AutoUtility currently tracks 38 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS. Electrical System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 18 complaints (47.4% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 3 filings cite a crash, 1 cites a fire, 2 report one or more injuries. The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS belongs to the 3rd Generation (X167) platform.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 38 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Electrical System (18 reports • 47.4% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Fuel & Propulsion System (8), Driver Assistance & Safety Tech (7)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 3 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 1 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 2 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Electrical System
NHTSA records list 3 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #22V365000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
- Campaign #24V207000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
- Campaign #20V089000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
Fuel & Propulsion System
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #21V961000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:FUEL RAIL
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #21V354000 BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
- Campaign #22V232000 BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION
Engine & Cooling
Powertrain & Transmission
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #24V118000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE
Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.
Loss of Motive Power While Driving
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"AMENDMENT TO ACTIVE CASE 11723015. CRITICAL AIRBAG & SAFETY DEFECTS. This files a safety defect amendment to open case 11723015. Diagnostic scans confirm central data bus network collapse on VIN [XXX] has migrated into safety-critical occupant restraint and visibility modules, violating 49 U.S.C. §..."
"The contact owns a 2020 Mercedes Benz GLS. The contact stated that while driving on the highway, the rear door window trim bars on the passenger side detached from the window. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they diagnosed as a rear door window trim detachment however the vehicle was not..."
"Window trim on the passenger rear window fell off while driving- it put others at risk by flying off the vehicle on the interstate- Mercedes Benz of Omaha quoted replacement of the window trim parts- no warning messages on dash"
"The engine wiring harness insulation near the ignition coil connectors prematurely deteriorated due to prolonged exposure to engine heat in the turbocharger/exhaust area. Multiple wiring connectors exhibited brittle, cracked insulation with exposed conductors. The degraded wiring began shorting..."
"On a sunny afternoon without zero clouds in the sky, 75 degrees I was driving at 35 mph on a two-lane road with no cars in front of me, behind me, or coming in the other direction, the brakes were urgently and automatically applied and the seat belts dramatically tightened. The system showed a..."
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 | 41 | 1 | 8 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLS | 22 | 1 | 4 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLS | 27 | 1 | 3 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS Current Page | 38 | 3 | 24 | Current |
| 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 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 23 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 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.