2012 Mercedes-Benz C300 problems
NHTSA has received 335 complaints about the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C300, and 34% of them involve air bags. Next are suspension (21%) and body & structure (16%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 335 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 34% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 6 and 8
- Injuries and deaths
- 7 and 1
- Typical mileage
- 90,000 miles 104 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 6 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 7 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 15 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 15 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 22 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 14 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 14 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 7 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 3 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 104 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 90,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 51,000 miles (18 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 6 complaints mention a crash; 8 complaints mention a fire; 7 injuries reported; 1 death reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2012 ranks 10th most-complained-about out of 15 model years of the Mercedes-Benz C300 with enough data (92 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 mercedes benz c300. The contact stated that the driver veered into oncoming traffic and the vehicle rolled over. The driver then crashed into another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The driver sustained fatal injuries and the passenger was taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a salvage lot. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 25000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2012 mercedes-benz c300. The contact stated that while driving at 15 MPH, the air bags deployed which caused the driver to be unable to view the road or control the vehicle. The vehicle crashed into a tree. A police report was filed. The driver and passenger were injured. The driver sustained injuries to his right hand, neck and left leg. The passenger sustained injuries to her neck. Both parties injured required immediate medical attention. The vehicle was towed and deemed destroyed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 mercedes benz c300. While stopped at a red light with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle accelerated extremely fast into an intersection. As a result, the contact's vehicle was struck by another vehicle on the front driver's side door. The contact suffered a broken clavicle, a bruised ankle, chest, and back. Medical attention was received. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the police impound lot. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure.
My vehicle was damaged by k and h auto. The electrical unit is malfunctioning, the light is broken on the right side, and the rotors and brakes have been rusted, please have someone attend to this matter. Thanks, and have a very blessed day. Another company by the name of ans towing, towed my vehicle without care and I am now having acceleration issues with my vehicle. The vehicle was dragged through water on october 17-18, 2018.
The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, extra brake travel time was needed to stop the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was purchased, and he was informed that the failure was caused by the new brake pads placed on the vehicle.