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2012 Mercedes-Benz C250: check engine light

36 of the 272 complaints about the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C250 describe check engine light.

owner complaints
36
of this car's complaints
13%
typical repair cost reported
$4,400
typical mileage
70,000
recalls
0
Is there a fix? 13 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Check engine light by model year

What owners say

Filed Aug 18, 2025 · Engine · 150,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz C250. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the vehicle with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. The contact stated that the rattling sound continued, and the vehicle shuddered abnormally. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The independent mechanic provided mobile service and diagnosed the vehicle with cam shaft timing chain adjuster failure. The contact was informed that the cam shaft timing chain adjuster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the federal safety agency Hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

Filed Apr 4, 2025 · Engine, Fuel system · CA

The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Check Engine and High Pressure Fuel Pump warning lights was illuminated. The failure occurred on several different occasions. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. The contact did research and was made aware of an unknown the federal safety agency Campaign Number however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.Â

Filed Jul 10, 2024 · Fuel system · DC

During hard acceleration the high-pressure fuel pump fails. I've never had to replace this part on any other car that I have owned. When I research the part for this car, I reviewed many forums and articles complaining about the failure of the high-pressure fuel pump on the Mercedes c250 sport or similar chassis. The vehicle performs normally until there is hard acceleration; then the engine light comes on. This causes the car to lose acceleration power and slows the car down significant and can be dangerous especially if driving on a freeway or highway. The failure of the part has been reported to occur as early as 30k miles.

Filed Jul 27, 2023 · Fuel system · CA

While trying to pass big rig on freeway my car went into lymph mode and stalled causing the car behind me to brake and almost caused an accident. My engine light came on & after getting it checked out I retrieve the following code P0002. After doing some research it appears this is an ongoing issue with this year and model of car.

Filed Mar 13, 2023 · Body, Engine · 90,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz C250. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle started very rough with a rattling sound coming from the vehicle. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed. On another occasion, while opening the front driver’s side door, the door handle fractured. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 90,000.

Filed Nov 17, 2021 · Engine · 52,000 miles · NJ

The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz C250. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the variable valve timing solenoid had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that he would be responsible for the cost of the diagnostic test. The manufacturer was notified of the failure through a voicemail message. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 52,000.

Filed Nov 13, 2021 · Acceleration, Engine · CA

When accelerating to pass a vehicle the check engine light comes on and there is loss power. When this happens there is a huge potential of a crash. The car has to be shut off to try and reset this. When you are on the frwy this puts life at danger. The code is a p002 and if you research it Mercedes is aware of this and is most likely a defective high pressure fuel pump problem that needs replacing but there have been no recalls. I have looked it up on you tube and has been on ongoing issue with no recalls as of yet. I am taking my car to dealer on 11/15/2021 for this issue which they will charge me for even though its a safety issue

Filed Aug 26, 2021 · Engine · MD

I purchased this 2012 C250 Mercedes from Carmax of Waldorf on 04/26/2017, with 20,046 miles on it. I informed Carmax the engine light was on and the car was rattling at start. I also reported the oil dipstick was broken. When the car was returned, the dipstick was replaced, coolant light off and engine light was off; however, the rattling at start up continued. I reported the problem to Carmax several months later and they pretty much denied fault and went as far to say the car is just cold and does that at startup. For further protection I signed with carshield as my wife drives the car. The car's rattling continued at startup and eventually became difficult to start. I took it to Mercedes of Arlington, Virginia and they stated the timing gear and chain needed replacing. carshield reported back to me that it was a preexisting problem and wouldn't fix it. Meanwhile, we were stuck with a car we were paying on with no one taking the blame. Following research, I found that this is a recurring problem with the 2012 C250 model but there is no recall. I eventually paid approximately $5000 for the engine to be repaired as the engine failed. The engine is currently rattling again; with the engine light coming on constantly. this seems to be a common problem, however, with to consequences and accountability.

Filed Apr 16, 2021 · Fuel system · 19 miles · GA

P0002 fuel volume regulator control circuit range/performance mercedes c250, if I'm experiencing a lack of power when I press the gas pedal and I'm getting a p0002 check engine light, there's a high probability that I will need a new hpfp high pressure fuel pump.

Filed Mar 1, 2021 · Engine, Fuel system · 93,000 miles · FL

When accelerating to pass on highway car suddenly goes into limp mode and losses power this is dangerous at 70 plus miles per hour, ECM code reads p0002 high pressure fuel regulator failure, check engine light will stay on until car has been shut off for longer than ten minutes or if you have a scanner you can erase code and drive the car normal, no passing. This has also happen pulling out from a stop light car has buckle with immediate power loss and will only creak up in limp mode just enough to get you home. I am a well season mechanic with over 20 years experience and this is absolutely dangerous. Please don't wait until someone gets hurt or killed by this which is a known issue going back before 2012. This happened 3 times this ast week and today.

Filed Dec 30, 2020 · Engine, Fuel system · 117,000 miles · SC

I have been having issues with my vehicle since I purchased it. Starting with me not having enough power from a start, in an attempt to gain enough power to drive at a safe speed from the start, as if the vehicle lags & no matter the gasoline or service, the problem never corrects. When I'm trying to gain speed to maintain with the flow of traffic safely the vehicle lags notably before gaining speed. I'm now having to replace the engine bc the oil coolant hose burst while I was driving on the highway with my child in the car. My check engine light activated but the only notice displayed on the dash was the engine coolant when it was low. When the hose burst while I was driving about 60mph I heard a pop sound under the hood, saw smoke coming from the exhaust, then a clanking noise under the hood that got louder & louder until I was able to pull off of the highway, & then I noticed a very large amount of oil on the ground that left a trail along the ground from my vehicle. That was very dangerous as my vehicle lost power during that incident. I'm told by the mechanic, the engine has to be replaced. This happened without a warning. The mercedes benz is supposed to be a safe & reliable luxury vehicle & not a nightmare to have for the owner.

Filed Sep 9, 2020 · Engine · 38,000 miles · CA

2012 c250 purchased new from a dealer. Rattling on starting engine and check engine light is on. Spoke with my mechanic and it is due to faulty camshaft adjusters. Repair will cost $5000 plus and involves replacing the camshaft adjusters, timing chain and sprockets. This problem just started 10 days ago with approximately 38,000 miles on the odometer. Seems to be a well known problem and not an expense I can really afford on reduced income due to covid lockdown. I am very worried about driving this car as this problem can result in catastrophic engine failure and I am regularly on the freeway. Driving this car is no longer safe. I purchased a mercedes thinking their reputation for safety, quality and engineering would preclude such issues.

Service bulletins that may apply

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Questions about the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C250 check engine light

Is check engine light a common problem on the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C250?

36 of 272 owner complaints about the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C250 (13%) mention check engine light. The model year with the most reports is 2012.

How much does it cost to fix check engine light on the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C250?

Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $4,400 (median of 11 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C250?

There are 0 recalls and 13 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C250

Stalling 9Loss of power 8Engine failure 7Airbag light 6Fuel pump 6Hesitation 6

All model years of the Mercedes-Benz C250

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