2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS 450

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Average

Quick Summary

The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 has 64 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 0.8x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is electrical problems (28% of all complaints), specifically: while driving the vehicle, a series of electrical system warnings were displayed in rapid succession. shortly thereafter, the vehicle lost power, the engine shut off, and the vehicle began to glide. this incident occurred on a residential street while the vehicle was travelling at 25-30 mph. the war. ⚠️ 3 fire reports filed.

3 fire reports 7 crash reports 6 injuries

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

0.8x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ELECTRICAL

18 complaints

28%

• WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, A SERIES OF ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WARNINGS WERE DISPLAYED IN RAPID SUCCESSION. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER, THE ENGINE SHUT OFF, AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO GLIDE. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELLING AT 25-30 MPH. THE WAR
• WE PURCHASED A NEW 2020 MERCEDES BENZ GLS 450 IN OCTOBER 2019 FROM THE OAKLAND DEALERSHIP AND SHIPPED THE CAR TO HAWAII. THE VEHICLE IS NOW 117 MONTHS OLD AND HAS ABOUT 4100 MILES. BECAUSE OUR VEHICLE IS LIGHTLY USED WE ARRANGED FOR MERCEDES BENZ TO SUPPLY AND INSTALLED A 'BATTERY MINDER' TO KEEP TH
• The vehicle issued a “48v battery malfunction” and the car warned me not to drive the vehicle under any circumstance. This was while driving at 55 mph on a country road. The dealer I bought the car from had 3 other cars brought in for the same issue. The dealer my car was towed to said they just had

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, A SERIES OF ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WARNINGS WERE DISPLAYED IN RAPID SUCCESSION. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER, THE ENGINE SHUT OFF, AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO GLIDE. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELLING AT 25-30 MPH. THE WAR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

9 complaints

14%

• WE PURCHASED A NEW 2020 MERCEDES BENZ GLS 450 IN OCTOBER 2019 FROM THE OAKLAND DEALERSHIP AND SHIPPED THE CAR TO HAWAII. THE VEHICLE IS NOW 117 MONTHS OLD AND HAS ABOUT 4100 MILES. BECAUSE OUR VEHICLE IS LIGHTLY USED WE ARRANGED FOR MERCEDES BENZ TO SUPPLY AND INSTALLED A 'BATTERY MINDER' TO KEEP TH
• The vehicle warnign system displayed "48v Malfunction." Vehicke lost all acceleration in the middle of the highway. The vehicle was just returned3 days ago after undergoing a state inspection at the MB dealership. In looking at the issue on line this appears to be a known problem to Mercedes. Th
• While driving, vehicle has abruptly stopped/engine turned off causing car to not accelerate and come to a stop. One instance was on a busy freeway, causing our family to pull off the interstate with nearly no curb, risking rear-end collision due to the abrupt stalling of the vehicle. In this instanc

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports

“WE PURCHASED A NEW 2020 MERCEDES BENZ GLS 450 IN OCTOBER 2019 FROM THE OAKLAND DEALERSHIP AND SHIPPED THE CAR TO HAWAII. THE VEHICLE IS NOW 117 MONTHS OLD AND HAS ABOUT 4100 MILES. BECAUSE OUR VEHICLE IS LIGHTLY USED WE ARRANGED FOR MERCEDES BENZ TO SUPPLY AND INSTALLED A 'BATTERY MINDER' TO KEEP TH”

— NHTSA complaint filing

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

8 complaints

13%

• 03/17/2023 driving on US1 coming up to speed after pulling onto highway after cars passed I went 0.2 miles and was looking at my driver side mirror ( no traffic on road ahead of me) when I hit something that pushed my big SUV toward oncoming traffic. I held wheel and muscled car to side of road sto
• Today around 6:47pm. I was reversing my car and I noticed another car in my backup camera and tried shift the gear shift to drive but it didn't work and stayed stuck on reverse and would not moved and the brake pedal and emergency brake wouldn't work.
• Today around 6:47pm. I was reversing my car and I noticed another car in my backup camera and tried shift the gear shift to drive but it didn't work and stayed stuck on reverse and would not moved and the brake pedal and emergency brake wouldn't work.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 3 crashes

