Model Year Index

Which Mercedes-Benz GLE years to avoid

Across 5 scored model years, the 2020 and 2021 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Mercedes-Benz GLE Full report
F
Grade 2016–2021
2020 vs model median 2.2×
Model median3× median
Electrical 22
Driver Assist 20
Engine 16
Avoid

2020 · 2021

Best

2017 · 2018

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
2016
1.00× 57 C
2017
0.80× 43 C
2018
0.58× 29 B
2020
2.23× 119 F
2021
1.52× 70 D
2022 P
1.12× 69 C
2023 P
0.60× 38 B
2024 P
0.91× 45 C

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 F 119 reports · median 10,000 mi

  1. Electrical 22

    Have had into dealership multiple times for radio/backup camera /navigation screen goes blank and does not appear for sometimes up to 1-2 days car had been turned off prior. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Driver Assist 20

    We were driving our mercedes gle 350 on I 80 near mile marker 203.1, ohio on 7/11/2020 at 7 AM. It was raining a bit in morning. The lane departure assist was on, and it was turning green and gray continuously. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Engine 16

    The contact owns a 2020 mercedes benz GLE350. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light or at a stop sign, the vehicle stalled. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

8 crash · 3 fire · 6 injuries

2021 D 70 reports · median 6,500 mi

  1. Engine 20

    We bought our vehicle -2021 mercedes-benz gle 350 - on january 12th and three days later we noticed that half of the mbux dual screen was black and inoperable. The car was in service 10 days. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 16

    The 48v battery after driving new vehicle only 230 miles goes dead. The auto will not start and cannot be jump started. Result is being stranded roadside. Required a tow. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Driver Assist 7

    Many times while driving a warning pops up in the driver interface that the camera view is restricted, including an icon implying that the AEB system is "unavailable." funny thing is there is never any obstruction of… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

8 crash · 3 fire · 14 injuries

The best year for the GLE

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

2018 is the best-scoring GLE model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 70.4 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2018 0.58× 29 B
2017 0.80× 43 C
2016 1.00× 57 C

Recalls

52 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 2017–2021 1,292,258
22V955000 FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP:CONTROL/DRIVE MODULE 2016–2020 348,183
21V354000 BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA 2021 343,191
22V365000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE 2020–2022 242,722
22V680000 STRUCTURE:BODY 2021, 2022 161,000
23V445000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP 2021, 2022 143,551
24V207000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING 2021–2024 116,020
23V880000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP 2022–2024 79,676
23V178000 STRUCTURE:BODY 2022, 2023 70,225
23V177000 VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM 2021 61,450
17V241000 STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM 2016 58,323
20V671000 SEAT BELTS: REAR/OTHER:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY 2020, 2021 55,326

+ 40 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 10,000 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 GLE years should you avoid?
2020, 2021 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Mercedes-Benz GLE model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Mercedes-Benz GLE?
2018 is the best-scoring Mercedes-Benz GLE model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 70.4 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Mercedes-Benz GLE have?
At least 52 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Mercedes-Benz GLE 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 GLE
Complaints in window
119
Severity-weighted
191
Model median (weighted)
85
vs model median
2.23×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
14
Open investigations
0
Score 29.2 F