2011 Mercedes-Benz GL350 problems & reliability
23 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL350, alongside 3 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 9 | 39% |
| Engine | 6 | 26% |
| Service Brakes | 3 | 13% |
| Suspension | 2 | 9% |
| Back Over Prevention | 1 | 4% |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 4% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 4% |
| Steering | 1 | 4% |
| Unknown OR Other | 1 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“- The hard brake lines from the going to the rear axle ruptured during light braking. The corroded sections have been removed and are available. - I had no indication of a problem until I went to stop the vehicle. I was able to slow the vehicle down but could not keep it from moving forward with out being in neutral…”
Service Brakes · filed Mar 24, 2025
“The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL350. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V315000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of…”
Service Brakes, Hydraulic · filed Dec 12, 2024
“The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL350. The contact stated that the dealer had previously serviced the vehicle under an unknown diesel emission recall; however, the failure occurred after the recall repair was performed with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at an…”
Engine · filed Mar 20, 2023
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering Analysis EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021 · open
Technical service bulletins
41 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL350. The 10 most recent:
Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end). The noise is heard once in each instance when changing direction of travel. Note: Sound file in attachment Cause…
LI35.30-P-058566 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 14, 2026
Complaint Headlamp, front fog lamp leaky or fogged. Cause Fogging of the headlamps is a natural phenomenon, which can occur under certain climatic conditions. It does not lead to any technical impairment of the…
LI82.10-P-078301 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 16, 2026
Complaint Headlamp, front fog lamp leaky or fogged Cause Fogging of the headlamps is a natural phenomenon, which can occur under certain climatic conditions. It does not lead to any technical impairment of the headlamp…
LI82.10-P-078301 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 9, 2026
Complaint Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end). The clunk is heard once when changing from forward to reverse (and vice versa). Note: Sound file in…
LI33.30-P-056665 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 21, 2025
Complaint Headlamps leaking or fogged Cause The fogging of the headlamp is a natural phenomenon which can occur under certain climatic conditions. In contrast to a leaky headlamp, physical fogging does not result in a…
LI82.10-P-078896 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 28, 2025
Complaint Headlamp, front fog lamp leaky or fogged Cause Fogging of the headlamps is a natural phenomenon, which can occur under certain climatic conditions. It does not lead to any technical impairment of the headlamp…
LI82.10-P-078301 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 28, 2025
Complaint During a phone call, the called party has difficulty understanding/cannot understand the driver, or interference/background noises are audible to the called party during a call. It becomes increasingly…
LI82.70-P-077433 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 5, 2025
Complaint Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end). The clunk is heard once when changing from forward to reverse (and vice versa). Cause If the complaint…
LI33.30-P-056665 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 16, 2025
Complaint Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end). The noise is heard once in each instance when changing direction of travel. Note: Sound file in…
LI35.30-P-058566 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 15, 2025
Complaint Transmission control unit Y3/8n4 (fully integrated transmission control unit (VGS)) not listed in quick test and/or no communication possible with VGS. Cause Transmission control unit Y3/8n4 Remedy It is…
LI27.19-P-072588 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 20, 2024
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL350 has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL350?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.