The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes Benz C300. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the rear lights became inoperable and failed to illuminate as needed. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that rear lighting wires were burned, causing an electrical failure within the rear light assemblies. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V177000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 100,000.
2011 Mercedes-Benz C300 lights problems
20 complaints (4% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 90,000.
- owner complaints
- 20
- of this car's complaints
- 4%
- typical mileage
- 90,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Tail lights1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Mercedes-Benz C300 lights problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300 lights
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
Exterior lighting: tail lights
- What is wrong
- Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (Mercedes) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 C300, C300 4Matic, C350, and C63 AMG vehicles manufactured January 26, 2007, through July 13, 2011. In the affected vehicles, a poor electrical ground connection may result in the dimming or failure of the tail lights.
- Risk
- Dimming or failure of the tail lights reduces the ability to warn other motorists of the driver's intentions of stopping or turning, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Mercedes will notify owners, and dealers will replace the bulb holders if not previously updated and replace any corroded connectors, free of charge. The recall began on August, 18, 2014. Owners may contact Mercedes at 1‑800‑367‑6372.
Recall number 14V177000 · Recall details
What 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the messages to check the rear taillights and rear turn signals were displayed. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the rear taillight bulbs and connectors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact informed the dealer that the vehicle had been previously repaired under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V177000 (Exterior Lighting). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
The right rear tail light housing harness melted due to an electrical issue. Wire tends to heat up too much. This caused my right rear tail light, right break light and right side turn signal not to function.
We had notifications on our dashboard that rear driver side (left) lights were out while driving car. We thought the light bulbs just had to be replaced. We brought to mechanic to just fix lights & they discovered the light ground wire burned out & caused light holder to be damaged as well where ground wire was. It caused rear driver side tail lights to fail. We had light bulb holder with wires all replaced on 2/23/24. This issue was a recall back in 2014 & seems to be a reoccurring issue with this part of the Mercedez 2011 C class.
The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated when he started the vehicle, the driver side taillights were inoperable, and the taillight warning light was illuminated. The contact examined the taillights and noticed that the wires were melted, and the taillight assembly had melted as well. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was serviced under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V177000 (Exterior Lighting). The contact received no additional assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 90,000.
The driver side rear tail light wiring melted the tailight housing. This component was already replaced as part of a previous recall, but apparently Mercedes is not properly fixing the issue. They refuse to fix it for free, because they already "addressed" the recall. Looks like they are putting cars back on the street that could catch fire.
Rear taillight ground wire melting. Dealer said that this recall was performed previously, so now I had to pay for the repair parts. the federal safety agency CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V177000
The rear tail light housing harness melted due to an electrical issue. This caused my rear tail light & break lights not to function.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 mercedes benz c300. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, when the multiple "lights out" warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to her residence. The contact stated while inspecting the vehicle she noticed the brown wire was melted and burned. The vehicle was taken to local dealer mercedes-benz of cherry hill (2151 nj-70, cherry hill, nj 08002:(856) 663-3200), where it was diagnosed with needing the "light assembly unit" to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired as of yet. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v177000 (exterior lighting), however the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and informed the recall was completed with prior owner of the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.
Common fault. Brown ground wire. Left tail light. Brown wire gets really hot. On cluster shows messages that the break,turn signal, reverse fog lights are out. I check and remove the plate or lights housing. Light bulbs seems to be fine. Sometimes the tail light is completely out sometimes it flickles really low like their gonna go out. It smells like smoke and the brown ground wire gets really hot. It usually happens when im driving it for a long period of time but constantly turning it on and off to go do something like stopping at the store.
Questions about the 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300 lights
Does the 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300 have lights problems?
Owners have filed 20 complaints about the lights of the 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300, 4% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300 lights problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 90,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300 lights?
Yes, 1 recall: 14V177000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Mercedes-Benz C300 have the most lights problems?
The Mercedes-Benz C300 model years with the most lights complaints are 2010 (48 complaints) and 2011 (20 complaints).
Other 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300 problems
Airbags 250Suspension 60Body 49Fuel system 44Electrical 43Steering 34Brakes 13Engine 11Transmission 10Seats 4Acceleration 3Driver assistance 2Seat belts 2Wheels 2Tires 1Visibility 1
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history