2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE problems, complaints & recalls
NHTSA has received 34 owner complaints about the 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE, or 4.4 per year on the road — far fewer complaints than typical (complaint index 0.11, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 78 model-year 2019 vehicles we track, it ranks #4 of 78 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Mercedes-Benz models its rate is 55% lower; against other Luxury SUVs it is 69% lower.
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 2019-12-01 and 2026-09-19. Median delay from incident to filing: 4 days.
Analysis
The previous model year (2018) drew 6.4 complaints per year, more than this one. The following model year (2020) drew 18.3 per year, more than this one.
The most common problem area is Body & structure (29.4% of complaints), followed by Transmission / powertrain (14.7%) and Electrical (11.8%). Body & structure complaints are 3.2 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 3 reports (8.8%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 2 injuries and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 61 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was after five years (50% of incidents). 6 complaints were filed in the last 12 months.
NHTSA lists no safety recalls for this model year.
Complaint index
- vs. all tracked vehicles0.11
- vs. other Mercedes-Benz models0.45
- vs. other 2019 models0.1
- vs. other Luxury SUVs0.31
- Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (4)0.05
- #4 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 · Unspecified or other · Transmission / powertrain
When complaints were filed
- Crashes reported: 2
- Fires reported: 1
- Injuries: 2
- Deaths: 0
Vehicle age at incident
Median age at incident: 61 months
What owners report
Car caught fire in the engine compartment and was extinguished by the fire department
The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH when the contact struck a pothole the contact felt the vehicle jumps and moves side to side without any warning.
The vehicle is shifting into neutral when putting it into drive. I was told the transmission valve body broke and transmission control unit for 9-speed transmission (VGS) has to be replaced.
Trailer recognition module shows fault B164213, "The output for the left rear turn signal lamp has a malfunction. There is an open circuit." The vehicle has 77,488 miles.
The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE450. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, there was an abnormal banging sound coming from the roof.
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Segment peers · 2019 · Luxury SUVs
| Models | Complaints | Complaints per year on the road | Complaint index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE | 34 | 4.4 | 0.11 |
| 2019 Lexus NX | 44 | 5.6 | 0.14 |
| 2019 Audi Q5 | 52 | 6.7 | 0.17 |
| 2019 Audi Q7 | 62 | 8.0 | 0.2 |
| 2019 Lexus RX | 68 | 8.7 | 0.22 |
| 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC | 69 | 8.9 | 0.22 |
| 2019 BMW X3 | 170 | 21.8 | 0.54 |
| 2019 BMW X5 | 191 | 24.5 | 0.61 |
| 2019 Acura MDX | 198 | 25.4 | 0.63 |
Safety recalls (0)
No recalls on record for this model year.
Investigations
No NHTSA investigation covers the tracked model years.