2019 Mercedes-Benz C-Class problems, complaints & recalls
NHTSA has received 79 owner complaints about the 2019 Mercedes-Benz C-Class, or 10.1 per year on the road — far fewer complaints than typical (complaint index 0.25, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 78 model-year 2019 vehicles we track, it ranks #22 of 78 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Mercedes-Benz models its rate is about the same; against other Luxury sedans it is 107% higher.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Complaints filed between 2019-02-10 and 2026-09-30. Median delay from incident to filing: 14 days.
Analysis
The previous model year (2018) drew 14.8 complaints per year, more than this one. The following model year (2020) drew 6.8 per year, fewer than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2019 model collected 12 complaints, 85% lower than the average vehicle of the same model year.
The most common problem area is Engine (22.8% of complaints), followed by Electrical (15.2%) and Body & structure (10.1%). 3 reports (3.8%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 1 injury and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 53 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was after five years (42% of incidents). In the last 12 months 16 new complaints were filed, versus 18 in the 12 months before — down 11%.
NHTSA lists no safety recalls for this model year.
Complaint index
- vs. all tracked vehicles0.25
- vs. other Mercedes-Benz models1.02
- vs. other 2019 models0.22
- vs. other Luxury sedans2.07
- Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (12)0.15
- #22 of 78 · 2019Rankings ›
1.00 means the same rate as the comparison group. 2.00 means twice as many complaints per year on the road.
What owners complain about
vs. all vehicles: 1.00 = All-vehicle average
Problem areas: Engine · Electrical · Body & structure
When complaints were filed
- Crashes reported: 3
- Fires reported: 0
- Injuries: 1
- Deaths: 0
Vehicle age at incident
Median age at incident: 53 months
What owners report
On the afternoon of February 6, 2024, as I was turning into my driveway to park in front of the garage, my car unexpectedly accelerated despite my foot being on the brake pedal.
i was involve in a accident, i was Tbone and the driver side airbags didnt deploy.
The vehicle exhibits an intermittent, severe electronic-hydraulic transmission control defect where it completely rejects gear shifts from Park (P) to Drive (D), or forcefully defaults back into Park upon operation.
The factory infotainment system (Mercedes NTG 5.5 head unit) displays Android Auto incorrectly. Instead of using the full width of the center display, Android Auto is cropped into a reduced window on the right side of the screen.
The M264 2.0L engine suffered a catastrophic internal failure. While making a left turn at an intersection, the vehicle suddenly shut off and stalled, leaving the car stranded in active traffic and creating an immediate safety risk.
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Segment peers · 2019 · Luxury sedans
| Models | Complaints | Complaints per year on the road | Complaint index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Audi A4 | 8 | 1.0 | 0.02 |
| 2019 Lexus ES | 34 | 4.4 | 0.11 |
| 2019 BMW 5 Series | 39 | 5.0 | 0.12 |
| 2019 BMW 3 Series | 41 | 5.3 | 0.13 |
| 2019 Mercedes-Benz E-Class | 54 | 6.9 | 0.17 |
| 2019 Mercedes-Benz C-Class | 79 | 10.1 | 0.25 |
Safety recalls (0)
No recalls on record for this model year.
Investigations
No NHTSA investigation covers the tracked model years.