2012 Mercedes-Benz C300 Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 12about this part
- Share
- 4%of 267 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 83,500miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 12 complaints about the electrical system of the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C300, 4% of the 267 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 83,500 miles. 2 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“My vehicle was damaged by k and h auto. The electrical unit is malfunctioning, the light is broken on the right side, and the rotors and brakes have been rusted, please have someone attend to this matter. Thanks, and have a very blessed day. Another company by the name of ans towing, towed my vehicle without care and I am now having acceleration issues with my vehicle. The vehicle was dragged through water on october 17-18, 2018.”
NHTSA complaint #11066436, filed 2018-02, 100,000 miles“My airbags go on and off on there own. My electrical system is always messed up. My lighting goes on and off, the electrical has caused the vehicle to sometimes jsut shut off compleytely and not turen on for days. I have had times I had to get my vehicle towed.”
NHTSA complaint #11034553, filed 2017-10, 56,000 miles“Outside temp 9 degrees car starts fine and I drive two miles to pick up a carry out order. After sitting 15 minutes in front of the restaurant car will not start, not even attempt to crank. Lights come on and a message pops up stating inoperative - check manual. I called mb assistance who determined it was the esp system that was inoperative and offered to have the vehicle towed to the nearest dealer. I tried to start one more time and this time the vehicle started right away.”
NHTSA complaint #11057903, filed 2018-01, 82,000 miles“Upon starting the vehicle I receive airbag warnings. One for the driver side and another one for the passenger side. I can click on ok to clear them out but with the airbag recall and no resolution I am fearful of a malfunction. I had my car to the mercedes dealer two times and was told they would need to investigate it, at my expense, which could be anywhere between $500-$4500 depending on what they find. With a safety issue at risk I think the responsibility is on mercedes to investigate and correct this at no expense to me. I will have to sell the car and lose money over it. …”
NHTSA complaint #11281502, filed 2019-11, 85,000 miles“Steering wheel lock after vehicle is shut down. When you return to the vehicle insert the key the instrument cluster, speedo, steering wheel is unresponsive which will not allow you to turn the engine. This should be a recall it's a electronic steering lock that fails on several mercedes benz causing the owner to tow the vehicle to the dealership for a 2,000 dollar repair. It happens several times before it completely fails.”
NHTSA complaint #11124614, filed 2018-09, 90,000 milesRelated recalls
- 17V177000Mar 14, 2017Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2016 AMG GT-S, GLC300, CLA250 and GLE300d 4Matic vehicles, 2013 C250, E350 BlueTec and G63 AMG vehicles…Covers: Mercedes-Benz C300 2008–2016, E350 2012–2016, ML350 2012–2014 +13 more
Related service bulletins
- 11017119Apr 21, 2025Complaint A popup is seen on the HU with the message "data connection temporarily not available". Potentially affected functionalities in NTG4.5, NTG5 1.Weather 2.Local Search…
- 11015640Mar 5, 2025Complaint During a phone call, the called party has difficulty understanding/cannot understand the driver, or interference/background noises are audible to the called party…
- 11008091Sep 28, 2024Complaint During a phone call, the called party has difficulty understanding/cannot understand the driver, or interference/background noises are audible to the called party…
- 11006658Aug 10, 2024Mercedes-Benz AG ("MBAG"), the manufacturer of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, has determined that on certain Model Year (“MY”) C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, G-Class, CL, CLS, ML, GL, GLE…
- 11008064Aug 9, 2024In our continuing efforts to ensure the proper performance and quality of your vehicle, we are writing to inform you that on certain Model Year 2011-2018 C-Class, E-Class…
- 10207198Jan 27, 2022Complaint The garage door hand transmitter cannot be initialized with the integrated garage door opener in the inside rearview mirror. Cause 1. The integrated garage door opener…
- 10207199Jan 9, 2022Complaint The range of the integrated garage door opener (GTO) is too short. Cause 1. Vehicles equipped with infrared windows and/or a heated windshield may suffer from…
- 10205790Aug 2, 2021After starting the engine, the instrument cluster shows the "EBD not available, diagnosis/test stand" message in yellow.
- 10186141Dec 10, 2020NTG5.5: Incorrect time shown on instrument cluster, COMAND display, and analog clock
- 10160738Apr 11, 2019Update engine electronics (ME-SFI) control unit software
Electrical system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 36% |
| 2023 | 5 | 23% |
| 2022 | 7 | 28% |
| 2021 | 1 | 7% |
| 2020 | 3 | 9% |
| 2019 | 13 | 19% |
| 2018 | 10 | 10% |
| 2017 | 31 | 14% |
| 2016 | 32 | 11% |
| 2015 | 50 | 13% |
| 2014 | 9 | 10% |
| 2013 | 19 | 7% |
| 2012 | 12 | 4% |
| 2011 | 43 | 9% |
| 2010 | 84 | 19% |
| 2009 | 198 | 34% |
| 2008 | 228 | 34% |
Other parts of the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C300
114 complaintsSuspension
69 complaintsBody and structure
55 complaintsOther or unknown
23 complaintsBrakes
15 complaintsFuel system
12 complaintsSteering
8 complaintsEngine
5 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
5 complaintsExterior lighting
4 complaintsWheels
4 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
3 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C300
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology