2016 Mercedes-Benz C-Class: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 315 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 0 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
315
Complaints
0
Recalls
7
Crash reports
5
Fire reports
8
Injuries
38.7
Severity index
Severity index 38.7 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 140 2016 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2016 Mercedes-Benz C-Class ranks 103 of 140 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 26% of its model-year peers. See the full 2016 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | 99 | 31.4% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 72 | 22.9% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 58 | 18.4% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 37 | 11.7% |
| STRUCTURE | 32 | 10.2% |
| POWER TRAIN | 21 | 6.7% |
| STEERING | 17 | 5.4% |
| VISIBILITY | 13 | 4.1% |
The single most-reported system is ENGINE, cited in 99 of 315 complaints (31.4%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 8 |
| 2017 | 20 |
| 2018 | 8 |
| 2019 | 11 |
| 2020 | 20 |
| 2021 | 32 |
| 2022 | 56 |
| 2023 | 57 |
| 2024 | 57 |
| 2025 | 33 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 13 |
Complaint volume is rising - the last three years carry 1.4x the filings of the three before them, which usually signals a wear-related defect surfacing with age.
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.