In less than 30 days and less than 1,500 miles, the brand new SUV's steering wheel quit working during the turn, the belt , the pulley and the tensioner were broken without any warning.
The worst 2011 Mercedes Benz GL problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Steering2
- Acceleration1
- Electrical1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Steering2
- Acceleration1
- Electrical1
Recalls 2
Fuel system, diesel
- What is wrong
- Mercedes-benz USA (mbusa) is recalling certain model year 2011 vehicles including e-class (212 platform), manufactured from july 2010 through february 2011, r-class (251 platform), manufactured from april 2010 through april 2011, ml-class (w164 platform), manufactured from january 2010 through march 2011, gl-class (x164 platform), manufactured from march 2010 through march 2011, and model year 2012 s-class (221 platform) vehicles. The diesel fuel filter may leak from the area around the heating component.
- Risk
- Diesel fuel may be deposited onto the highway and create the potential for a crash.
- Remedy
- Mbusa will contact owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the diesel fuel filter if necessary, free of charge. The safety recall began on november 30, 2011. Owners may contact mercedes-benz USA at 1‑800‑367‑6372.
Recall number 11V496000 · Recall details
Fuel system, other: fuel filter
- What is wrong
- Mercedes benz is recalling certain model year 2011 m-class, model w164, gl-class, model x164, e-class, model w212, r-class, and model v251vehicles. The o-ring may not have been properly lubricated in all cases. Lack of lubrication can lead to leakage of the fuel filter.
- Risk
- Diesel fuel may be deposited on roads and making those roads slippery, increasing the potential for a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the fuel filters free of charge. The safety recall began on november 24, 2010. Owners may contact mercedes benz at 1‑800‑367‑6372. This campaign has been superseded . Please see recall campaign 11v‑496.
Recall number 10V540000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2011 Mercedes Benz GL 7
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Mercedes-benz: the transmission switches to limp-home mode while driving
- Mercedes-benz: the steering is leaking in the area of input shaft, because of wear on a seal ring
- Mercedes-benz: the malfunction light is on with multiple possible trouble codes stored
- Mercedes-benz: installation information of bolted wheel connections
- Mercedes-benz: the auto-transmission switches to limp home mode or has no power
- Mercedes-benz: software update for heater lines
- Mercedes-benz: shock absorber procedure
What 2011 Mercedes Benz GL owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
My husband was going on his third deployment, he did not want me to have any car problem, so we spent almost 70k for a brand new 2011 mercedes gl blue tech. However, less than 30 days and 1460 miles, the steering wheel quit working during a turn, it almost killed me. I have contacted the dealer (valley motor mercedes, hunt valley , md )and the mercedes, they could not explain why this happened, they do not care about my safety and refused to replace the car. They did not care the fact I was scared to death to drive the car either, they charge such high price for a junk car, and refused to hold the responsibility. Shame on them, my husband put his life on the line to protect those kind people !
Tl*the contact owns a 2011 mercedes benz glk350. The contact stated that the cruise control switch and the turn signal were both located on the left side of the steering wheel. Whenever he activated the left of right turn signals, his hand would hit the cruise control causing it to engage instead of the turn signal which was a design flaw. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who stated the vehicle was designed that way and could not be changed. The manufacturer was contacted and also stated that since the switch was designed on the same side of the steering wheel they could not be changed. The failure mileage was 4,000.
Compare the 2011 Mercedes Benz GL
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Questions about the 2011 Mercedes Benz GL
Is the 2011 Mercedes Benz GL reliable?
Owners have filed 3 complaints about the 2011 Mercedes Benz GL, close to a typical GL model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2011 Mercedes Benz GL?
Steering, with 2 complaints. Next is acceleration (1).
How many recalls does the 2011 Mercedes Benz GL have?
2 recalls, covering fuel system, diesel and fuel system, other.
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