2023 Mercedes-Benz C 300 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes (4) · Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking (3) · Tires:sidewall (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Mercedes-Benz C 300 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (9)
Latches/Locks/Linkages:doors:lock 2026-07-24 · campaign 26V481000 · 310,667 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2020-2021 CLA, 2019-2022 A-Class, 2022-2023 C-Class, 2024 CLE, 2020-2026 GLA/GLB, and 2023-2024 GLC vehicles. Please refer to MBUSA's recall report for specific model information. The micro-switch in the driver's door lock may corrode and fail to detect an open door, preventing the electronic parking brake or "Auto-Park" feature from engaging automatically. This may result in a vehicle rollaway.
Risk: A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver's door lock, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 18, 2026. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model and model years. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning July 31, 2026.
Electrical System:wiring:fuses And Circuit Breakers 2025-05-12 · campaign 25V255000 · 443 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2023-2024 C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, SL, GLC, EQE SUV, EQE, EQS SUV, and EQS vehicles that were incorrectly repaired under recall 24V-115. An incorrect fuse box that was not designed for the vehicle may have been installed.
Risk: An incorrect fuse box can result in a sudden loss of drive power or a loss of critical safety functions such as the restraint systems or instrument cluster, increasing the risk of a crash or injury. Additionally, there could be an increased risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the main fuse boxes, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 6, 2025. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2025050003/4.
Seat Belts:front 2025-05-02 · campaign 25V253000 · 46 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2022-2025 C 300, and 2023-2024 AMG C 43 vehicles. The driver-side seat belt cover may not be properly installed on the seat belt tensioner, which can cause the seat belt anchor to come loose.
Risk: A loose seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair the seat belt covers, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 16, 2025. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2025040012.
Electrical System:wiring:fuses And Circuit Breakers 2024-06-14 · campaign 24V446000 · 1,058 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2022-2023 C 300 vehicles. The bolt securing the electrical wire to the pre-fuse box could be improperly tightened, causing the wire to overheat. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2024070005.
Risk: An overheated wire can cause a fire and a sudden loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and rework the wiring harness, as necessary free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 2, 2024. Owner may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-877-496-3691.
Electrical System:wiring:fuses And Circuit Breakers 2024-02-16 · campaign 24V115000 · 31,848 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2023-2024 C300, AMG C43, S580e, S580, Maybach S580, Maybach S680, AMG SL43, AMGSL63, GLC300, EQE350, EQE500, EQS450, EQS580, AMG EQS, 2023 S500, AMG SL55, AMG EQE, 2024 E350, E450, AMG C63e S, CLE300 Coupe, CLE450 Coupe, and GLC300 Coupe vehicles. The 80-Amp fuses may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can cause the fuses to fail.
Risk: An 80-Amp fuse that fails can result in a sudden loss of drive power or a loss of critical safety functions such as the restraint systems or instrument cluster, increasing the risk of a crash or injury. Additionally, there could be an increased risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the main fuse boxes, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 5, 2024. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2024030008.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump 2023-12-21 · campaign 23V880000 · 79,676 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2021-2024 GLE, GLS, C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, SL, GLC, CLS, AMG GT, and G-Class vehicles. Please refer to MBUSA's recall report for specific vehicle details. The fuel pump may shutdown, causing a loss of drive power.
Risk: A loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 28, 2024. Owner notification letters will be mailed in phases, on February 23, 2024, April 19, 2024, June 28, 2024, August 9, 2024, October 1, 2024, and December 2, 2024. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 23V-445.
Electrical System:wiring 2023-06-30 · campaign 23V462000 · 8,178 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2022-2023 C300 and 2023 AMG C43 vehicles. The transmission wiring harness may be the incorrect length, which can result in harness damage and a loss of drive power.
Risk: A loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair the transmission wiring harness routing, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 18, 2023. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6373. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2023070015.
Electrical System:wiring 2023-06-30 · campaign 23V463000 · 1,558 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2022-2023 C300 and 2023 AMG C43 vehicles. The ground connections for the electrical wiring harness may not be secured properly, which can result in the electrical wiring harness overheating.
Risk: An overheated wiring harness can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair the ground connections for the electrical wiring harness, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2023. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6373. MBUSA's numbers for this recall are 2023070016, 2023070017, 2023070018, and 2024070016.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump 2023-06-26 · campaign 23V445000 · 143,551 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2021-2023 C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, CLS, SL, GT, GLC, GLE, GLS, and G-Class vehicles. Please refer to MBUSA's recall report for specific vehicle details. The fuel pump may shutdown, which can result in a loss of drive power.
Risk: A loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 14, 2024. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2023070012.
Service bulletins (359)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Steering 2026-09-26 · LI46.10-P-080896 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
complaint slight creaking noises when steering. cause noises may come from one or more sleeves of the horn contact plate. remedy remove the horn contact plate and check the sleeves for noise; see attached video. if necessary, apply lubricant to the sleeves.
