All of the lights in my rear driver side taillight stopped working. I had it looked at and there was oxidation at the ground connection which caused overheating and melted the plastic, leaving burn marks on the gray plastic piece. I see a safety bulletin for this exact issue for model years 2008-2011, but not my 2013. This is dangerous.
2013 Mercedes-Benz C300 electrical problems
19 complaints (7% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 91,000.
- owner complaints
- 19
- of this car's complaints
- 7%
- typical mileage
- 91,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 2
Which part fails
- Wiring: fuses and circuit breakers1
- Instrument cluster/panel1
- Horn1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Mercedes-Benz C300 electrical problems in other years
Related recalls
Communication
- What is wrong
- Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2013-2017 vehicles due to a software fault that may cause the date and time for the emergency call system (eCall) to differ from the actual date and time, potentially relaying an inaccurate vehicle location. For a full list of the affected models visit:
- Risk
- An inaccurate vehicle location may delay emergency responders, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- MBUSA has initiated an Over the Air (OTA) remote update. MBUSA will also notify owners, and dealers will check software for a successful OTA or update the communication module software as needed, free of charge. The recall began December 23, 2019. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1‑800‑367‑6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2019120008.
Recall number 19V787000 · Recall details
Electrical system: software
- What is wrong
- Mercedes-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, 2008-2014 C300 vehicles, 2013-2014 C300 4Matic and ML350 4Matic vehicles, 2009 C350 vehicles, 2014 CLS550, E350 4Matic, E350 Coupe 4Matic, E350 Wagon 4Matic, GLK350 and SL550 vehicles, 2012 CLS550 4Matic vehicles, 2012-2016 E350 vehicles, 2016-2017 GL450 4Matic vehicles, 2012-2014 ML350 4Matic BlueTec vehicles, 2015 S550, S550 4Matic and C300 4Matic Sedan vehicles, 2015-2016 C300 Sedan vehicles, and 2017 SL63 AMG vehicles. Various control units on these vehicles may have been updated with incorrect software, potentially affecting the correct deployment of the air bags in the event of a crash.
- Risk
- If the air bags do not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, there would be an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
- Remedy
- MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will update software in the affected control units, free of charge. The recall began April 21, 2017. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1‑800‑367‑6372.
Recall number 17V177000 · Recall details
What 2013 Mercedes-Benz C300 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. No warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that engine oil had traveled through the wiring harness causing the ECU to fail. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered to cover a portion of the repair cost. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that after several attempts, the vehicle started. The security alert warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the anti-theft module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired, and the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Left tail lights burning out due to overheated wires
The ESP®, or Electronic Stability Control system can put the car into limp mode unexpectedly. Say you are driving on route 66 going 50 mph. The ESP system can turn off if a wheel speed sensor or yaw sensor is on the way out. This causes the car to suddenly dramatically brake and limit speed to 5 mph on the highway. Risk of high speed rear end collision and mortality to the driver.
I purchased the vehicle in 2015, and a few months ago I started having issues with the steering wheel, as well as an error message with the airbag. More recently, I am experiencing issues with my ignition switch, and after doing some research I’m seeing that many people who drive the mage and model of my vehicle are experiencing issues with their ignition switch suddenly going out. I’ve been quoted 2k to repair the issues, but I feel the Mercedes should be responsible for taking care of what seems to be a faughty ignition switch with this particular model. There was no warning, no indication that there was a problem, one day my car just wouldn’t start. I need to report this to make sure buyers are aware with issues with the C300 model for all vehicles that are a 2013 and under.
The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, several unknown warning lights started flashing off and on. The contact stated that the turn signal stopped working on the passenger’s side of the vehicle. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the main dash connectors and instrument panel had short circuited and nearly caught on fire. The independent mechanic stated that fuses and the instrument panel needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.
I’ve had 2 c300 Mercedes models in the past 8 months both used and were driving fine until rain water and car washes caused electrical damage there is a water leaking issue that goes into the floorbeds of the vehicle that causes the car to malfunction
Vehicle completely shut down while traveling on interstate. Ignition switch malfunction and went dead, also steering column locked causing me to lose control of steering functions.
The electronic steering lock failed while in the parked position. A tiny motor inside has burned up and it now prevents you from starting the vehicle. The dealership will not sell me a replacement to repair on my own and I must take it in to them for repair at a cost of over $1800.00. This is a very common defect failure in this series of 2008 to 2014 mercedes benz. I have a 2005 mercedes which does not have this problem with the unit and is operating correctly after 15 years.
Questions about the 2013 Mercedes-Benz C300 electrical
Does the 2013 Mercedes-Benz C300 have electrical problems?
Owners have filed 19 complaints about the electrical of the 2013 Mercedes-Benz C300, 7% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2013 Mercedes-Benz C300 electrical problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 91,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2013 Mercedes-Benz C300 electrical?
Yes, 2 recalls: 19V787000, 17V177000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Mercedes-Benz C300 have the most electrical problems?
The Mercedes-Benz C300 model years with the most electrical complaints are 2010 (84 complaints), 2015 (50 complaints) and 2011 (43 complaints).
Other 2013 Mercedes-Benz C300 problems
Airbags 99Suspension 67Body 58Steering 26Brakes 16Engine 8Acceleration 7Wheels 5Transmission 4Fuel system 3Lights 3Tires 3Driver assistance 2Visibility 2Seat belts 1
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