AutoUtility currently tracks 37 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLS. Electrical System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 17 complaints (45.9% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 2 filings cite a crash, 2 cite a fire, 3 report one or more injuries. The 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLS belongs to the 3rd Generation (X167) platform.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 37 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Electrical System (17 reports • 45.9% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Engine & Cooling (5), Driver Assistance & Safety Tech (5)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 2 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 2 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 3 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2021 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
Engine & Cooling
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #21V354000 BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
Wheels & Tires
Fuel & Propulsion System
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #23V445000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLS
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"The vehicle suffered a sudden, catastrophic 48V mild-hybrid electrical power supply breakdown and complete system failure while traveling at highway speeds during a cross-country move. The sudden failure forced an emergency lane change into an isolation zone just off the highway. The sudden failure..."
"48V battery has repeated failures where I'm driving. safety concern, When it fail, it will pop up warning1) only drive below 50 miles/hour; then it becomes2) stop vehicle immediately; then ) multi-media system suddenly shut off while I'm driving. I tested by 48V battery which only has below 60%..."
"The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLS580. The contact stated that after entering the vehicle, the contact became aware of an abnormally strong fuel odor inside the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics who referred the contact to the..."
"Both rear wheels on this vehicle have developed cracks which leads to tire pressure loss. Apparently, this is a common issue with Mercedes' heavier vehicles like the GLS and S series sedans. To be clear, I did not hit anything. I did not do any unusual driving. Both rear tires are fine. While you..."
"On [XXX], I was heading home from work traveling [XXX] on [XXX] through Atlanta's usual heavy traffic. I smelled smoke inside my car and saw fire flames coming from under my passenger seat. My initial reaction was to try to put the fire out with my hat without burning myself. Also, I had to try to..."
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 | 38 | 3 | 24 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLS Current Page | 37 | 2 | 12 | Current |
| 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 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLS
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 18 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 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEATS | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lane Departure Warning NHTSA category: LANE DEPARTURE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 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.