Power Train 2026-09-26 · LI27.00-P-073124 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
complaint customer complaints relating to automatic transmission 725.0 (nag3 classic /9g‑tronic automatic transmission) and 725.1 (nag3 facelift/9g‑tronic automatic transmission facelift) for faster, more effective and more targeted diagnosis, intelligent predictive repair (ipr) has been developed a
Electrical System 2026-09-25 · OTA-Comm. Mod. SW. Update · Over The Air
a software update will be performed that provides enhancements to the robustness and system stability of the communication module. the update is free of charge and runs in the background, which takes about 8 minutes to install. during this time, the vehicle can be driven without any restrictions, an
Visibility/Wiper 2026-09-25 · LI83.90-P-080935 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
complaint cel illuminates and/or ac does not blow cold. cause potentially relevance to hardware and/or software remedy scenario 1: 1. if the ac does not blow cold air, replace compressor (if compressor's index and part number figure 1 match against table 1). a. if the compressor does not fall within
Service Brakes 2026-09-22 · LI42.10-P-078779 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
complaint repeat workshop visit for vehicle vibration while braking from 60mph. note: although the symptom is similar to a tire or wheel vibration, it is usually readily noticeable that it is distinctly different if it happens at all times or only while braking. cause although the cause of the vibra
Visibility/Wiper 2026-09-18 · PSL-NCU Return Parts 9/18 · Other
dear dealer partners, the part numbers listed in the chart below should no longer be installed and any existing stock must be returned to your facing pdc. the deadline for all dealer returns is thursday, october 8th, 2026. after october 8th, we will no longer accept returns of these parts. these par
Showing the 6 most recent of 359 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-11-15 · Visibility/Wiper“when going into reverse the passenger side mirror angles down to see curbs. when putting back into drive it should be going back up to normal angle, but 20% of the time it does not go back up. if you're driving in the dark you may not know it's reverted back up and get into a car accident. dealership said there are no issues and a technician stated…”
2025-08-13 · Forward Collision Avoidance · 28,000 mi“the contact owns a 2023 mercedes-benz c300. the contact stated that on occasion while driving at various speeds, the vehicle unexpectedly stopped without the brake pedal being depressed. there were no warning lights illuminated. the vehicle was diagnosed twice by the local dealer, and the contact was advised that the forward collision avoidance sen…”
2025-08-07 · Unknown Or Other“my panoramic sunroof spontaneously exploded while driving down the highway, no external impact was made. the glass exploded from the inside out. it made a loud boom, it startled me on the highway resulted me to swerving on the road, which would have put me and other drivers at risk. there's plenty other mb drivers reported similar issues that state…”
2025-07-18 · Service Brakes“on 4 different occasions car brake assist activated causing car to come to an immediate stop and jerk. at stop light as i started to accelerate a left turn car came to an immediate stop almost causing the car behind hit rear end. brake assist light activated. this happened twice. and twice when in reverse backing out of a parking space and backing …”
2025-05-23 · Unknown Or Other“while driving at 60mph my panoramic sunroof completely shattered. nothing at all hit the sunroof to cause it to shatter. if my sunshade cover had not been on, the glass would have fallen on me while operating my vehicle. this is not only dangerous but unacceptable. it was also a distraction that could have caused an accident. mercedes did not make …”
2024-09-17 · Tires:sidewall · 16,000 mi“the contact owns a 2023 mercedes benz c300 equipped with pirelli tires, tire line: p zero, tire size: 255/35/vr19, dot number: [xxx] . the contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, there was an unknown bumping sound heard. the contact pulled over and noticed that the passenger's side front tire was flat. the tpms warning light was illumin…”
2024-09-05 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control“this car has the driver assistance package including active speed limit assist which is supposed to automatically adjust the speed of the vehicle based on detected speed limits. however, it gets the speed limit wrong an excessive amount of the time sometimes resulting in the car suddenly decelerating which i consider to be a serious safety issue t…”
2024-08-04 · Unknown Or Other“while driving on the highway i had decided to tilt my sunroof open. when it opened the sunroof completely cracked/shattered discarding tiny particles of glass all over me. there were no previous compromising cracks nor did anything hit my pano sunroof causing this to happen…”
2024-06-25 · Electrical System“the electrical wiring harness of my vehicle completely caught fire making my vehicle stopped working. manufacture warranty refuses to acknowledge this as an ongoning issue with this models and forcing me to pay for my own repairs this is a danger to anyone driving this vehicle as the car entirely can be caught on fire at any given time. …”
2024-04-22 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking“filing complaint on behalf of my sister. she was driving on empty side street around 25mph and the car comes to an abrupt stop. apparently part of the collision avoidance system, yet nothing in road, on road or in sight. if there was anyone behind her, they would have slammed into the rear end of her car.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.