Mercedes-Benz

Complaints & Reviews on USAComplaints

USAComplaints currently maintains 18 historical complaints about Mercedes-Benz, published between 2000 and 2013. No approved complaints have been published on this site during the last three years. For a current reputation snapshot, see the independent sources below.

• 2003 C240 Rusting Out and No Help From Customer ServicePublished Jun 7, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Seat Module Causes Battery to DiePublished Jan 15, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• E320 Vehicles From 2000 to 2004 Rust Through From the Inside OutPublished Jan 3, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• C230 Balance Shift Sprocket Repair Quote of $6,800 at 57,000 MilesPublished Jan 2, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation
• Extended Limited Warranty Refund Denied After Selling CarPublished Jan 27, 2012 · Historical consumer allegation
• Wiring Harness Failures Causing Power Loss and Accidents in Mercedes CarsPublished Jun 24, 2011 · Historical consumer allegation
• ML350 Radio Stopped Working After Six Years and $1,000 Replacement QuotePublished Aug 19, 2010 · Historical consumer allegation
• Balance Shaft Defect in 272/273 Engines Built 2005 to 2007Published Aug 2, 2010 · Historical consumer allegation
• Charged $690 Return Fee After Perfect Lease Return and Sent to CollectionsPublished Apr 3, 2010 · Historical consumer allegation
• ML320 Key Limit Forces $4,500 Ignition Module ReplacementPublished Nov 3, 2009 · Historical consumer allegation
• Failing Seat Modules Drain Battery in 2002 C320Published Jan 11, 2009 · Historical consumer allegation
• 1998 ML320 Does Not Recognize Car KeysPublished Dec 23, 2008 · Historical consumer allegation
• 1998 ML320 Will Not Start and $6999 Repair QuotePublished Dec 23, 2008 · Historical consumer allegation
• Certified Pre-Owned Mercedes Sold Without the Claimed 155-Point InspectionPublished Mar 27, 2006 · Historical consumer allegation
• Locked-Up Wheel After Using Original Lug Nuts on Spare TirePublished May 24, 2004 · Historical consumer allegation
• 1995 C280 Jerking Persists After $1100 Harness ReplacementPublished Mar 29, 2004 · Historical consumer allegation
• Defective C280 Engine Wiring Harness Replacement Costs $600 Plus InstallationPublished Jun 7, 2002 · Historical consumer allegation
• 1999 ML430 With Defective Belts, Air Conditioner and Child Seat Airbag SwitchPublished Mar 16, 2000 · Historical consumer allegation

Complaint Themes

Each tag reflects a complaint's single primary theme (not every angle it raised), and complaints outside any problem theme — a positive report, or one later retracted by its author — aren't tagged. Counts may total less than the full complaint count above.

Independent Sources

Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.

Contacts

• Official website: https://www.mbusa.com/
• Customer Care (U.S.), Mon-Fri 9 am-9 pm ET: 1-800-367-6372 2 complaints mention this number
• Takata airbag recall hotline: 1-877-496-3691
• Mercedes-Benz Financial Services (listed on the MBUSA page), Mon-Fri 9 am-9 pm ET: 1-800-654-6222 1 complaint mentions this number
• California Lemon Law notices and warranty questions: [email protected]
• Privacy Officer: [email protected]

Locations

Mercedes-Benz in the U.S.: who to contact, how to check recalls, lemon-law notices and complaint routes (checked October 16, 2026)

This page is about Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA), the U.S. company whose Terms of Use, Customer Care Center and recall pages are at mbusa.com. Vehicles are bought, leased and serviced at dealerships; MBUSA's own Terms of Use state that "Dealers are independent and are free to set their own prices." A complaint about a dealership's sale, price or repair is therefore a different business from MBUSA, the distributor. The routes below come from MBUSA's and NHTSA's own pages opened on October 16, 2026.

