Mercedes-Benz GLC

631 complaints across 6 scored model years and 43 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · Mercedes-Benz GLC Full report

Grade 2016–2021

2016 vs model median 2.0×

Model median3× median

Brakes 26

Engine 20

Airbags & Restraints 16

Avoid

2016 · 2017

Best

2019 · 2020

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.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Mercedes-Benz GLC
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2016	1.97×	109	F
2017	1.31×	66	D
2018	0.88×	42	C
2019	0.70×	39	C
2020	0.96×	52	C
2021	1.04×	67	C
2022 P	1.59×	89	C
2023 P	1.63×	100	D
2024 P	0.56×	33	B
2025 P	0.82×	33	B

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 it costs to run

EPA figures for the most recent model year on record.

EPA fuel economy and drivetrain
Combined MPG	27
City / Highway	24 / 32
Engine	2L, 4 cyl
Drive	Rear-Wheel Drive
Annual fuel cost	$2,950

Recalls

43 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.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
21V058000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE	2016–2021	1,292,258
17V627000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	2016–2018	495,290
21V354000	BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA	2020, 2021	343,191
17V114000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY	2016, 2017	307,629
22V365000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE	2019–2021	242,722
26V281000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL	2025	144,049
23V445000	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP	2021–2023	143,551
22V232000	BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION	2020	126,443

+ 35 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.

Others in Compact SUVs

Same body and size class. Each grade describes that model against its own history — these are not ranked against each other.

Other models in the same segment
Model	Years to avoid	Grade
Acura RDX	20192020	C
Audi Q5	20182021	C
Audi SQ5	none flagged	C
BMW X3	20132019	C
Buick Envision	2017	C
Cadillac SRX	2013	C
Cadillac XT5	2017	C
Chevrolet Blazer	none flagged	C

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 2016 GLC

Complaints in window: 109
Severity-weighted: 172
Model median (weighted): 87
vs model median: 1.97×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 12
Open investigations: 1

Score 32.4 F