“03/17/2023 driving on US1 coming up to speed after pulling onto highway after cars passed I went 0.2 miles and was looking at my driver side mirror ( no traffic on road ahead of me) when I hit something that pushed my big SUV toward oncoming traffic. I held wheel and muscled car to side of road sto”

— NHTSA complaint filing

FUEL SYSTEM

6 complaints

• WE PURCHASED A NEW 2020 MERCEDES BENZ GLS 450 IN OCTOBER 2019 FROM THE OAKLAND DEALERSHIP AND SHIPPED THE CAR TO HAWAII. THE VEHICLE IS NOW 117 MONTHS OLD AND HAS ABOUT 4100 MILES. BECAUSE OUR VEHICLE IS LIGHTLY USED WE ARRANGED FOR MERCEDES BENZ TO SUPPLY AND INSTALLED A 'BATTERY MINDER' TO KEEP TH
• We were driving the vehicle at about 30 MPH on a road when suddenly the engine completely shut off. There was no more power steering and no warning that it turned off. We got the car slowed down and once we came to a stop the car put itself in Park. After that we could restart it and keep driving wi
• The vehicle warnign system displayed "48v Malfunction." Vehicke lost all acceleration in the middle of the highway. The vehicle was just returned3 days ago after undergoing a state inspection at the MB dealership. In looking at the issue on line this appears to be a known problem to Mercedes. Th

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

4 complaints

• We were driving the vehicle at about 30 MPH on a road when suddenly the engine completely shut off. There was no more power steering and no warning that it turned off. We got the car slowed down and once we came to a stop the car put itself in Park. After that we could restart it and keep driving wi
• On numerous occasions, when either slowing down or in a slow turn, the engine dies and will not reengage until I have turned off the vehicle, exited, then reentered an started the vehicle. I have had passengers in the vehicle who will attest to this occurring, in fact, the last time it happened, I
• This incident occurred around 5:50pm on Wednesday, September 21, 2022. I was driving on a merge connector between two freeways in San Francisco at about 60mph, when the vehicle threw a series of error codes and warnings on its displays, culminating with “shut down engine immediately”. The first er

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“We were driving the vehicle at about 30 MPH on a road when suddenly the engine completely shut off. There was no more power steering and no warning that it turned off. We got the car slowed down and once we came to a stop the car put itself in Park. After that we could restart it and keep driving wi”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS(~50K mi)

$500

FUEL SYSTEM(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 64 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ELECTRICAL: WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, A SERIES OF ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WARNINGS WERE DISPLAYED IN RAPID SUCCESSION. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER, THE ENGINE SHUT OFF, AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO GLIDE. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELLING AT 25-30 MPH. THE WAR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: WE PURCHASED A NEW 2020 MERCEDES BENZ GLS 450 IN OCTOBER 2019 FROM THE OAKLAND DEALERSHIP AND SHIPPED THE CAR TO HAWAII. THE VEHICLE IS NOW 117 MONTHS OLD AND HAS ABOUT 4100 MILES. BECAUSE OUR VEHICLE IS LIGHTLY USED WE ARRANGED FOR MERCEDES BENZ TO SUPPLY AND INSTALLED A 'BATTERY MINDER' TO KEEP TH
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS: 03/17/2023 driving on US1 coming up to speed after pulling onto highway after cars passed I went 0.2 miles and was looking at my driver side mirror ( no traffic on road ahead of me) when I hit something that pushed my big SUV toward oncoming traffic. I held wheel and muscled car to side of road sto
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
FUEL SYSTEM: WE PURCHASED A NEW 2020 MERCEDES BENZ GLS 450 IN OCTOBER 2019 FROM THE OAKLAND DEALERSHIP AND SHIPPED THE CAR TO HAWAII. THE VEHICLE IS NOW 117 MONTHS OLD AND HAS ABOUT 4100 MILES. BECAUSE OUR VEHICLE IS LIGHTLY USED WE ARRANGED FOR MERCEDES BENZ TO SUPPLY AND INSTALLED A 'BATTERY MINDER' TO KEEP TH
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)