2012 Mercedes-Benz C204.9: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
3 owner complaints analyzed
0 distinct recall campaigns
57,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2012 model year. Data updated: . 2 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.
This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.
Owner-reported patterns
Most common problems
Electrical System is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 3 complaints (33.3%). A complaint can name multiple components.
Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic
Matching reports
Share of complaints
Braking behavior
1
33.3%
Steering behavior
1
33.3%
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
Under 25,000
0
25,000 to 49,999
1
50,000 to 74,999
1
75,000 to 99,999
0
100,000 to 149,999
0
150,000 and above
0
Reported problems by failure mileage data
Category
Count
Under 25,000
0
25,000 to 49,999
1
50,000 to 74,999
1
75,000 to 99,999
0
100,000 to 149,999
0
150,000 and above
0
Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 1; 50,000 to 74,999: 1; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
25,000 to 49,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (1). 1 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
2020
3
Complaints over time data
Category
Count
2020
3
2020: 3
Pattern summary
Electrical System leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
MY VEHICLE STARTED TO PULL LEFT WHEN BRAKING. HAD ALL BRAKES REPLACED AND PULLING CONITNUED. AFTER FURTHER REVIEW, FOUND OUT THAT THE REAR CROSSMEMBER / SUB-FRAME WAS ROTTED ON THE DRIVER SIDE. WHEN BRAKING, THE REAR DRIVER SIDE WHEEL SHIFTS. YOU CAN SEE THE REAR CALIPER MOVE UP. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE SUBFRAME IS SO ROTTED THAT IT SHIFTS THE ARMS COMING OFF OF IT (EITHER TRAILING OR TORQUE ARM), CAUSING A DANGEROUS SHIFT IN THE BRAKE/WHEEL. CALLED MERCEDES CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND ALL THEY OFFERED WAS A SMALL DISCOUNT ON THE FULL REPAIR COST, WH…
MY VEHICLE AND MANY OTHER MERCEDES BENZ MODELS SUFFER A FAILED ELECTRONIC IGNITION SWITCH AND ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK. THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT AMONGST MANY MODELS/YEARS OF MERCEDES BENZ VEHICLES AND ONLY A DEALER CAN REPAIR. THE COST OF REPAIR IS $1,900. THE CAUSES THE VEHICLES TO BE UNABLE TO START, AND VERY CLEARLY, A MANUFACTURER DEFECT.
0 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
No recall campaigns are recorded in this snapshot.
Explore the data
Vehicle analysis explorer
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
3 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
66.7%Usable mileage2 / 3 records
100.0%Valid incident date3 / 3 records
100.0%Valid filing date3 / 3 records
100.0%Ordered incident and filing dates3 / 3 records
Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.
Problems by model year
Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.
Component complaint heatmap
Component
2011
2012
2013
2014
Electrical System
00.0%
No examples available for this selection.
133.3%ODI 11351943
MY VEHICLE AND MANY OTHER MERCEDES BENZ MODELS SUFFER A FAILED ELECTRONIC IGNITION SWITCH AND ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK. THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT AMONGST MANY MODELS/YEARS OF MERCEDES BENZ VEHICLES AND ONLY A DEALER CAN REPAIR. THE COST OF REPAIR IS $1,900. THE CAUSES THE VEHICLES TO BE UNABLE TO START, AND VERY CLEARLY, A MANUFACTURER DEFECT.
VEHICLE WAS STOLEN IN FLORIDA I PURCHASED IT AFTER BEING FIXED AND THEY STATED THAT THERE WHERE ELECTRICAL ISSUES AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE AND LIGHTS PERTAINING TO AIRBAGS WOULD FLASH. AFRAID BAGS WOULD GO OFF WHILE DRIVING AND CAUSE ACCIDENT.
NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT SPUTTERING OR SHUDDERING WHEN STARTING MY CAR ALONG WITH GRAYISH BLUE/BLACK SMOKE FROM EXHAUST. I ALSO HAVE HAD CASES OF DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND THEN IT HESITATES, WHICH PUTS MY FAMILY AND I IN DANGER . DEALERSHIP CLAIMS THEY COULD NOT FIND ROOT CAUSE AND THEY STATED IT WAS WORKING TO MB SPECIFICATION. EVENTUALLY I GOT A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT JUST WHEN IT GOT OUT OF EXTENDED WARRANT AND THEN THE STATED I HAD GOTTEN OIL THROUGH MY CAMSHAFT SENSORS AND THEN THROUGH MY HARNESS. COST OF REPAIR WAS OVER 10K. SUBSEQUENTLY AB…
2 CAMSHAFT ADJUSTERS REPLACED AT 104,000 MILES. SOME FAIL EVERY 50-60,000 MILES. WORK DONE AT HOEHN MERCEDES. BEFORE REPAIR - SLOW CRANK AT START, SOME SMOKE WHEN ENGINE STARTING, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. *TR
MY VEHICLE AND MANY OTHER MERCEDES BENZ MODELS SUFFER A FAILED ELECTRONIC IGNITION SWITCH AND ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK. THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT AMONGST MANY MODELS/YEARS OF MERCEDES BENZ VEHICLES AND ONLY A DEALER CAN REPAIR. THE COST OF REPAIR IS $1,900. THE CAUSES THE VEHICLES TO BE UNABLE TO START, AND VERY CLEARLY, A MANUFACTURER DEFECT.
VEHICLE WAS STOLEN IN FLORIDA I PURCHASED IT AFTER BEING FIXED AND THEY STATED THAT THERE WHERE ELECTRICAL ISSUES AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE AND LIGHTS PERTAINING TO AIRBAGS WOULD FLASH. AFRAID BAGS WOULD GO OFF WHILE DRIVING AND CAUSE ACCIDENT.
THE COMPANY HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIX THE AIRBAGS OF MY CAR BECAUSE OF THE PART IS NOT AVAILABLE IN THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP. THIS IS MY SECOND COMPLAIN TO THE NHTSA. MY FIRST WAS IN 2018. IT IS SAD THAT A SAFETY ISSUE BY THE COMPANY IS NOT BEEN TAKEN CARE BY THE COMPANY EVEN AFTER 2 YEARS.
STOPPED AT GAS STATION TO GET GAS FOR CAR AS SOON I WAS PUMPING GAS I CAN SMELL & SEE GAS FALLING ON THE FLOOR RIGHT BY THE BACK PASSENGER REAR TIRE. WAITED FOR DRY UP. THEN WENT HOME PARKED CAR CAME BACK OUT SAW A PUDDLE OF GAS WAITED FOR DRY UP. WENT UNDERNEATH AND SAW THE RESIDUE THAT IT HAD LEFT BEHIND AND IT LOOK LIKE IT WAS CRACK FROM THE GAS TANK.
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CODE P0002. ACCELERATING IN ANY FORM FROM THE STREET OR ESPECIALLY THE HIGHWAY MERGING ON, THERE IS A SUPERIOR LOSS OF POWER/ACCELERATION. VERY DANGEROUS AS YOU ARE A HAZARD COMING INTO THE HIGHWAY AND DO NOT HAVE ADEQUATE ACCELERATION WHEN ON RAMPS ARE A VERY SHORT DISTANCE. I BELIEVE IT'S THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP AS COUNTLESS OTHERS HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE WITH THEIR VEHICLE.
I CAN'T BELIEVE I EXPERIENCED THAT .. MY CAR ALL OF THE SUDDEN JERKED ON THE FREEWAY AND STARTED SHAKING . I SERIOUSLY THOUGHT WE HAD AN EARTHQUAKE .. THEN IT ACCELERATED AND THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW I'M GOING 25 MILES AND HOUR .. SO GLAD I WAS NEAR AN EXIT I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL ROLLED DOWN THE HILL , MADE A TURN AND SHUT IT OFF .TOOK ME A MINUTE TO GATHER MYSELF .. WHAT IF I WAS IN A MIDDLE LANE ? WHAT IF SOMEONE COULDN'T PRESS THE BREAKS IN TIME🤦🏻‍♀️🤯😡...
VEHICLE WAS STOLEN IN FLORIDA I PURCHASED IT AFTER BEING FIXED AND THEY STATED THAT THERE WHERE ELECTRICAL ISSUES AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE AND LIGHTS PERTAINING TO AIRBAGS WOULD FLASH. AFRAID BAGS WOULD GO OFF WHILE DRIVING AND CAUSE ACCIDENT.
