2011 Mercedes-Benz C300: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 584 complaints
584
Total Complaints
80,000mi
Median Mileage
Air Bags
Top Issue
20
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

50,000 25th Percentile
80,000 Median Mileage
104,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Air Bags
250
Suspension
57
Electrical System
43
Fuel/Propulsion System
37
Body
34
Steering
34
Unknown Or Other
33
Exterior Lighting
19
Engine
10
Service Brakes
9

Severity Assessment

20
Crashes
6
Fires
22
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"BRAKE PEDAL IS NOTCHY OR STICKS DURING THE INITIAL PORTION OF PEDAL TRAVEL. INCONSISTENT BRAKE FEEL AT EACH STOP LEADS TO OVER OR UNDER BRAKING, DEPENDING ON WHETHER OR NOT THE PEDAL STICKS. IT HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED BY MERCEDES AS AN INTERNALLY LEAKING BRAKE BOOSTER, BUT THEY WON'T REPLACE IT, SAYING T..."
"BRAKE PEDAL IS NOTCHY OR STICKS DURING THE INITIAL PORTION OF PEDAL TRAVEL. INCONSISTENT BRAKE FEEL AT EACH STOP LEADS TO OVER OR UNDER BRAKING, DEPENDING ON WHETHER OR NOT THE PEDAL STICKS. IT HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED BY MERCEDES AS AN INTERNALLY LEAKING BRAKE BOOSTER, BUT THEY WON'T REPLACE IT, SAYING T..."
"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 MERCEDES BENZ C300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ENTERING A PARKING SPACE, THE BRAKES FAILED AND THE VEHICLE WENT OVER A CURB AND SLIGHTLY CRASHED INTO THE FRONT OF A BUILDING. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING AT SUCH A SLOW RATE OF SPEED..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Air Bags 250 complaints
25th: 44,000 mi Median: 60,000 mi 75th: 97,000 mi
Suspension 57 complaints
25th: 83,067 mi Median: 99,000 mi 75th: 112,875 mi
Electrical System 43 complaints
25th: 47,500 mi Median: 75,000 mi 75th: 90,500 mi
Fuel/Propulsion System 37 complaints
25th: 66,000 mi Median: 80,000 mi 75th: 116,574 mi
Body 34 complaints
25th: 47,000 mi Median: 105,000 mi 75th: 158,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 100 FL: 49 TX: 48 NJ: 34 PA: 34 VA: 24 OH: 24 NY: 22 CT: 20 MD: 18

Who Files Complaints?

1%
Original Owners
99%
Second+ Owners

Mercedes-Benz C300 — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
201059026
20123316
201334015
20141197
201550511
201635514
201728117

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28