Mercedes BENZ GLK Class Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data

When we fill up the SUV with gas, there is a very strong odor of gas outside of the passenger door & some odor "inside the SUV. We looked online Motortrend.com said Certain 2011-2012 MB CLK 350 4matic are being recalled for a potential fuel leak caused by a crack in the fuel filter flange, Dec 15, 2012.' We stopped by MBenz of Lynnwood, Wa and spoke Garrett, a service rep. Garrett said that this was not a safety issue and we can continue to safely drive the SUV. We disagreed! We are very concerned because we believe there is a safety issue, our SUV has a crack fuel line could catch on fire while we are driving and potentially anyone around us could be affected. We did not get a malfunction or error message.

Vaporized gasoline fuel odor emanating from the back seat area due to fuel filter flange crack

Headlight bulbs failed. Owners manual states that the low beam bulb on the driver's side can be replaced by simply removing back cover, inserting hand and removing and replacing bulb. However, this is fraudulent. Every mechanic and the Mercedes dealers state that the bumper and possibly fender must be removed to replace this SAFETY item. The bulb went out on a trip and could not be replaced even though the bulb was readily available and I purchased it at a Walmart but could not replace it. Even though the Walmart replaced bulbs, after I waited 2 hours they told me they could not do it. I took it to two mechanics and they said they "did not have time" since it required disassembly of the vehicle. The Mercedes dealership said they could not provide an estimate because it required substantial time and disassembly. Now I have a car that has a bulb out, it cannot be driven at night, and to replace the bulb it requires an appointment at Mercedes and apparently hundreds of dollars of expense for labor. Like windshield wipers, tires, etc, etc, this is obviously a CRITICAL SAFETY ITEM and Mercedes has committed fraud in its representation that the bulb can be owner replaced. MY CAR NOW IS A DANGER driving at night. The NHTSA has statutory responsibility for the safety of vehicles and the internet has endless entries about the difficulty of replacing the headlight bulbs on this vehicle. I pay taxes. Do something.

After inserting key - there is no response. Tried several times. FOB locks and unlocks the doors. After a couple of days - it started with no problem. A week later, we are having the same problem with no response after inserting the key in ignition switch. This troublesome to know that I cannot rely on the ignition switch working all the time.

The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz GLK350. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated unintendedly. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was 125,000.

I noticed the smell of fuel coming from my vehicle, specifically when I top off at the gas station. This is dangerous as fuel can combust if ignited. I took the vehicle to be service, to find out about the fuel odor and was advised of the NHTSA recall. Upon researching I see that although the NHTSA recall #12V557000 specifically covers this issue, when entering my VIN, the recall does not appear for MY specific vehicle, which is a 2011 GLK-350. It appears there are several affected vehicles not included in the recall. This is a failure on behalf of Mercedes Benz as it is simple to conclude that the issue includes more vehicles than initially recalled. These vehicles need to be included as well.

There were two incidents, one when my daughter was driving and one when I was driving. We were on a highway going 65 mph and had to brake as we came upon traffic. The car fishtailed/swerved back and forth out of control several times until we could bring the car to a stop. I had to pull onto the shoulder so I didn’t hit any of the cars near me. It was terrifying and I felt lucky that I didn’t have a serious accident. When I got home, I took my car to my local mechanic who inspected the car and said my rear subframe was cracked and rusted out!! After doing some research and talking to the Mercedes dealership where I bought the car, this is a widespread problem with several different models over many years, but they have not issued a recall. Apparently the frames were not rustproofed properly so they are rusting/corroding from the inside out. These frames should last the lifetime of the vehicle with no issues!! There are thousands of people driving their cars out there with this problem and they have no idea that their cars are UNSAFE to drive!!! Someone is going to get killed if Mercedes does not issue a recall for this problem. They recently sent an internal memo to all of their sales and service managers in the US saying they will offer an extended offer on the rear subframes. This does NOT help because many people are unaware of the problem and haven’t received notification that something could be terribly wrong. Mercedes has know about this problem for years and Canada and Europe issued recalls on the rear subframes 2 years ago!!! How can Mercedes USA allow their customers to continue to drive UNSAFE vehicles?!? A class action has been proposed for this problem because Mercedes has been so remiss in their responsibility in protecting their customers. Please please please bring this to light before someone gets injured or killed!!!!

I'm having the same issues as described in Recall no. 12V557000. However when I called Mercedes they mentioned that my Vin wasn't part of that recall. I don't understand how can that be when my car is 2011-2012 glk350 model as described in recall and I smell gas, can see gas leaking and the flange where my fuel filter is cracked as well as the flange to the fuel pump side. This car as well as many other Mercedes have two separate flanges that are prone to crack and not just the fuel filter side but the fuel pump side as well. there's many forums where they all have complained about this issue. If you can smell gas, there's obviously fuel vapors leaking and not to the mentioned the physical leak that is landing everywhere you drive. This is a serious fire hazard and is extremely harmful to my kids and passengers.

Fuel/Propulsion System - There is a gas leaking from somewhere above the gas tank. I did not have this fixed yet because I see a recall for this but my VIN wasn't included in the initial recall. There are 17 other complaints on here for the same issue but we haven't been included in the recall as of today 1/2/2023. The recall that fixed other 2011 GLK 350s is NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 12V557000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). My car is available for inspection upon request. I am very afraid of a fire because the tray underneath the car on the passenger side is full of gas & the tray is right over the exhaust. I stuck a large cotton swab in the tray to soak up the liquid & since it smelled like gas I tried to light it. It caught on fire immediately. This is definitely a safety hazard as it can ignite if a spark or lit cigarette would happen to bounce up in there. Yes it is unlikely but I have seen stranger things. The tray holds a large amount of gas and is directly under the gas tank. The check engine light came on and the diagnostic machine says fuel evap control system leak. A mechanic looked at the leak after taking the rear passenger tire off and finding the gas pooling in that tray. Odometer reads 145,000.

The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz GLK350. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. Additionally, the key fob intermittently failed to remotely start the vehicle. The contact stated that the transmission had seized and failed to shift into the intended gear. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the electronic steering locks (ESL) needed to be replaced; however, the replacement part was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,500.

takata airbags- called Mercedes Benz of draper- says it is not on their list???

The fuel tank flange cracked. After refill the tank, the fuel smell is in the cabin, and fuel leak out under the seat.

The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz GLK350. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the frame was corroded and the rear subframe needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rear subframe needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the dealer and the manufacturer would cover 50% each for the cost of the subframe replacement; however, the contact needed to pay as well for the replacement. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Fuel leaking from top of the fuel tank.