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2.9

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
48,464 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.

2008 Mercedes-Benz GL450 suspension problems

suspension problem

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2008 Mercedes-Benz GL450 Owner Comments

problem #14

Jun 172016

GL450

  • miles

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

Powering steering locks, suspension air struts losing air can hear when driving

- Mesquite, TX, USA

problem #13

Nov 052018

GL450

  • 45,000 miles
The airmatic suspension has failed, the truck is sitting low the air compressor blew into pieces from working to hard. This is a big problem with Mercedes airmatic shocks on many different model... please help us, this should be a recall.. I only have about 45000 miles on my truck.

- Poughkeepsie, NY, USA

problem #12

Jun 282018

GL450

  • miles
Vehicle keeps losing air, steering wheel hard to turn, car leaning to right side, airbag lights keeps coming on, the car looses power when turning. During the night car will lower it self. ABS will come one, smell smoke. Was told by dealer I have leaks in the engine, had to repair suspension, and different struts and parts while during warranty and after spending thousands of dollars. I notified mbusa, and apparently this car has been having airbags and suspension issues repaired before I bought it, the previous owner has been doing the same repairs. Within a month of repairing on thing, the car starts to lean to right, make noise, leak fluids from who knows where.

- Bridgeport, CT, USA

problem #11

Aug 172017

GL450

  • 120,000 miles

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

8/30/16 replaced right front airmatic strut.suspension kept dropping. 8/1717 at times, after closing door, air escapes and suspension drops. Dealer checked codes and nothing. Suspension continues to drop when door closes. Can hear air escaping. Not every time, but 3 out of 4 times

- Barnesville, GA, USA

problem #10

Nov 112016

GL450

  • 111,000 miles
Vehicle goes on one side, dealer blames and repairs struts, same issue happen after 5 months, and dealer blames air suspension bellows. Stiff and noisy steering may also be related to takata recall.

- Chesterfield, VA, USA

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problem #9

Nov 052015

GL450

  • 85,000 miles
Airmatic suspension components continue to fail on this vehicle. Airmatic air pump was first replaced Dec 2013 at 71,000mi. Front suspension air springs failed and suspension struts have both been replaced, Oct 2014 at 85,000 mi. Rear suspension air springs failed and have were replaced, July 2015 at 101,600mi. Airmatic air pump was replaced again along with the suspension valve block was replaced, Nov 2015 at 107,300mi. After discussion with dealership they only warrant repair for 12 mos and informed us that Mercedes does not have recall or provide customer support to replace these items unless paid for by customers. Front air springs deflated during trip driving at highway speed, suspension dropped down and had to pull over. Had to drive vehicle to dealership with suspension dropped down on frame stops. Because of high cost getting repair at Mercedes dealership, repairs were made by other shops as they charge higher prices for repairs.

- Brentwood, TN, USA

problem #8

Jul 042015

GL450

  • 92,876 miles

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

The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes Benz GL450. While driving at 20 mph, the vehicle drove over a pothole and became inoperable. The compressor overheating warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the front axle, hubs, and suspension were corroded and the engine was leaking. All the parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 92,876. Updated 09/10/15

- Clinton, MD, USA

problem #7

Dec 092014

GL450

  • miles
I believe this is a faulty part. I had 31,000 miles on the vehicle when the front airmatic went out. Now the back is going out at 50,000 miles. The first time I took it in they said it's not if it will go out it's when. So I believe Mercedes Benz knows they have problems with this and we are paying for bad parts. I believe this part should be recalled because they know their is a problem.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #6

