"How reliable is the 2016 Mercedes-Benz C300?"

"Based on 355 NHTSA complaints, the 2016 Mercedes-Benz C300 has a median complaint mileage of 38500 miles. The most common issue is Engine."

"What are common problems with the 2016 Mercedes-Benz C300?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2016 Mercedes-Benz C300 is Engine, accounting for a significant portion of the 355 total complaints filed."

2016 Mercedes-Benz C300: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 355 complaints

355

Total Complaints

38,500mi

Median Mileage

Engine

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

10,250 25th Percentile

38,500 Median Mileage

56,750 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Engine

Unknown Or Other

Fuel/Propulsion System

Electrical System

Body

Power Train

Steering

Sun/Moon Roof Assembly

Service Brakes

Visibility/Wiper

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I BOUGHT A NEW 2016 C-CLASS MERCEDES BENZ . I HAD THE CAR FOR LESS THAN 24 HOURS WHEN THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE VEHICLE IN AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE A FIX FOR THE PROBLEM. IT IS A PROBLEM WITH THE AMBIENT AIRFLOW. THE ENGINE DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY, CAUSING A ROUGH ..."

"2016 MERCEDES BENZ C-300. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE FUEL SYSTEM CAUSES GAS STATIONS NOZZLE TO DISENGAGE PREMATURELY, WHICH MAKES FILLING FUEL TANK DIFFICULT. *SMD"

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS AN EXTENSIVE GLARE THAT IMPACTED THE CONTACT'S VISIBILITY PERTAINING TO THE MIRRORS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND ADVISED THE CONTACT TO HAVE A DEALER INSPECT THE VEHICLE. THE SERVICE CENTER MANAGER..."

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.

Engine 90 complaints

25th: 5,950 mi Median: 18,500 mi 75th: 54,500 mi

Unknown Or Other 61 complaints

25th: 14,950 mi Median: 30,006 mi 75th: 46,250 mi

Fuel/Propulsion System 56 complaints

25th: 36,025 mi Median: 50,000 mi 75th: 73,025 mi

Electrical System 29 complaints

25th: 8,174 mi Median: 10,500 mi 75th: 39,500 mi

Body 23 complaints

25th: 8,724 mi Median: 26,999 mi 75th: 47,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 53 TX: 33 FL: 29 GA: 26 NY: 23 OH: 19 VA: 15 NJ: 14 MD: 13 IL: 12

Who Files Complaints?

0.3%

Original Owners

99.7%

Second+ Owners

Mercedes-Benz C300 — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
2010	590	67,000	Air Bags	26
2011	584	80,000	Air Bags	20
2012	331	90,000	Air Bags	6
2013	340	80,000	Air Bags	15
2014	119	34,683	Air Bags	7
2015	505	40,000	Engine	11
2017	281	28,500	Engine	17

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