KnownCarProblemsHome › Mercedes-Benz › GL450 › 2012
2012 Mercedes-Benz GL450 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 47 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Mercedes-Benz GL450, most often about the air bags (47% of complaints). It is the 2nd most complained-about GL450 model year since 2000 and has 3 recalls.
⚠ Safety advisory2 recalls for this car came with a do-not-drive warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most common 2012 Mercedes-Benz GL450 problems
Air bags
22 complaints · 47%Takata recall. My car has an airbag affected by the recall, yet mercedes has not offered to replace it. I received a recall notice but there is no action to take.
I received 2 letter from mercedes benz USA regarding the air bag recall. The 1st letter gave me a date in march for replacement. The 2nd letter stated my airbag would be replaced in july 2018. When I called the dealership they stated the replacements have yet to be received and to call mercedes corporate
Brakes
8 complaints · 17%"takata recall" my 2012 gl 450 mercedes benz ABS warning light came on while driving in the city. While driving at about 45 miles per hour the brakes engaged before I could stop my vehicle and pull over. It literally almost sent me through the windshield, a hard grinding sound and an intense stop. Still trying to get…
The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz GL450. The contact stated that while merging onto a highway, the vehicle failed to upshift at 32 MPH, without warning. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle and was then able to resume normal driving. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times. Neither…
Suspension
7 complaints · 15%Half of these problems showed up before 60,500 miles.
At around 60k miles, I had to replace the automatic suspension on both of the front tires (around $3,000). Now I'm having issues with the back and will probably have to replace them as well at 69k miles.
4-5 miles into driving airmatic malfunction appears on my dashboard ( picture of an straight up arrow in the middle of car picture) when I increase the speed to 50 miles the tachometer goes crazy and I hear loud sound. Car has less than 50 000 miles.
Transmission
5 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 49,000 miles.
After purchasing the vehicle used from a dealer (with @ 36,000 miles) I started having transmission problems within a year. When I would be stopped on a hill/incline and then accelerate the car would violently jerk (as if I had hit something). It would not go forward until after the sudden jerking motion stopped. It…
On 01/08/14, a female driver of a 2012 gl 450 was stationary, in the garage, with engine running. Before she exited the vehicle to check on her child in the rear of the vehicle, she pressed the park button on the drive select electronically-controlled column shifter. As she exited and walked around to her child, the…
Seat belts
3 complaints · 6%The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz GL450. While driving 20 MPH, the rear middle seat belt fractured without warning. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2012 Mercedes-Benz GL450 recalls
Brakes: vacuum
Risk: Reduced brake performance or brake failure can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy has been performed. Dealers will remove the rubber sleeve, inspect the brake booster, and as necessary, replace the brake booster. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on may 24, 2024. Owners may contact mbusa customer service at 1-800-367-6372. Mmusa's number for this recall is 2024050001/2. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 22v-315.
Full defect summary
Mercedes-benz USA, llc (mbusa) is recalling certain 2006-2012 ml, gl, and r-class vehicles. Please refer to mbusa's recall report for specific vehicle model details. Moisture may accumulate and cause corrosion in the brake booster housing unit, which can result in reduced brake performance or brake failure.
Brakes: vacuum
Risk: Reduced brake performance or brake failure can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy has been performed. Dealers will remove the rubber sleeve, inspect the brake booster, and as necessary, replace the brake booster. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed june 30, 2022. Owners may contact mbusa customer service at 1-800-367-6372. Mbusa's numbers for this recall are 2022050014, 2022050015 2022090006, & 2022090007.
Full defect summary
Mercedes-benz USA, llc (mbusa) is recalling certain 2006-2012 ml-class, gl-class, and r-class vehicles. Please refer to mbusa's recall report for specific vehicle model details. Moisture may accumulate and cause corrosion in the brake booster housing unit, which can result in reduced brake performance or brake failure.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Mbusa will their notify owners, and fiat chrysler will notify the affected chrysler owners. Dealers for the respective brands will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. This recall began november 2016. Mercedes-benz owners may contact mbusa customer service at 1-800-367-6372 and chrysler owners may contact fiat chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403.
Full defect summary
Mercedes-benz USA, llc. (mbusa) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 ml320 bluetec 4matic, gl320 bluetec 4matic and r320 cdi 4matic, 2011 e350 cabriolet and e550 cabriolet, 2009-2011 ml350, ml350 4matic, ml550 4matic, ml63 amg, and c63 amg, 2010-2011 ml450 4matic hybrid, e350 coupe, e350 4matic, e550 coupe, e550 4matic, and e63 amg, 2011-2012 gl350 bluetec 4matic and r350 bluetec 4matic, 2009-2012 gl450 4matic, gl550 4matic and r350 4matic, 2007-2008 slk280, slk350, and slk55 amg, 2011-2014 sls amg coupe, 2012 sls amg cabriolet, 2013-2014 sls amg gt and sls amg gt cabriolet, 2005 c230 kompressor and c320, 2006-2007 c230, 2006-2011 c350, 2008-2011 c300 and c300 4matic, 2010-2012 glk350 and glk350 4matic and 2007-2008 chrysler crossfire vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
From 2000 through 2017, takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("psan") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004l. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 blomquist report at www.NHTSA.gov/sites/NHTSA.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Questions about the 2012 Mercedes-Benz GL450
- What are the most common problems with the 2012 Mercedes-Benz GL450?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (22 complaints); brakes (8 complaints); suspension (7 complaints, typically around 60,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2012 Mercedes-Benz GL450 have?
- 3 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from April 26, 2024 (brakes). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2012 a bad year for the Mercedes-Benz GL450?
- It is the 2nd most complained-about GL450 model year since 2000, with 47 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.