2013 Mercedes-Benz C-Class problems and complaints

Owners have filed 576 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Mercedes-Benz C-Class. The most-reported areas: Air Bags (286), Suspension (73), Structure (71).

Key takeaways

  • 576 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
  • 23 involve a crash, 7 a fire, 25 reported injuries.
  • Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
Complaints by component
ComponentComplaintsShare
Air Bags28650%
Suspension7313%
Structure7112%
Engine5710%
Steering478%
Unknown Or Other387%
Electrical System356%
Fuel/Propulsion System285%
Power Train203%
Service Brakes203%
Vehicle Speed Control122%
Fuel System61%

One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.

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NHTSA 5-Star crash ratings
VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
2013 Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2 DR 4WDNot ratedNot ratedNot ratedNot rated
2013 Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2 DR RWDNot ratedNot ratedNot ratedNot rated
2013 Mercedes-Benz C-Class 4 DR AWD5/54/55/54/5
2013 Mercedes-Benz C-Class 4 DR RWD5/54/55/54/5

Latest complaints, as filed

Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.

Power Train - filed 2026-10-28

At 94,000 miles my car started making a weird noise, before i could even get it into the shop my driveshaft completely failed (at the u-joint, where this has been reported multiple times) My car started clunking and banging in the middle of the road and became extremely unsafe to drive, as well as putting me in an unsa...

Electrical System - filed 2026-10-09

All of the lights in my rear driver side taillight stopped working. I had it looked at and there was oxidation at the ground connection which caused overheating and melted the plastic, leaving burn marks on the gray plastic piece. I see a safety bulletin for this exact issue for model years 2008-2011, but not my 2013. ...

Forward Collision Avoidance - filed 2026-09-29

E brake mechanisms

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More for the 2013 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.