Mercedes-Benz GLS

148 complaints across 5 scored model years and 22 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · Mercedes-Benz GLS Full report

Grade 2017–2021

2020 vs model median 2.3×

Model median3× median

Electrical 12

Driver Assist 7

Fuel System 6

Avoid

2020 · 2021

Best

2018 · 2019

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 GLS
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2017	1.00×	30	C
2018	0.66×	17	B
2019	0.63×	16	B
2020	2.28×	40	F
2021	1.83×	45	F

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.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
21V058000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE	2017–2021	1,292,258
21V354000	BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA	2021	343,191
22V365000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE	2017–2021	242,722
22V680000	STRUCTURE:BODY	2021	161,000
23V445000	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP	2021	143,551
24V207000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING	2021	116,020
24V118000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE	2021	105,071
23V177000	VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM	2021	61,450

+ 14 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 Full-Size 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
BMW X7	none flagged	C
Buick Enclave	20102011	C
Cadillac Escalade	20162021	B
Chevrolet Suburban	20152021	C
Chevrolet Tahoe	20152021	C
Ford Expedition	20202021	C
GMC Yukon	20152021	C
GMC Yukon XL	20162021	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 2020 GLS

Complaints in window: 40
Severity-weighted: 90
Model median (weighted): 40
vs model median: 2.28×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 4
Open investigations: 0

Score 33.1 F