Coscienzios

Model years to avoid

Mercedes-Benz C-Class

What it says about you

Opinion

You wanted the badge at the entry point and knew that was what you were doing. Everyone knows that is what you were doing. It is a lovely car and this is all fine.

Not measured, not from the data, and offered in fun. Everything below this is not.

23 model years on record, 7,246 complaints filed.

The years to look at closely: 2015 (valve), 2009 (takata recall), 2008 (takata recall). Everything else drew a normal number of complaints for this model.

What owners report, and when

Faults that dominated the complaints of more than one model year. Not the same question as which year to avoid — a car can have an ordinary number of complaints every year and have most of them be about the same thing.

  • takata 2010, 2011, 2012 peak 39.4% of that year's complaints
  • serious 2018, 2020 peak 41.3% of that year's complaints
  • activated 2019, 2023 peak 41.1% of that year's complaints
  • valve 2015, 2016, 2018 peak 28.6% of that year's complaints
  • subframe 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 peak 23.8% of that year's complaints
  • lock 2008, 2009 peak 34% of that year's complaints
  • bags 2011, 2014 peak 32.7% of that year's complaints
  • c250 2012, 2013, 2014 peak 25.4% of that year's complaints

Every year

  1. 2027 nothing on record 0 complaints
  2. 2026 0 recalls 1 complaints
  3. 2025 nothing on record 0 complaints
  4. 2024 0 recalls 22 complaints
  5. 2023 0 recalls 73 complaints
  6. 2022 0 recalls 76 complaints
  7. 2021 0 recalls 29 complaints
  8. 2020 0 recalls 92 complaints
  9. 2019 0 recalls 146 complaints
  10. 2018 0 recalls 254 complaints
  11. 2017 0 recalls 504 complaints
  12. 2016 0 recalls 632 complaints
  13. 2015 valve 878 complaints
  14. 2014 0 recalls 284 complaints
  15. 2013 0 recalls 570 complaints
  16. 2012 0 recalls 584 complaints
  17. 2011 0 recalls 516 complaints
  18. 2010 0 recalls 476 complaints
  19. 2009 takata recall 670 complaints
  20. 2008 takata recall 836 complaints
  21. 2007 0 recalls 280 complaints
  22. 2006 0 recalls 183 complaints
  23. 2005 0 recalls 140 complaints

What does a Mercedes-Benz C-Class say about you?

Loading comments…

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations, retrieved . A year is flagged when it drew at least 2.5× this model's median and at least 50 complaints — compared against itself rather than against other cars, so popularity and age do not decide the answer.