AutoUtility currently tracks 41 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLS. Electrical System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 8 complaints (19.5% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 1 filing cites a crash, 5 cite a fire, 2 report one or more injuries. The 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLS belongs to the 2nd Generation / GL Facelift (X166) platform.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 41 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Electrical System (8 reports • 19.5% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Exterior Lighting (6), Fuel & Propulsion System (6)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 1 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 5 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 2 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLS
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Electrical System
NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #22V365000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
- Campaign #21V058000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
Exterior Lighting
Fuel & Propulsion System
Engine & Cooling
Steering System
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLS
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"I was driving around and my [XXX] daughter was complaining that the seat was getting super hot . I told her to stop playing with the seat warmer she then replied she was not . I kept driving and then she again told me it was burning her so i pulled over and saw that her leg was super red and i saw..."
"Car did not brake when going about 5-7mph and crashed into another car."
"The contact owns a 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLS450. The contact heard an abnormal humming sound when the vehicle was started, and the humming sound grew louder over time. The contact believed that the humming sound was coming from the driver's side headlamp. The contact stated that the headlamp was..."
"My 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 is experiencing serious and unpredictable transmission behavior related to the valve body and shifting mechanism. The transmission sometimes fails to engage Park, shifts on its own without driver input or attempts to engage Reverse unexpectedly. On multiple occasions..."
"On July 23, 2025, I drove my Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 to a medical appointment. After arriving, I parked near the valet station, turned off the car, and went inside to check in at LabCorp. Within two minutes, witnesses reported black smoke from the hood — followed by a violent explosion that shook the..."
Complaint History for Mercedes-Benz GLS
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2017–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLS Current Page | 41 | 1 | 8 | Current |
| 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLS | 22 | 1 | 4 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLS | 27 | 1 | 3 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS | 38 | 3 | 24 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLS | 37 | 2 | 12 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLS | 15 | 2 | 10 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLS | 10 | 0 | 5 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLS | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Mercedes-Benz GLS | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2026 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLS
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 19 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VISIBILITY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,STRUCTURE,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.