2014 Mercedes-Benz C250 Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year report air bag concerns most often, largely around recall notices and the wait for parts, along with an air bag warning light that comes on. Engine complaints center on camshaft and timing chain work, hard starting, and occasional loss of power while driving; steering and door-handle complaints also recur. Reports are spread across a wide mileage range, from nearly new cars to well over 100,000 miles.

1. 1
   Air bags

   Air bag recall notices and parts not available

   • 71 complaints (44%)
   • median 40,900 mi at 5.3 yrs old (14 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2017–2025

   Many complaints describe receiving a recall notice for the front passenger air bag and then being told the replacement parts were not yet available, in some cases months or more than a year later. Owners describe an air bag or SRS warning light that stays on, and some tied the light to the recall notice. A few describe air bags not deploying in a crash or deploying while the car was parked; these are individual accounts rather than a pattern shown across the sample. Reported from very low mileage up to about 68,000 miles, with filing dates mostly from 2017 through 2020.

   Recall 19V010000Recall 17V627000Recall 21V6380001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask the dealer or check by VIN whether the air bag recalls were completed and whether any open campaign still lacks parts. Confirm the air bag warning light comes on and then goes out at startup.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “There is a recall on my c-250 concerning the takata as well as the steering columm was told that it could cause airbag to deploy at any time. However, when I called mercedes they said to wait until the srs light came on and stop immediately call for a tow and they would bring it in and could take quite some time to get parts and repair. In my understanding if the air bag should deploy doing 70 MPH on the highway it would endanger many lives. Not sure I cam comfortable with the answers I got from mercedes. What should I do next.”

   NHTSA complaint #11039689, filed 2017-10, 51,000 miles

   “A recall notice was issued a year ago for this vehicle due to the takata airbag recall. Mercedes still has no information as to when a fix for this issue will be available. I do not feel safe driving this car with a passenger in the front seat until the airbag is replaced. There does not seem to be any sense of emergency on the part of mercedes to rectify this situation.”

   NHTSA complaint #11299782, filed 2020-01, 16,500 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Loss of power or stalling while accelerating

   • 22 complaints (14%)
   • median 52,251 mi at 5.1 yrs old (16 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2014–2026

   Owners describe pressing the accelerator with little or no response, sometimes with the engine dropping into a reduced-power mode or shutting off, often while merging, passing or pulling out of a junction. Restarting sometimes restores normal operation, and dealers variously pointed to the high-pressure fuel pump, fuel injectors, or engine electronics. Some complaints note no fault was found on the first visit. Mostly reported between about 2,000 and 75,000 miles; several complaints came from cars with under 20,000 miles.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: During a test drive, accelerate firmly from low speed and on a merge ramp to check for hesitation. Ask whether the engine control software update and any fuel pump or injector repairs were done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I had been driving on the freeway, got off onto a side road and when approaching a stop light while braking: my car completely died (while in drive). The motor shut off, the electrical dash system lights all went off and the hazard triangle system came on (with the symbol of an exclamation mark(!) inside the triangle). After about a minute and a half, I put it in park, and it restarted. Scary! I had a full tank of gas.”

   NHTSA complaint #10969983, filed 2017-04, 28,400 miles

   “My vehicle losses power and car moved into (limp mode) during the acceleration process for passing, merging onto freeway, coming out of a corner and accelerating. Upon dealer diagnosis p0002 comes up as hpfp as the cause, and I was notified as this being a common issue with the 1.8l motor in my vehicle. Along with timing chain, and tensioner. I was told these issues while driving are directly related to causes accidents.”

   NHTSA complaint #11403079, filed 2021-03, 72,000 miles
3. 3
   Engine

   Camshaft, timing chain and tensioner problems

   • 7 complaints (4%)
   • median 73,324 mi at 5.9 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2018–2025

   Complaints describe rattling or rumbling noises at cold start, an engine that hesitates or takes several attempts to start, and a check engine light with camshaft position codes. Several owners were told the timing chain, tensioner, or camshaft parts needed replacement, and some had repeat failures on the other side of the engine. A few report loss of power or stalling while driving before the diagnosis. Typically reported between roughly 55,000 and 100,000 miles, though a few owners reported starting noises earlier.

