2010 Mercedes-Benz GL450 problems & reliability
42 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2010 Mercedes-Benz GL450, 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.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags → | 21 | 50% |
| Electrical System | 5 | 12% |
| Service Brakes | 5 | 12% |
| Suspension | 5 | 12% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 7% |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 5% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 2% |
| Power Train | 1 | 2% |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 2% |
| Steering | 1 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 92,138 miles (middle 50% between 68,500 and 128,250 miles), based on 20 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2010 Mercedes-Benz GL450. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact depressed the brake pedal harder, and the vehicle responded as intended. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken…”
Service Brakes, Hydraulic · filed Mar 27, 2026
“The contact owns a 2010 Mercedes-Benz GL450. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH and attempting to bring the vehicle of a complete stop, the vehicle slowed but failed to stop as expected. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard but was able to bring the vehicle to a stop by using…”
Service Brakes, Hydraulic · filed Jul 21, 2025
“The EIS module we have found has an issue with the part from Japan that does not have enough Sauder on a part of it, so when the temp drops below 50 degrees or less the ignition starts but all the safety features go off and the computer shuts down the vehicle. Reason is the metal contracts in cold weather causing the…”
Electrical System · filed Jan 9, 2025
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
54 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2010 Mercedes-Benz GL450. 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 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-078307 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 25, 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 Feb 24, 2026
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 Feb 24, 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
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 2010 Mercedes-Benz GL450 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 2010 Mercedes-Benz GL450?
- · 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.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 92,138 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.