• Customer Care: MBUSA's support page lists "Customer Care ... Mon-Fri, 9 am - 9 pm (ET)" at (US) 1-800-367-6372 (the same number is shown for Roadside Assistance, which the page says is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and for Connected Car Services) and an "Email Us" form that says it responds "within 24 hours".
• Check recalls by VIN: mbusa.com/en/recall asks for the 17-digit VIN and says it shows "current or previous recalls" for U.S. vehicles; the page showed "Last updated: Oct 15, 2026". Takata airbag recall hotline listed by MBUSA: 1-877-496-3691.
• Warranty or California Lemon Law concerns: MBUSA's Lemon Law Help page gives 800-367-6372 and [email protected] and states that, at least 30 days before an action seeking civil penalties under Civil Code section 1794(c), the consumer shall send written notice to that email address or by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, to "Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC, Customer Care Center, One Mercedes-Benz Drive, Sandy Springs, GA 30328". The notice must contain your name, the VIN, a brief summary of the repair history and problems, and a demand that MBUSA repurchase or replace the vehicle. This is MBUSA's California notice; other states' lemon laws were not reviewed.
• Safety defects: NHTSA's page says you can report a possible safety defect online or call its Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236.
• Website terms: MBUSA's Terms of Use (effective November 1, 2019) contain an arbitration clause for disputes "in connection with these Terms", with an exception for claims that qualify for small claims court; they govern use of MBUSA's websites and apps. Vehicle purchase, lease and warranty documents are separate contracts and were not reviewed for this page.
• Financing and leases: the MBUSA page lists Mercedes-Benz Financial Services (1-800-654-6222, Mon-Fri 9 am-9 pm ET) as a separate line; this profile does not cover its loan or lease accounts beyond the four archive posts noted below.

Keep repair orders, dates and VIN-specific correspondence; they are the documents any warranty or lemon-law discussion starts from.

Regulator actions involving Mercedes-Benz USA

Federal diesel emissions case (consent decree entered March 9, 2021). EPA's page states that the Department of Justice, EPA and the California Air Resources Board resolved a civil case against Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC; the settlement was "filed on September 14, 2020 and entered by the Court on March 9, 2021" and resolves "violations of the Clean Air Act and California law based on Daimler's cheating on emission tests and failing to disclose unlawful defeat devices in approximately 250,000 diesel vehicles sold or leased in the United States" (model years 2009-2016 passenger cars and Sprinter vans, as EPA describes them). EPA lists a recall and repair program, an extended warranty on repaired vehicles, a civil penalty of $875 million ($743,750,000 to the United States and $131,250,000 to California), mitigation projects, and recall hotlines (passenger cars 1-833-841-9362; vans 1-833-841-9363). EPA's 2020 announcement values the whole package at about $1.5 billion. These are EPA's descriptions of the allegations and the settlement terms; the full consent decree is on the court docket.

Multistate attorneys-general settlement (announced December 22, 2025). The Colorado Attorney General's release says a coalition of 50 attorneys general announced a $149,673,750 settlement with Mercedes-Benz USA and Daimler AG over what the states allege were emissions defeat devices in more than 211,000 diesel passenger cars and vans sold from 2008 to 2016. It requires $120 million to be paid to the states on the settlement's effective date, with another $29,673,750 suspended and potentially waived pending completion of a consumer relief program. The consumer relief program covers an estimated 39,565 vehicles not repaired or permanently removed from U.S. roads by August 1, 2023; participating consumers get an extended warranty and a payment, and the companies bear the cost of installing the approved emissions software. The executed consent judgment linked from the release (captioned Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC and Mercedes-Benz Group AG, formerly Daimler AG; Denver District Court) sets the owner terms: an AEM Installation Incentive Payment of a maximum of $2,000 per Eligible Vehicle that received the approved emissions modification (AEM) between August 1, 2023 and August 31, 2026, paid only on a Valid Claim submitted by the Claim Submission Deadline, which the judgment defines as September 30, 2026. That deadline had passed as of October 16, 2026. The judgment also refers to the earlier class action In re Mercedes-Benz Emissions Litigation, No. 2:16-cv-881 (D.N.J.), under which, it says, eligible owners and lessees whose vehicles received an approved modification have received up to $3,290 per vehicle; the class, federal and state programs are separate. EPA's page lists owner-facing sites for the federal decree's repair program: BlueTecUpdate.mbusa.com (cars) and BlueTecUpdate.mbvans.com (vans).