   4 related service bulletins

   What to check: Listen for rattling or clattering at cold start and ask for service records showing timing chain, tensioner or camshaft work. Scan for stored camshaft and misfire codes before purchase.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “In june of 2018 we had to have cam shaft work done on our car which was slightly over the manufacture warranty. This took two trips to the shop and about $10,000 in repairs because the one side failed then within a few weeks the other side failed. I have read on the web many people have had the same issue and it begins right after the warranty goes out. Now there is an issue with the timing chain which I read should have been replaced when the cam shaft work was done. All these issues with the same model and there has been no recall. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11206117, filed 2019-05, 100,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2014 Mercedes-Benz C250. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, an abnormal rumbling noise was detected. The vehicle had hesitated to start. The engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the timing chain tensioner needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11580936, filed 2024-04, 56,000 miles
4. 4
   Steering

   Steering noise, sticking or loss of power assist

   • 16 complaints (10%)
   • median 18,000 mi at 4.0 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2015–2026

   Complaints describe clicking or popping from the steering wheel when turning, and in some cases the wheel sticking or becoming hard to turn. Several owners link this to a steering recall and report that the repair had been done earlier. One complaint describes smoke and a fire that began near the time steering assist was lost. Reported from a few thousand miles up to over 100,000 miles, with several accounts under 20,000 miles.

   Recall 17V252000

   What to check: Ask whether the steering recall repair for the steering coupling bolt was completed and when. Turn the wheel lock to lock with the car running and listen for clicks or pops.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving on glades road, boca raton, fl. I heard a loud noise, saw smoke and lost my power steering. I managed to pull into town center mall, got out of the car and saw that the car was on fire. The boca raton police came, #5 fire department came. The fire was put out and the car was towed to mercedes of delray.”

   NHTSA complaint #11022435, filed 2017-09, 18,000 miles

   “My steering wheel started to click when I turned it, didn't think anything of it. I was recently pulling into a parking spot and my steering wheel made a loud pop and got stuck, then a loud crack again and started to work. It still clicks and now my passenger airbag light is on permanently. I went to the dealership in oxnard and they said it would be 175 to check about the airbags even though there is a recall. They also said they don't have the parts needed to my steering wheel. I do not feel safe at all driving this car. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11098013, filed 2018-05, 60,000 miles
5. 5
   Body and structure

   Interior door handle breaking

   • 6 complaints (4%)
   • median 53,000 mi at 4.7 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2017–2022

   Owners report the inner door handle breaking or coming loose so the door cannot be opened from inside, in some cases trapping passengers. Dealers and the manufacturer were described as not treating it as a safety matter, and one owner reported a substantial bill to replace the part. A separate complaint describes a door latch that would not release. Mostly reported between about 48,000 and 60,000 miles.

   What to check: Open and close each door from the inside several times and check that the handle feels firm; ask whether any handle or latch has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The drivers door handle broke while simply trying to open the door to egress the vehicle, I took it ti the dealership and was informed that the door handle used to egress the vehicle was called trim and not considered a safety concern. Also, I discovered that the door handle was made of plastic. I wrote to the manager of the dealership and the ceo bringing it to there attention and was told by the customer service rep for mercedes benz america your concerns were duly noted . …”

   NHTSA complaint #11362430, filed 2020-10, 35,674 miles

   “Stationary vehicle's door latch stopped working while trying to exit the car. The latch is loosely moving around with no connection to the door lock whatsoever.”

   NHTSA complaint #11015764, filed 2017-08, 60,000 miles

Buying note. Check the recall status by VIN first, since air bag parts availability and completed steering repairs are the most common concerns in this sample. A pre-purchase scan for camshaft and misfire codes, plus a cold-start listen for timing chain noise, is worthwhile on higher-mileage examples.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.