THERE IS A GLASS ROOF PANEL BETWEEN THE WINDSHIELD AND THE SUNROOF. THIS GLASS PANEL IS EXTREMELY BRITTLE AND SHATTERS EASILY. THIS IS MY SECOND TIME HAVING TO REPLACE THIS GLASS PANEL. IT IS A DEALER ONLY PART AND COSTS $960 PLUS $300 FOR INSTALLATION. THE COST OF THIS GLASS PANEL IS EXTREMELY HIGH. BOTH TIMES THIS GLASS PANEL SHATTERED, NOTHING HIT IT. IT APPEARS AS SMALL CRACKS AT FIRST AND THEN SPREADS. BECAUSE IT IS SO BRITTLE, IT EVENTUALLY SHATTERS. THERE IS A RECALL ON THIS SPECIFIC PART WITH OTHER MERCEDES MODELS BUT NOT THE C2…
MY VEHICLE STARTED TO PULL LEFT WHEN BRAKING. HAD ALL BRAKES REPLACED AND PULLING CONITNUED. AFTER FURTHER REVIEW, FOUND OUT THAT THE REAR CROSSMEMBER / SUB-FRAME WAS ROTTED ON THE DRIVER SIDE. WHEN BRAKING, THE REAR DRIVER SIDE WHEEL SHIFTS. YOU CAN SEE THE REAR CALIPER MOVE UP. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE SUBFRAME IS SO ROTTED THAT IT SHIFTS THE ARMS COMING OFF OF IT (EITHER TRAILING OR TORQUE ARM), CAUSING A DANGEROUS SHIFT IN THE BRAKE/WHEEL. CALLED MERCEDES CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND ALL THEY OFFERED WAS A SMALL DISCOUNT ON THE FULL REPAIR COST, WH…
Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.
Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.
Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples
Monthly complaint and recall timeline
Month
Complaints
Campaigns announced
Examples
2024-11
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2024-12
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-01
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-02
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-03
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-04
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-05
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-06
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-07
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-08
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-09
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-10
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-11
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-12
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-01
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-02
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-03
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-04
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-05
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-06
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-07
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-08
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-09
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-10 (partial)
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
Emerging complaint spikes
Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.
This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.
No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.
Equal-age model-year comparison
Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.
2013: 0 complaints · 2014: 0 complaints
Equal observation windows
Model year
Through age 0
Through age 1
Through age 2
2013
0
0
0
2014
0
0
0
Date coverage across each selected cohort
Date basis for all complaints in selected model years
Year
Incident dates used
Filing date fallbacks
Excluded dates
2013
5
0
0
2014
8
0
0
Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.
Components reported together
Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.
Component co-occurrence matrix
Component
Electrical System
Engine
Steering
Unknown Or Other
Electrical System
—
0
1ODI 11351943
MY VEHICLE AND MANY OTHER MERCEDES BENZ MODELS SUFFER A FAILED ELECTRONIC IGNITION SWITCH AND ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK. THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT AMONGST MANY MODELS/YEARS OF MERCEDES BENZ VEHICLES AND ONLY A DEALER CAN REPAIR. THE COST OF REPAIR IS $1,900. THE CAUSES THE VEHICLES TO BE UNABLE TO START, AND VERY CLEARLY, A MANUFACTURER DEFECT.
MY VEHICLE AND MANY OTHER MERCEDES BENZ MODELS SUFFER A FAILED ELECTRONIC IGNITION SWITCH AND ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK. THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT AMONGST MANY MODELS/YEARS OF MERCEDES BENZ VEHICLES AND ONLY A DEALER CAN REPAIR. THE COST OF REPAIR IS $1,900. THE CAUSES THE VEHICLES TO BE UNABLE TO START, AND VERY CLEARLY, A MANUFACTURER DEFECT.
Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.
Recurring narrative patterns
Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.
1 patterns with matching reports.
Steering assistance concerns
1 mentions · 33.3% of complaints
Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).
ODI 11351943
MY VEHICLE AND MANY OTHER MERCEDES BENZ MODELS SUFFER A FAILED ELECTRONIC IGNITION SWITCH AND ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK. THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT AMONGST MANY MODELS/YEARS OF MERCEDES BENZ VEHICLES AND ONLY A DEALER CAN REPAIR. THE COST OF REPAIR IS $1,900. THE CAUSES THE VEHICLES TO BE UNABLE TO START, AND VERY CLEARLY, A MANUFACTURER DEFECT.