2012 Mercedes-Benz C350 problems, complaints & recalls

2012 Mercedes-Benz C350 recalls (5)

• Recall 21V638000Aug 13, 2021205 vehicles
  AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

  Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2015-2016 E400 Coupe, 2012-2015 C250 Coupe, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG Coupe, 2011-2014 E350 Coupe, and 2012-2014 E350 Cabrio vehicles. An incorrect front passenger air bag may have been installed during a prior repair.

  Risk: An incorrect air bag may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

  Remedy: Dealers will replace the front passenger air bag on the affected vehicles, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 10, 2021. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.

• Recall 20V298000May 22, 2020640 vehicles
  AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

  Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2012 C250, C250 Coupe, C300, C350, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG, and C63 AMG Coupe vehicles equipped with a front passenger air bag assembly replaced under a prior recall. An incorrect replacement front passenger air bag may have been installed.

  Risk: An incorrect passenger air bag may not provide adequate protection, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

  Remedy: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag module, free of charge. The recall began July 10, 2020. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2020060011.

• Recall 19V010000Jan 9, 2019288,779 vehicles
  AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

  Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2014 C250, C300 4Matic, C350, C63 AMG, E350 4Matic Coupe, E350 Cabrio, E350 Coupe, SLS AMG Cabrio, SLS AMG Coupe, 2014-2015 C250 Coupe, C350 4Matic Coupe, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG Coupe, GLK 350, GLK250 BlueTec 4Matic, GLK350 RWD, 2015-2017 E400 4Matic Coupe, E400 Cabrio, E400 Coupe, 2014-2017 E550 Cabrio, and 2014-2016 E550 Coupe vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, PR, AS, GU, the MP, and VI or "Zone A." Additionally, MBUSA is recalling certain 2012-2014 C250, E350 4Matic Coupe, SLS AMG Cabrio, 2012-2015 C250 Coupe, C350 4Matic Coupe, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG Coupe, 2011 C300, 2011-2014 C300 4Matic, C350, C63 AMG, E350 Cabrio, E350 Coupe, SLS AMG Coupe, 2015-2016 E400 4Matic Coupe, E400 Cabrio, E400 Coupe, 2011-2016 E550 Cabrio, E550 Coupe, 2011-2015 GLK350 4Matic, GLK350 RWD, and 2013-2015 GLK250 BlueTec 4Matic vehicles ever registered in the states of AZ, AR, DE, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV or "Zone B." MBUSA is also recalling certain 2012-2014 C250, E350 4Matic Coupe, SLS AMG Cabrio 2012-2015 C250 Coupe, C350 4Matic Coupe, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG Coupe, 2010-2011 C300, 2010-2014 C300 4Matic, C350, C63 AMG, E350 Coupe, 2011-2014 E350 Cabrio, SLS AMG Coupe, 2015-2016 E400 4Matic Coupe, E400 Cabrio, E400 Coupe, 2016-2017 E550 Cabrio, 2010-2016 E550 Coupe, 2010-2015 GLK350 4Matic, GLK350 RWD, and 2013-2015 GLK250 BlueTec 4Matic vehicles ever registered in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MO, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

  Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

  Remedy: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began March 29, 2019. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.

• Recall 17V627000Oct 6, 2017495,290 vehicles
  AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

  Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling these vehicles: 2014-2018 CLA250, CLA250 4Matic, CLA45 AMG 4Matic, 2015-2018 GLA250, GLA250 4Matic, GLA45 AMG 4Matic, C300 4Matic, C63S AMG, 2012-2014 C250, C350, C300 4Matic, E550 4Matic, 2013-2014 C63 AMG, 2012-2015 C250 Coupe, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG Coupe, 2013-2015 C350 4Matic Coupe, GLK250 4Matic BlueTec, GLK350, GLK350 4Matic, 2016-2017 C350e, C43 AMG, 2015 C400 4Matic, 2016-2018 C63 AMG, GLC300, GLC300 4Matic, 2017-2018 C300 Coupe, C300 4Matic Coupe, C43 AMG, C63 AMG Coupe, C63S AMG Coupe, C300 Cabriolet, C300 4Matic Cabriolet, C43 AMG Cabriolet, C63 AMG Cabriolet, C63S AMG Cabriolet, GLC300 4Matic Coupe, GLC43 AMG, GLC43 AMG Coupe, 2014 E350 Coupe, E350 4Matic Coupe, E350 Cabriolet, E400 Hybrid, 2015-2017 E400 Coupe, E400 4Matic Coupe, E400 Cabriolet, 2014-2017 E550 Coupe, E550 Cabriolet, B250e, 2014-2016 E250 BlueTec, E63 AMG 4Matic Wagon, 2012-2013 E350 BlueTec, 2012-2016 E350, E350 4Matic, 2015-2016 E400, E400 4Matic, 2012 E63 AMG, 2014-2015 E250 4Matic BlueTec, 2013-2016 E350 Wagon, 2017 GLC300d 4Matic, and 2018 GLC350e 4Matic. The driver's air bag may unexpectedly deploy due to insufficient grounding of the steering components if an electrostatic discharge occurs and the air bag clockspring is broken.

