YearToAvoid

2011 Mercedes-Benz C300 Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls

Avoid The 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300 ranks 2nd-worst of 16 model years, with a complaint index of 93 and 480 complaints, earning an Avoid verdict. Airbags are the top problem area, making up 52% of complaints, backed by 6 recall campaigns.

Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology

YearToAvoid Scorecard

Complaint Index
93/100
#2 of 16 C300 years
Verdict
Avoid
vs. other years of this model
Complaints
480
unique NHTSA reports
Recalls
6
distinct NHTSA campaigns
Crashes
15
reported in complaints
Fires
6
Injuries
14
Top issue
Airbags
Best nearby year
2021
rated Best
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
20
18 city / 25 hwy
Injuries / deaths
14 / 0

Top 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300 problems

Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Airbags250 (52%)
  2. Suspension, Wheels & Tires63 (13%)
  3. Electrical System58 (12%)
  4. Structure & Body53 (11%)
  5. Fuel System44 (9%)
  6. Steering34 (7%)
  7. Other33 (7%)
  8. Brakes14 (3%)
  9. Engine14 (3%)
  10. Transmission & Powertrain10 (2%)

A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.

What owners report

  • Brakes reportedly fail suddenly at low speed, causing the car to roll into obstacles despite pedal application.
  • Frontal and side airbags reportedly fail to deploy during collisions, including T-bone and side-impact crashes.
  • Tail light assemblies reportedly melt and ignite fires in the trunk area.
  • Headlight wiring reportedly causes repeated bulb burnout followed by a fire starting in the front end.
  • Signal acquisition modules reportedly melt, producing smoke odors when starting the vehicle.
  • Accelerator pedal reportedly causes unintended acceleration with unresponsive brakes at a stop.
2011 Mercedes-Benz C300 complaints: complaints filed per quarter782011 Q32014 Q42016 Q32018 Q22020 Q12021 Q42023 Q32025 Q3
480 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2011 Q3 to 2026 Q2; peak 2017 Q4 (78).

2011 Mercedes-Benz C300 recalls

6 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 19V010000Jan 9, 2019Airbags288,779 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2014 C250, C300 4Matic, C350, C63 AMG, E350 4Matic Coupe, E350 Cabrio, E350 Coupe, SLS AMG Cabrio, SLS AMG Coupe, 2014-2015 C250 Coupe, C350 4Matic Coupe, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG Coupe, GLK 350, GLK250 BlueTec 4Matic, GLK350 RWD, 2015-2017 E400 4Matic Coupe, E400 Cabrio, E400 Coupe, 2014-2017 E550 Cabrio, and 2014-2016 E550 Coupe vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, PR, AS, GU, the MP, and VI or "Zone A." Additionally, MBUSA is recalling certain 2012-2014 C250, E350 4Matic Coupe, SLS AMG Cabrio, 2012-2015 C250 Coupe, C350 4Matic Coupe, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG Coupe, 2011 C300, 2011-2014 C300 4Matic, C350, C63 AMG, E350 Cabrio, E350 Coupe, SLS AMG Coupe, 2015-2016 E400 4Matic Coupe, E400 Cabrio, E400 Coupe, 2011-2016 E550 Cabrio, E550 Coupe, 2011-2015 GLK350 4Matic, GLK350 RWD, and 2013-2015 GLK250 BlueTec 4Matic vehicles ever registered in the states of AZ, AR, DE, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV or "Zone B." MBUSA is also recalling certain 2012-2014 C250, E350 4Matic Coupe, SLS AMG Cabrio 2012-2015 C250 Coupe, C350 4Matic Coupe, C350 Coupe, C63 AMG Coupe, 2010-2011 C300, 2010-2014 C300 4Matic, C350, C63 AMG, E350 Coupe, 2011-2014 E350 Cabrio, SLS AMG Coupe, 2015-2016 E400 4Matic Coupe, E400 Cabrio, E400 Coupe, 2016-2017 E550 Cabrio, 2010-2016 E550 Coupe, 2010-2015 GLK350 4Matic, GLK350 RWD, and 2013-2015 GLK250 BlueTec 4Matic vehicles ever registered in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MO, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

    Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began March 29, 2019. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.

  2. NHTSA 17V177000Mar 14, 2017Electrical System51 vehicles

    Electrical system:software

    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.

  3. NHTSA 16V363000May 26, 2016Airbags258,163 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 C300 Sedan, C300 4matic Sedan, C350 Sedan, C63 AMG Sedan vehicles, 2010-2011 GLK350, GLK350 4-Matic and E350 Coupe vehicles, 2011 SLS AMG, E350 Convertible, E550 Coupe and E550 Convertible vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, MBUSA is recalling certain model year 2008 C300 Sedan, C350 Sedan, C63 AMG Sedan and C300 4-Matic Sedan vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Vehicles not originally sold or ever registered in either Zones A or B are not subject to this safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

    Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag modules, free of charge. Owners were sent an interim notification October 2016. A second notice will be mailed when remedy parts are available. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-877-496-3691.

See all 6 recalls for the 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300 →

2011 Mercedes-Benz C300 fuel economy and fuel cost

City
18 MPG
Highway
25 MPG
Combined
20 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$4,000
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Premium
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2011 compared with other C300 years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2010Avoid100453621
2011Avoid93480620
2012Caution67266620
2013Caution60259622

All Mercedes-Benz C300 years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300 reliable?
Based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2011 C300 ranks 2nd-worst of 16 model years with a complaint index of 93, earning an Avoid verdict relative to other C300 years.
What is the most common problem with the 2011 C300?
Airbags are the top problem area, with 250 complaints making up 52% of all reports and a median failure mileage of 60,000 miles.
Does the 2011 C300 have any recalls?
NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for the 2011 C300, covering airbags, electrical wiring/bulb holders, and the fuel filter.
Were there any fires reported in the 2011 C300?
NHTSA complaint data shows 6 fires reported for the 2011 C300, several linked to electrical system issues like melted tail light assemblies and wiring.
How does the 2011 C300 compare to other years?
The 2011 C300 has a complaint index of 93, worse than most other C300 years except 2010 (100); years like 2021 (index 7) and 2024 (index 13) rank as Best.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.