NHTSA recall-reporting settlement (December 18, 2019). NHTSA's release says it "signed a $20 million settlement agreement with Mercedes Benz USA (MBUSA) to resolve Audit Query (AQ) 18-004", opened in 2018 to investigate MBUSA's recall reporting and recall execution practices, and that the settlement also addresses concerns about the operation and functionality of MBUSA's vehicle information number (VIN) recall lookup. The release is NHTSA's description; the agreement itself was not reviewed.

2006 EPA reporting settlement. EPA's page states that Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC and DaimlerChrysler AG agreed to pay $1.2 million in civil penalties for failing to promptly notify EPA about emission-related defects in numerous 1998-2006 model vehicles, with voluntary recalls and extended emissions warranties for specific models.

Recalls (NHTSA). The most recent recall found in the sources checked is NHTSA campaign 26V638: MBUSA is recalling certain 2022-2025 S-Class, Maybach S-Class and AMG S 63 E Performance vehicles (30,064 vehicles per NHTSA) because the "front brake hoses may rupture and leak brake fluid"; NHTSA's remedy text says dealers will replace the hoses free of charge, owner letters are expected to be mailed November 27, 2026, the recall "expands previous NHTSA recall number 25V116", and VINs became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 9, 2026. A complete list of every MBUSA recall was not compiled; use the VIN lookup above. MBUSA's recall page says recall information prior to January 1, 1990 is not included and that it does not provide recall information for non-US vehicles. No newer MBUSA campaign was found in the published NHTSA records checked (26V639 to 26V667) on October 16, 2026.

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC and the Mercedes-Benz Group

Who the U.S. company is. The Terms of Use are an agreement with "Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC, its affiliates, and subsidiaries (collectively 'MBUSA')", and the Customer Care Center is at One Mercedes-Benz Drive, Sandy Springs, Georgia 30328. EPA's page (2021) describes MBUSA as "a Delaware limited liability company with its headquarters in Sandy Springs, GA" and a "wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler AG" that "acts for and is under the control of Daimler AG in connection with the distribution of new motor vehicles in the United States". The Mercedes-Benz Group's website describes Mercedes-Benz Group AG as the "former Daimler AG". BBB's profile text says MBUSA "is responsible for the distribution, marketing and customer service for all Mercedes-Benz products in the United States". Older documents and complaints may use the names DaimlerChrysler or Daimler AG.

What MBUSA is not. Dealerships are independent businesses (see the Terms of Use quote above). Mercedes-Benz Financial Services appears on MBUSA's pages as its own line with its own phone number and credit-application disclosures. Complaints in our archive about a named dealership, a repair shop or a used-car seller are not complaints about MBUSA unless they say so.

MBUSA's About page says Mercedes-Benz was "founded in 1926 by Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler, Wilhelm Maybach and Emil Jellinek" with a corporate headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany; that is the company's own history of the brand.

Complaint record: our archive, BBB and Trustpilot (as displayed on October 16, 2026)

Our archive. usacomplaints.com has 18 approved complaints, dated 2000 to 2013, whose offender names Mercedes-Benz or Mercedes-Benz USA / North America / America at the manufacturer level, which are linked to this page as MBUSA's own. Four more posts name Mercedes-Benz Credit or Financial and are linked as affiliate (not primary), and two name a dealership together with MB USA or the MBrace service and are linked as brand mentions. Posts about individual dealerships, repair shops, parts sellers, home builders named Mercedes and DaimlerChrysler/Dodge vehicles are not linked. These are consumers' accounts, not findings.

BBB. BBB's headquarters profile "Mercedes Benz Corporate Offices" (1 Mercedes Benz Dr, Sandy Springs) displayed on October 16, 2026: not BBB Accredited, rating F, with the reasons BBB lists, quoted: "Failure to respond to 607 complaint(s) filed against business" and "Business has failed to resolve underlying cause(s) of a pattern of complaints"; "608 total complaints in the last 3 years" and "178 complaints filed in the last 12 months"; customer reviews 1.25/5 from 53 reviews. BBB's profile also carries a government-action alert that refers to the 2021 consent decree described above. The letter rating and the review average are different BBB measures, and BBB says the displayed complaint text may not represent all complaints. BBB shows other files under the Mercedes-Benz USA name that are not used here.

Trustpilot. The Trustpilot page for www.mbusa.com showed 111 reviews, a score of 1.5 and an unclaimed profile on October 16, 2026; Trustpilot states it does not fact-check reviews. BBB and Trustpilot figures are separate sources and are not combined.

Court cases involving Mercedes-Benz USA

Two matters are listed below with their docket or settlement-website status as opened on October 16, 2026. Other private consumer lawsuits against MBUSA exist; they were not compiled for this page and their absence here does not mean there are none.

• United States v. Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (D.D.C. No. 1:20-cv-02564): complaint and lodged consent decree September 14, 2020; the court granted the motion to enter the consent decree and the California partial consent decree on March 9, 2021; the docket shows later stipulations non-materially modifying the decree (September 30, 2021 and January 25, 2022).
• Hazdovac v. Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (N.D. Cal. No. 3:20-cv-377): a class settlement about emissions-warranty parts. The settlement website says the plaintiff alleges MBUSA did not identify 14 parts as high-cost emissions warranty parts covered for 7 years/70,000 miles, and that MBUSA "denies the material factual allegations and legal claims". The site says the Court issued a Final Approval Order and Judgment on June 25, 2026. Class members were owners or lessees in 'Section 177' states of vehicles from model year 2015 or later (the start year differs by state); the claim deadline for repairs before the March 16, 2026 notice date was May 15, 2026, and for repairs after the notice date but before the effective date, 60 days from the repair; reimbursement is 50 percent of out-of-pocket repair costs and 100 percent of diagnosis costs, and the settlement provides going-forward coverage for the parts. The CourtListener docket (filed January 17, 2020) shows entry 138, an order of June 25, 2026 granting final approval, and the case terminated June 26, 2026; no notice of appeal appears on that docket as viewed on October 16, 2026. The model-year start of class coverage differs by state (the FAQ lists California as 2015); the Section 177 states named in the FAQ are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Reimbursement covers qualifying repairs, replacement or diagnosis at an Authorized Service Center, and going-forward coverage is for the Subject Parts between 4 years/50,000 miles and 7 years/70,000 miles; check the FAQ for the state table and exclusions.

Is Mercedes-Benz Legitimate?

EPA's page describes Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC as a Delaware limited liability company headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia; the company publishes a headquarters address in Sandy Springs, Georgia, published Customer Care and recall channels, and a parent that EPA identified as Daimler AG, now named Mercedes-Benz Group AG. It is also the subject of a federal consent decree on diesel emissions (2021), a multistate attorneys-general settlement announced in December 2025, an F rating on BBB's headquarters profile and a 1.5 Trustpilot score, all as described above and all in the sources' own words. This page does not give its own rating or verdict; use the primary documents and your own vehicle's records.

Court & Public Records

Related Complaints

Names this company in a role other than the primary subject — not necessarily current or complete.

• Named as an affiliate: Consumer Report
• Named as an affiliate: Consumer Report
• Named as a brand of this company: Stolen Ca
• Named as an affiliate: "First Class Finish" Lease Return Department SUCKS!
• Named as a brand of this company: Misrepresentation, Misleading Options, Bait & Switch, Retaliation for Honest National Customer Survey ripoff
• Named as an affiliate: Ripoff

Company Relationships

• Owned by: Mercedes-Benz Group AG
• Affiliated with: Mercedes-Benz Financial Services

Frequently Asked Questions