  Risk: If the driver air bag inadvertently deploys, it can increase the risk of injury and a crash.

  Remedy: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will add sufficient grounding to the steering components, free of charge. The recall began in December 6, 2017. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-877-496-3691.

• Recall 17V017000Jan 10, 2017104,119 vehicles
  AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

  Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2012 C300 4Matic, C250, C250 Coupe, C350, C350 Coupe 4Matic, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG, C63 AMG Coupe, E350 Coupe 4Matic, E350 Cabrio, E350 Coupe, E550 Cabrio, E550 Coupe, GLK350 4Matic, GLK350, SLS AMG Cabrio, and SLS AMG Coupe vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above MBUSA is recalling certain 2009 C300 4Matic, C300, C350 and C63 AMG vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above MBUSA is recalling certain 2008 C300 4Matic, C300, and C350 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

  Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

  Remedy: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag modules, free of charge. Owners were sent an interim notification in March 2017. Second notices started going out in October 2018 and continue to be mailed as parts become available. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-877-496-3691

NHTSA defect investigations

• EA21002Opened Sep 17, 2021Open

  Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

  From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.C…

Recent 2012 Mercedes-Benz C350 complaints

Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

1. Filed Aug 31, 2026ILBrakes

   Brake line corrosion issues, related and reported along with the sub-frame assembly corrosion. After getting the sub-frame repaired XXX, corrosion and deformation of the tie rods and control arms caused vibration and noise at speed, and while cornering. Repaired XXX and vehicle inspection discovered no leaks in the corroded brake lines. After this repair, brake fluid warning light appeared. Very costly repair done at the MB dealership, in [XXX]. This is a common defective…

   NHTSA complaint #11761115 · source
2. Filed Oct 1, 202453,000 miTXFuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion

   The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz C350. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed a strong smell of fuel around the exterior of the vehicle. In addition, the contact stated that while driving the vehicle, the fuel odor was extremely strong, and the contact could not wind the windows down. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to…

   NHTSA complaint #11617546 · source
3. Filed Feb 25, 2023PASuspensionTransmission & Drivetrain

   My car’s left side rear subframe is cracked due to corrosion. I started hearing a weird noise a week ago, and my car suddenly veered to the left side when I pressed the brake. I almost crashed my car because the car moved to the left of the yellow line on the road. I searched about this issue on Google and found that many C-Class owners (W204 generation) are experiencing the same issue due to the design flaws/defects by Mercedes-Benz. Now I have to pay up to $10,000 for the…

   NHTSA complaint #11509103 · source
4. Filed Jul 1, 202275,000 miINVisibility & Wipers

   The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz C350. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the sunroof glass shattered and landed on the sunroof cover. There was no impact on the sunroof that could have caused the sunroof to shatter. The contact and his daughter did not sustain any injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

   NHTSA complaint #11471965 · source
5. Filed May 24, 2021MDBody & StructureSuspension

   1. The (RH) rear suspension forward link attach point on the rear Suspension Cross-Member (Mercedes-Benz P/N: 204-350-01-41), separated from the sub frame due to internal corrosion of the Suspension Cross-Member. Part available for inspection. 2. When part failed, the RH rear wheel alignment was no-longer fixed; some loss of vehicle steering control was experienced, especially during braking and also turning. 3. Numerous reports of similar episodes of this failure are…

   NHTSA complaint #11418391 · source
6. Filed Mar 19, 2020NYAirbags

   Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2012 mercedes benz c350. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 19v010000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Mercedes benz of buffalo located at (8185 main street, williamsville, ny 14221), confirmed parts not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The…

   NHTSA complaint #11318684 · source
7. Filed Jan 14, 2020CAAirbags

   1 year after receiving recall letter for takata airbag recall (phase 4). Mercedes benz of san diego still will not replace the airbag. They will not give a date. They provided a telephone # for mercedes corporate customer care. The menu items for airbag status leads to a call that is never answered and/or will eventually disconnect. Date below is the date of the original letter from mercedes. Last call to dealership was 1/13/2020

   NHTSA complaint #11299348 · source

Compare the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C350 with another vehicle →

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 11, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology