Mercedes-Benz Cls 450 Reliability by Year

Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

32 NHTSA complaints (2019–2023).Complaint rate: 15.3 per 1,000 vehicles.

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Should I buy a Mercedes-Benz Cls 450?

Quick answer from 32 NHTSA complaints · 2019–2023

Most Mercedes-Benz Cls 450 years show comparable, moderate complaint volumes. No specific year stands out as dramatically worse than its siblings. The most commonly reported issue is wheel issues. Any year within the data range should perform similarly — focus inspection on the individual VIN history rather than avoiding a specific year.

Best years to buy
Most common Mercedes-Benz Cls 450 problem: Wheel Issues9 complaints (0.0% crash-involvement rate).

Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.

Severity Score
262.5
Complaints
32
Crash Rate
3.1%
Fire Rate
0.0%
Injuries
2
Fatalities

Which Years to Buy & Avoid

Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.

Rankings based on raw NHTSA complaint counts. Sales volume data not yet available for this model.

Bottom line: Avoid the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Cls 450. The 2023 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: Wheels.

Avoid These Years

2019
~17/yr complaints

Average

2020
~6/yr complaints
2022
~5/yr complaints

Better Years

2023
~3/yr complaints
Looking at a specific Mercedes-Benz Cls 450?

A model's reputation is just the start.

Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $4.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).

Complaints by Model Year

NHTSA complaint count per model year

Common Mercedes-Benz Cls 450 Problems

Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.

Show full table
ComponentComplaintsCrash %
Wheel Issues90.0%
Electrical Faults80.0%
Engine Problems30.0%
Steering Defects20.0%
Suspension Failures20.0%
Tire Defects20.0%
Wheels:Rim20.0%
Data Sources & Methodology

Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (32 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.

Sales data: Not yet available for this model. Complaint counts are shown as raw numbers.

Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.

Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint count. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).

See also: Mercedes-Benz Cls 450accident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.

Buying a Mercedes-Benz Cls 450?

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