2008 Mercedes-Benz GL450 problems
Owners have filed 92 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Mercedes-Benz GL450. Steering is the most reported problem area, at 24% of complaints. Next are suspension (16%) and brakes (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 92 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Steering 24% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 10 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 12 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 63,000 miles 65 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 | 16 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 9 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 6 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 10 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 9 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 8 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 3 |
What the data shows
Of the 65 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 63,000 miles. For steering specifically, the median reported mileage is about 74,000 miles (17 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 10 complaints mention a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire; 12 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2008 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 7 model years of the Mercedes-Benz GL450 with enough data (47 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 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.
On april 30th 2009 while driving car slipped into low gear on its own. On may 1st while pulling out of a driveway and going to make a left turn on a major road the car again slipped into low gear. Ten minutes later while easing into a shopping center parking spot the car shot forward and crashed into a concrete pillar. I was driving the car and injured my wrist and my mother who was in the passenger seat injured her ankle. The air bags didn't deploy.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 mercedes benz gl450. The contact stated that the power steering malfunctioned while he was driving at 30 MPH and the vehicle became uncontrollable. The vehicle crashed into a fire hydrant and the contact suffered minor injuries. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the power steering unit was replaced and fluids changed. The contact called the manufacturer but was offered no assistance. The current and failure mileages were approximately 54,000.
Today I was shopping in a store while my teenage son waited in the car for me. He came running in the store accompanied by a witness that was in the parking lot to tell me that something on my car exploded outside. The adult witness explained that the noise was so loud and so abrasive that they thought a bomb went off. It shook the entire car. Luckily nobody was hurt. What would have happened if this incident took place while I was driving the car? It has to have something to do with the air suspension.
I noticed a strong gas smell after a full tank of gas with my mercedes benz gl450 after I received it back from the mercedes benz dealer to replace the driver side fuel sending unit to fix the broken fuel gauge. The strong gas odor was non-existent before the repair. Initially, I thought it was just a residual smell due to the repair but after a week when I filled again, the gas smell was still there. The smell is so bad especially in the morning when I get inside the garage.