Transmission complaints owners filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) for each model year, per 100,000 cars sold. A complaint counts when it's filed under the transmission, or under the power train and the owner describes the transmission (shifting, slipping, gears, CVT). It's an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and older years have had longer to collect complaints.
What owners describe
Share of this model's transmission complaints that mention each symptom. One complaint can mention several.
Transmission and power train recalls
- 2023 2024
The transmission may not fully downshift in certain conditions, causing the engine to stall.
- 2016 2015
If the drive shaft separates, the vehicle will stall, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Recall repairs are free at any dealer. Check a specific car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
In owners' words
Power train:automatic transmission heavy jolt and skippage at startup from first to second gear and heavy jolt while stopping. Mercedes states it is a software problem however there is no software available to fix the problem.
2006 Mercedes-Benz M/GLE owner · NHTSA complaint
Warning message displayed that said take to workshop before putting in gear. Vehicle would not ship out of park. Tried several times, finally turned ignition off , tried again and vehicle went into drive. This same incident happened again on november 26, 2014.
2006 Mercedes-Benz M/GLE owner · NHTSA complaint
Quick answers
Which Mercedes-Benz M/GLE years have transmission problems?
By transmission complaints filed with NHTSA per car sold, the worst Mercedes-Benz M/GLE years are 2006, 2007, 2016.
What are common Mercedes-Benz M/GLE transmission problems?
Owners most often describe stuck in gear or limp mode, lost power while driving, rolled away or park trouble.
Which Mercedes-Benz M/GLE years have the fewest transmission complaints?
Since 2010, the Mercedes-Benz M/GLE years with the fewest transmission complaints per car sold are 2022, 2019, 2012.
See every problem, not just the transmission: Mercedes-Benz M/GLE reliability by year. How we count
