2012 Mercedes-Benz C204

Owner complaints

What owners report most

1. Electrical system2
2. Air bags1
3. Fuel/propulsion system1
4. Steering1

Latest complaints

• Feb 4, 2020NC82,000 mi
  Electrical system

  Esl sudden failure, apparently this IS a very common failure for this vehicle for years now with no action to recall or address the design of this part. Car IS immobilized and must be towed, but only to dealer who must program the part but not sell it to customer or other service center to repair or replace.

• Dec 14, 2019FL
  Electrical system · Steering
  There's been several complaints on the electronic steering lock (esl) going bad. I experienced this danger exact failure. The car just hit 80,000 miles and this failure happened. When there esl locks, you cannot turn on the car to do anything. I happened to be out of town and I had to get my car…

  There's been several complaints on the electronic steering lock (esl) going bad. I experienced this danger exact failure. The car just hit 80,000 miles and this failure happened. When there esl locks, you cannot turn on the car to do anything. I happened to be out of town and I had to get my car towed home which costed me over $400 and diver the steering was locked they had to use special dollies to tow my car. The dealership was going to charge me $2200 to do the repair which IS unheard of and it's ridiculous. the vehicle was parked and stationarity. Put the key in the ignition and nothing happens. I thought the issue was with the ignition but it's the steering lock since it will not unlock. The issue appears to be with the motor inside of the unit failing.

• Nov 22, 2019NM27,000 mi1 injury
  Fuel/propulsion system
  There are small cracks that have developed in the top of the fuel sending unit. this allows fuel to leak out of the top of the fuel pump and pool in the center of the pump where there are a number of electrical wires that are submerged in fuel. this IS a potentially deadly problem as there IS a…

  There are small cracks that have developed in the top of the fuel sending unit. this allows fuel to leak out of the top of the fuel pump and pool in the center of the pump where there are a number of electrical wires that are submerged in fuel. this IS a potentially deadly problem as there IS a real potential for ignition of the leaked fuel which IS right underneath the drivers side passenger seat where my 5 year old's child seat IS located. there IS also an extremely strong odor of gas inside the car which IS strong enough to cause light headedness and possible syncope. this IS an extremely dangerous situation. the ntsb opened up an investigation of this issue the national highway traffic safety administration opened a probe in january 2012 after receiving 20 reports in 2003-2006 E55 AMG vehicles and expanded the probe last year into all 2003-2008 e-class vehicles. owners said they reported a strong odor of gasoline fuel both inside and outside of their vehicle, particularly after refilling the fuel tank. Many complaints said the odor subsided after driving some distance thereby lowering the fuel level in the tank. Other owners reported they would only fill the gas tank to about three-quarters full to avoid the odor. Some owners said fuel leaked from the fuel filter/sender, located on the top of the fuel tank on the driver's side, and collected on top of the tank. this IS a known issue but there are other models and year models that are affected and did not fall under the mercedes recall campaign.

• Nov 8, 2017CA
  Air bags

  I have received a letter from takata recall for my mercedes-benz's airbag replacement.

Service bulletins

Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.

• 10167546FC 2783 (Friction power of torque converter lockup clutch is too high) or FC 0741 (Actuation of torque converter lockup clutch not possible) stored in transmission control unit. One possible additional customer complaint could be "poor acceleration" e.g. due to engine intervention. This can affect all NAT2FE+ (7G-TRONIC PLUS) vehicles with engines OM651, OM642LS and M278 in the production period from 04/2011 to 02/2012 and with more than 10,000 km. The two fault codes can also occur in combination with rpm sensor faults (see also GI27.50-P-035556). The rpm sensor fault is not connected with this complaint.
• 10167019Blind Spot Assist inoperative.
• 10166976Message in instrument cluster "DISTRONIC PLUSCurrently Unavailable - See Owner's Manual"
• 10166975This Customer 1 Action has been initiated because certain mbrace subscribers were recently contacted by mbrace informing them that they need to have an i-button call performed to ensure their mbrace device has registered with the Verizon Telematics systems. If the i-button call failed or if the customer was unable to perform the i-button call, the mbrace agent instructed the customer to make an appointment with their dealer to have the issue corrected and/or i-button call performed. The vehicles impacted range from model year 2002 to 2014.
• 10164808Various fault codes present in TPM Control Unit, vehicles with code 475 and code B03
• 10158329Oil in engine wiring harness
• 10158301Replace Driver-Side and (if applicable) Front Passenger Air Bag
• 10158269COMAND Online: After map update is aborted, navigation no longer functions
• 10151966Seat cushion fore/aft adjuster seat cushion cover becomes detached
• 10151959Seat belt extender toothed rack sluggish or makes noises
• 10144290Road test cannot be started after exchanging the ESP control unit or after successfully updating the software.
• 10144289"Tire pressure loss detection system inoperative" message in instrument cluster in yellow.
• 10144135Noise in area of steering column after conducting service measure 1709P46C60 "Check mechanical steering column, rework if necessary"
• 10144107Noise in area of steering column after conducting service measure 1709P46C60 "Check mechanical steering column, rework if necessary"
• 10136063Rattling noises in area of 2-stage turbocharger, OM651
• 10136042Creaking noise when adjusting electrical steering column
• 10136041Selector lever blocks in position "P" (brake applied)
• 10136039Crackling and cracking noises when cornering
• 10136035Complaints about poor wiping effect of winshield wiper
• 10136034Fault code P245997, P246397, P245900, P246385 or P246309 stored in engine control unit
• 10136033Fault message in instrument cluster on engine start "Power Steering Malfunction, Service Required"
• 10136031Engine noises (rattling) after engine start
• 10136030Seat belt adjustment intermittently inoperative and causes noises.
• 10136029SENTEX gate operator with Clik Card Remote not compatible with Homelink
• 10136027Active Blind Spot Assist intermittenly inoperative
• 10136026Procedure in case of slight oil traces on TRANSMISSION 722.9
• 10136020Procedure in case of slight oil traces on TRANSMISSION 722.9
• 10135979Audio/COMAND display: Sporadic failures of central display
• 10135974Rattling noise after engine start for several seconds
• 10135971Flashing or SCN coding of airbag control units
• 10135966Friction power of torque converter lockup clutch is too high (FC 2783) or actuation of torque converter lockup clutch not possible (FC 0741)
• 10135963Procedure in case of slight oil traces on TRANSMISSION 722.9 with CODE B03
• 10135962Fault code P045600 or P044200 without complaints about engine running characteristics
• 10135950Engine makes intermittent knocking noise, ticking/crackling
• 10135937Door seal on front door/rear door loose
• 10135931Front seat backrest trim protrudes
• 10135917Malfunctions of various control units and/or on-board power supply problems caused by water in the control unit tray under the driver/front passenger seat (dislocated, pinched or leaking condensation hose)
• 10135911COMAND: Does not start, cannot be operated, COMAND display remains dark
• 10135910Mobile phone in general: The driver is sometimes poorly understood by the receiver, background noise is occasionally audible during a telephone call
• 10135888Facebook app cannot be opened

Every Mercedes-Benz C204 model year

Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.