolved by the $500 service I had paid for. The service was discounted down to $307.
The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLS450. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle in front made a sudden stop, causing the contact to make a sudden stop, causing the contact’s children to fall out the seats. The contact notice that the third-row buckle latch had malfunctioned. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the third-row driver’s side latch was replaced. On another occasion while driving 40 MPH, the contact heard squeaking noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic test, and the mechanic stated that no failure was found. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 25,000.
On four occasions my car has stalled while in traffic very early in my ownership and then it happened again today with my family in the car and nearly caused an accident. The entire dash lights up with every warning when it happens. Sometimes the check engine light comes on after I shut the car off and restart it. My Mercedes dealer has had it in multiple times for this reason. The last time it was in for this (May of 2022) they "reprogrammed" the entire car. It happening again today has really made me lose a lot of faith in the vehicle, especially since we purchased it for the safety factors. I read online that there are many others who have experienced this. Some say it is related to the 48V battery. I don't care what Make or Model or how expensive it is, a new car should NOT stall in traffic and should be looked into. Thank You.
My Mercedes has the automatic doors that close. I was closing the driver door with my back to the door and felt my thumb get caught in the drivers door. I attempted to remove it but, could not remove it. I had to watch the door slowly close and seal/crush with my finger smashed within the door. My wife helped me open the door and the top of my finger was smashed, as my wife said, like [XXX]. I went to the emergency room in St Petersburg Florida and as diagnosed with an acute non-displaced fracture through the distal phalanx of the first digit. The door just slowly closed on the finger. if it was a child's hand. wow INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Incident 1: May 2022 Vehicle was sitting in driveway overnight and would not start in the morning. Had a 48V battery warning on. Towed to dealership. Said it was a delay software update. Incident 2: August 2022 Was driving 35mpg down the road where a warning sign comes up. Then shortly after the car slows down to around 15mph and would not speed up anymore. Towed to dealership. Dealership did not find anything "wrong" with vehicle Incident 3: November 2022 Car was parked in parking lot for 2 hours. When trying to start car, there was an error message saying stop vehicle. Towed to dealership. Dealership stating they might exchange a new 48V battery.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class has 0 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 36 owner-reported complaints for the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class.
NHTSA has not published a safety rating for the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class are electrical system (10 reports), unknown or other (6 reports), lane departure (2 reports).
NHTSA does not currently list any recalls on record for the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class. To verify the status of your specific vehicle, check nhtsa.gov/recalls with your VIN.
Look up recalls and complaints for any year, make, and model.
This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.