Model Year Index

Which Mercedes-Benz GLB years to avoid

Across 2 scored model years, the 2020 model year carries the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Mercedes-Benz GLB Full report
D
Grade 2020–2021
2020 vs model median 1.4×
Model median3× median
Body & Interior 11
Electrical 9
Airbags & Restraints 6
Avoid

2020

Best

2021

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2020
1.43× 58 D
2021
0.57× 26 B
2022 P
0.73× 25 B
2023 P
0.42× 15 A

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2020 D 58 reports · median 8,000 mi

  1. Body & Interior 11

    Dealership first quoted US a lower price then at the time of selling charged US more I have the proves ,then showed US this particular vehicle which they sold US with a spare tyre but took out when they handed the key… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 9

    On friday 7/17/2020 aroundnoon, I wasdriving mymb glb that was bought lessthan90 days ago when suddenly the dashboard went blank. I could not see speed, gas gages or any other safety features that would be on the dash. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Airbags & Restraints 6

    Left curtain airbag malfunction light. The car was taken to the dealer and the airbag was replaced. After taking the car back the left curtain airbag malfunction light came on again. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

4 crash · 5 injuries

2021 B 26 reports

  1. Electrical 4

    The contact owns a 2021 mercedes-benz glb250. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21v354000 (back over prevention, electrical system) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Engine 4

    We purchased a brand new mercedes glb in january 2021, I noticed the car started to shake. On our way leaving zion national park, the car started shaking really hard and the engine light turned on. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Suspension 2

    This vehicle was purchased new, in cash, from the mercedes-benz dealership in bellevue, wa. It was delivered to me, without being warned about the car being equipped with summer tires, the state of washington has… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

The best year for the GLB

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2021 is the best-scoring GLB model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 70.8 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2021 0.57× 26 B
2020 1.43× 58 D

Recalls

22 campaigns on record.

Treat that as a minimum. NHTSA's lookup does not answer to this model's published name, so its campaigns are collected one trim at a time and the list may be short of the full count.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
21V058000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE 2021 1,292,258
21V354000 BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA 2021 343,191
26V481000 LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LOCK 2021–2023 310,667
22V365000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE 2021 242,722
22V232000 BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION 2021 126,443
23V732000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS 2020 42,742
21V990000 SUSPENSION:FRONT 2020, 2021 38,312
20V480000 STRUCTURE:BODY 2020 10,644
21V403000 STRUCTURE 2020 5,680
21V231000 STRUCTURE:BODY:TAILGATE 2020, 2021 5,215
21V232000 STRUCTURE:BODY 2020, 2021 2,362
21V526000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:CONNECTORS/PLUGS:ACCESORY POWER OUTLET/JACK/PORT/USB/SAE/CIGARETTE LIGHTER 2020 1,690

+ 10 further campaigns

Recall work is free at any franchised dealer, whoever owns the car and however old it is. Check a specific car’s VIN on NHTSA’s register before you buy — an unrepaired campaign is among the most commonly missed items on a used vehicle.

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2020 were reported at a median of 8,000 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Mercedes-Benz GLB years should you avoid?
2020 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Mercedes-Benz GLB model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Mercedes-Benz GLB?
2021 is the best-scoring Mercedes-Benz GLB model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 70.8 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Mercedes-Benz GLB have?
At least 22 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Mercedes-Benz GLB model years — a minimum, because NHTSA's lookup does not answer to this model's published name and its campaigns have to be collected one trim at a time. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2020 GLB
Complaints in window
58
Severity-weighted
76.5
Model median (weighted)
53
vs model median
1.43×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
13
Open investigations
0
Score 49.3 D