Dec 162013

GL450

  • miles
I purchased a vehicle from auto world usa in bedford, Ohio. I have experienced issued with the car from the day I took the car to try and get inspected in the state of Pennsylvania. I was told that the brakes and tires were good to pass inspection; however when I took the car to get inspected I had to replace all 4 tires, brakes and rotors. I took the car to Mercedes Benz to get looked at due to the burning smell that keeps coming through the vents when the heat is on. I was told the my oil separator was leaking' that my air springs are leaking and that my rear air suspensions were bad. When I purchased the car I was offered a warranty that I was told would cover those types of repairs. Well it turns out the suspension is not covered under the warranty and I cannot get the oil separator fixed because there is a deductible (that I was not made aware of.) I have to take my car to auto world usa in Ohio to get repairs done and I live in pittsburgh, pa. I was told by the warranty company that the dealership could call and they would waive the deductible. Terry dobbins at auto world, was very rude and said that she would not call the warranty after she kept expressing she was going home she just happened to answer my call. What type of company treats a customer like that? I was given falsified information on many levels and was treat like I committed a crime. Auto world usa should be investigated their sales practices are fraudulent. They have put the life of me and my children in jeopardy by selling me a car that had safety issues and it is their due diligence to make sure that the car did not have safety issues before it was sold to a consumer with an "as-is" warranty or not. Me and my kids could be seriously injured because I was sold a car with a safety hazard. Somebody else may not be fortunate enough to find out what's wrong with their car before it's to late.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #5

Nov 082013

GL450

  • 100,011 miles
Today I was shopping in a store while my teenage son waited in the car for me. He came running in the store accompanied by a witness that was in the parking lot to tell me that something on my car exploded outside. The adult witness explained that the noise was so loud and so abrasive that they thought a bomb went off. It shook the entire car. Luckily nobody was hurt. What would have happened if this incident took place while I was driving the car? it has to have something to do with the air suspension. I'm having it towed to a mechanic tomorrow. I've spent lots of money fixing many things on this car. I can't wait to see how much this issue costs me (sarcasm). I've already replaced one of the airbags in the air suspension on the front driver's side. When those airbags go out, the vehicle can't be safe to drive. It starts slipping, it has difficulty stopping, it shakes aggressively when driven, yet when all that happened it didn't tell me that the car needed service. It tells me everything else constantly like tire pressure is off, a rear lamp is out, etc. But doesn't tell me that the vehicle is unsafe to drive? Mercedes is supposed to be the safest car on the road, and it should be for the price they charge. However, my family certainly was not safe today when I was driving this car. It is hard to tell how long we've been in jeopardy as this part was waiting to explode. Princess [xxx] in a Mercedes. I have to wonder if her car had air suspension that went bad. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Newark, OH, USA

problem #4

Oct 222009

GL450 8-cyl

  • 5,300 miles

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

We have taken this vehicle to the dealer service numerous time complaining some weird noise coming from the left front side of the vehicle and a bumpy ride. Left vehicle with dealer service at least 8 times for the same problem but never fixed. Right before my warranty expired in December 2012; I took it back to the dealer for the same issue and asked them to completely inspect the vehicle for any problems needing repair before the warranty expires. The dealer service found no issues and were not able to resolve the issue of bumpy ride; asked us to replace tires (we were told the same 3 times previously and we replaced tires each time but never fixed the problem) and we replace all four tires the fourth time in 4 years. Picked up the car and noticed no of the issues were resolved; and the warranty eventually expired. Took it back to the dealer for maintenance and they gave mean an estimate of around $1800 for bad left-front strut. They advised me that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The vehicle is still at the dealer workshop.

- Katy, TX, USA

problem #3

Sep 232013

GL450 8-cyl

  • 38,000 miles
Left-front strut leaked causing damages. We have been complaining for 4 years that the left-front of the car was making noise;took it to the dealer for service numerous times but they were not able to fix the problem.

- Katy, TX, USA

problem #2

Oct 112012

GL450 8-cyl

  • 63,315 miles
I own Mercedes GL450 2008 that I bought as new. I saw that the R/F corner of the vehicle very low. Turns out that the trust airbag is leaking and both suspension/trust assembly need to be replaced. This issue can flip the car if you ran into potholes on the road.

- Santa Clara, CA, USA

problem #1

Feb 062009

GL450

  • 18,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes Benz GL450. The contact stated that his vehicle has been stalling ever since it was purchased. He took the vehicle back to the dealer and was informed that there was no remedy for the failure. When the stalling occurs, there is no power throughout the vehicle, but it will restart seconds later. In addition to this failure, the sideview mirror is molded, the tire lug nuts are rusted, the power seat and navigation system are malfunctioning, the engine valve cover is cracked, and the compressors for the suspension system has failed. The contact has taken his vehicle back to be repaired numerous times. The failure mileage was 18,000.

- Bellmore, NY, USA

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