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5.5

fairly significant
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
16,268 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2013 Mercedes-Benz C300 miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2013 Mercedes-Benz C300 Owner Comments

problem #17

Mar 112023

C300

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car was garage kept and in mint condition, yet the rear subframe has completely rusted through and while breaking the car lurches to the right. Also the breaking performance is noticeably impaired. There was no signs of this failure as the car still looks new, only way of knowing was the near crash while driving and trying to stop.

- Summerville, SC, USA

problem #16

Jan 282023

C300

  • miles
When breaking at high speeds, the car feels like I will lose control of it. Has happened a few times and I thought I was going to hit the neighboring car. Took it to a repair shop and found out that the rear driver side subframe Is completely rotted out and the rear control arm is hanging. The car only has about 97,500 miles on it, has not been driven in high salt areas, and doesn-€™t have any other signs of rust. Two auto body shops have told me this shouldn-€™t happen on a car with that low mileage, and these cars, Mercedes c300s, are known to have this defect.

- Fair Lawn, NJ, USA

problem #15

Jan 032023

C300

  • miles
Rear subframe rusted out and failed. This caused vehicle to suddenly veer to left upon braking. Was fortunate to avoid hitting something. Dealer says common problem but Mercedes isn-€™t recalling/replacing defective subframes.

- Latrobe, PA, USA

problem #14

Nov 022022

C300

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Went to brake, heard a thump, car proceeded to loose control bearing to the left. Then went into other lane! Could not regain control of the car until it came to a complete stop. No warning light came on, . Took to mechanic, put it on the lift found rear right side of the frame rotted. This car is garage kept, nothing else is rusted on the vehicle. The vehicle is not near any water. This a known problem with this model Mercedes. Spoke with Mercedes Benz USA, was advised not to drive the car, the frame could detach and puncture gas tank!! I have seen the recall for the problem in Canada and Europe and the repairs were covered by Mercedes. Now I have my only mode of transpiration, undriveable and sitting waiting on help!!

- East Hanover, NJ, USA

problem #13

Oct 202022

C300

  • miles
The subframe of my car is completed rotted out. I've been reading MB forums and threads and this seems to be a universal issue. There needs to be a recall. My car started to giveway while driving down the highway. It took it to a mechanic and that's when the subframe rot was discovered. This is a major issue and needs to be made right with Merecedes!

- Rye, NY, USA

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problem #12

Sep 142022

C300

  • miles
Brought my car to the dealership because I was hearing a noise when going over bumps. Also noticed some instability when braking and driving at highway speeds. Dealer informed my my subframe had rusted and told me the car was unsafe to drive.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #11

Aug 262022

C300

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driving my 300 down the highway at around 70MPH and after lightly pressing the break, the car surved into right and left lane. I could have gotten into an accident, but luckily no other car was on the road. Taking my car to the mechanic it was discovered that My 2013 C300 has a rotted subframe, this was not caused by any damage but due to the part not being protected from rust. Rust caused the subframe to rot from the inside out. Many C300 have reported this issue, and the large number of failures on this subframe across my C300 and multiple models is concerning. This is a gross failure of a major safety component that can cause serious injury or death. My research showed this part has been recalled in Canada; MBUSA feels the need to wait to do so until a serious injury or death has occurred. The defective subframe is known and the new part-€™s design has been amended to take into account this rust issue. MBUSA-€™s decision exhibits a lack of accountability for a defective part and this issue needs to be promptly addressed for the safety of its customers.

- Laurel, MD, USA

problem #10

Aug 252022

C300

  • miles
Recall

- Wilton Manors, FL, USA

problem #9

Jun 012022

C300

  • miles
The rear subframe has failed. I have felt some swaying and decreased control when driving the car at higher speeds especially when braking and taking curves. My safety has been put at risk as the wheel could go out and cause an accident. I brought the car to the mechanics at Goodyear as I thought it was the brakes. They informed me that the rear subframe was rusted from the inside out and was loose at the left rear toe arm. I am setting up an appointment to get this taken care of. As I am calling, mechanics are letting me know that the subframes are on backorder in the range of months. They say they are seeing this more often. I contacted the dealer and they said they can get a used one and replace it for $5200. I believe that if this is becoming more common where new ones are on backorder and this is obviously a safety issue then a recall should be issued. The car is only 9 years old and is garage-kept. I think that this idea of that type of rust at this point is absurd.

- Ellicott City, MD, USA

problem #8

Mar 302022

C300

  • miles
Vehicle was taken in for standard maintenance and I was informed that the rear sub-frame had a rusted through hole on one side and was rusting on the other. This vehicle is well maintained, garaged, and has normal annual maintenance with the dealership. There was no prior warning that this was an issue or "normal wear and tear" was causing this problem. The repair is quoted to be over 5k and I was told it is/will be essential because of a safety issue. Through some brief internet research, it appears like this is a larger problem and could have catastrophic problems if it is not caught before it fails.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #7

Mar 042022

C300

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I noticed that my car was pulling heavy to the left when I stop and strange noise in the rear of the car, after taking the car to the mechanic he told me that the car rear subframe on my 2013 Mercedes Benz c300 was rotted, the control arm bracket completely broke off on the left side and the right side is also cracked. it appears that this is a common issue in areas of heavy road salt usage during winter months, the dealer told me that the car has a rotted rear subframe problem and the subframe could break out in months.

- Hasbrouck Hts, NJ, USA

problem #6

Jan 272021

C300

  • 30,000 miles
Rear sub frame rust diagnosed at the dealer

- Lititz, PA, USA

problem #5

Mar 232021

C300

  • 129,000 miles
Mercedes C300 sedan sub frame has a hole and is breaking apart. It was taken in for service when the problem was found. I see multiple complaints for this occurring with other owners but there hasn't been a recall. Https://

- Phoenixville, PA, USA

problem #4

Feb 172020

C300

  • miles
There are 3 recalls regarding my vehicle per Mercedes Benz and their database on their website. I took my vehicle for steering column to get repaired and the dealer did nothing about it. They are refusing to fix the recalls and told me that my vehicle is not under the manufacturer warranty. The dashboard is completely disabled with a warning messages and airbag light on. It disabled my honk, volume buttons, I cannot see tire pressure on my dashboard or how much miles there is left for gas and other features. Service manager told me he is unable to fix the recall and for me to contact Mercedes Benz customer service. They let me leave the dealership with my new born baby and two toddlers. I begged them to fix it and cried so much since I was scared to death to drive away with the problem like that and they still refused to do so. After I contacted mb customer service they looked into it and also stated that my vehicle is not going to be fixed for the recall due to non manufacturer warranty. Please help me out.

- Hartford, CT, USA

problem #3

Oct 142017

C300

  • 48,000 miles
Car accelerated after taking a right turn into parking space and the brakes did not respond. Car went over a bank and finally stopped.

- Fall River, MA, USA

problem #2

Aug 292017

C300

  • 43,000 miles
I had just entered the highway and less than a half a mile from entering the highway my sunroof exploded. There were no cars near me and no debris near my car. I contacted Mercedes Benz and they seem very unconcerned. When this occurred glass went everywhere, all over me and both the front and back sets. I was driving at a speed of 60 miles and hour. After gaining control of the car I got out and called the police and my insurance company. This was a terrifying experience.

- Fredericksburg, VA, USA

problem #1

Oct 312016

C300

  • 26,550 miles
The welds of the exhaust pipes to the muffler broke causing the muffler to slip of the pipes. This vehicle has been taken care of all schedule maintenance perform and driven only under normal driving conditions.

- Washington, DC, USA

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