Every record we hold for this vehicle, as plain tables, with nothing added. The consumer page shows the same records with the maintenance schedule, price ranges and nearby shops around them.
vehicle
2011 / mercedes-benz / c-class
known issues
7 clusters (reviewed 2026-09-03)
complaints
516 on file (2011-07-05 → 2026-05-24)
recalls
0
investigations
0
fars
28 occupant deaths, crash years 2010-2024 (legacy-code)
Rear subframe corrosion and failureSUSPENSION, STRUCTURE88 complaints2020-07 → 2024-11mercedes-c-class-2011-rear-subframe-corrosion
11553395 The subframe has rusted/fallen off. This is incredibly risky as the car cannot be driven safely and it happened without warning. My mechanic said it is not due to any driving incidents but through rust occurring on Mercedes' subframes, which are flimsy
11504976 The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH and slowing for traffic, the rear end of the vehicle started to drift to the right. The contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the rear driver’s side of the vehicle
11455497 The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while his wife was driving approximately 30-40 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and the rear of the vehicle swerved. The driver pulled over to the side of the roadway
Fuel odor and fuel system leakFUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM33 complaints2019-08 → 2026-05mercedes-c-class-2011-fuel-odor-leak
11739814 Strong fu Smell after filling tank recently. Checked under the passenger side rear seat and there is some fuel on the top of tank. Local mechanic confirmed and mentioned not to fill tank more than half. Requires replacement of fuel tank to fix it
11533725 Each time I filled my gas tank, there was an overpowering odor of gasoline inside the car and outside on the passenger side. Once the tank would get down below 3/4 of a tank, the odor would dissipate until down to a 1/4 of a tank it would go away completely
11319643 STRONG FUEL ODOR INSIDE CABIN AND AROUND VEHICLE AFTER FUELING. ISSUE STARTED OVER LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS AND ONLY WHEN FUELED TO CLOSE TO FULL
Brake line and brake component corrosionSERVICE BRAKES6 complaints2024-05 → 2025-10mercedes-c-class-2011-brake-line-corrosion
11695579 Car was Off and parked when brake line failed. Further inspection was able to identify that brake pipes was slowly corroded thought entire lower part of the brake system causing critical failure of brakes
11604234 Rear brake line rusted through land leaked all the break fluid rendering the vehicle unsafe to drive due to the complete failure of the breaking system. The location of the break line corrosion is above the rear differential and next to a retainer clip
11589855 The brake lines have corroded in multiple places causing brake fluid to leak, potentially creating a safety risk had the problem not been immediately observed and corrected. An independent service center confirmed the problem and replaced all the brake lines and hoses
Interior door handle failureUNKNOWN OR OTHER4 complaints2022-07 → 2025-09mercedes-c-class-2011-door-handle-failure
11688657 The driver’s side door handle broke and I was unable to leave the car unless it was unlocked and rolled the window down to open it from the outside through the window
11593665 Interior door handle becomes inoperative due to breaking of some internal element. This prevents leaving the vehicle. Of concern is that in case of emergency, the occupant cannot exit the vehicle
11541196 Over the weekend my vehicle driver side interior door handle became inoperable not allowing me to open my door from the inside. The handle flaps back & forth with no connect to the inside of door panel not making be able to get out of my vehicle
11666460 I drove vehicle to Publix with no problems. When i tried to start vehicle, key turns but car does not start. There is no cranking sound. I called a mechanic friend and after extensive diagnosis he determined it was the ESL Module which controls the steering
11658412 The ESL or electronic steering lock is a very common issue with this year and model at around the 70k mile mark. You cannot start the car once this goes out and it’s over $2k to fix
11266960 THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED
Takata air bag recall parts unavailableAIR BAGS16 complaints2019-08 → 2024-04mercedes-c-class-2011-takata-airbag-recall-delay
11276869 TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 MERCEDES-BENZ C300. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 16V081000 (AIR BAGS) AND 19V010000 (AIR BAGS)
11582626 I was in a collision and the airbags did not deploy. There was a recall on airbags for the Mercedes C300 within the year my vehicle was made, however, the recall did not include my VIN
11561237 The airbags were supposed to have been fixed per recall by carriage house Mercedes in new London ct. my son was in a horrible front in collision and they did not deploy. None of them did
11628770 The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes Benz C300. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the rear lights became inoperable and failed to illuminate as needed
11580578 The right rear tail light housing harness melted due to an electrical issue. Wire tends to heat up too much. This caused my right rear tail light, right break light and right side turn signal not to function
11328439 COMMON FAULT. BROWN GROUND WIRE. LEFT TAIL LIGHT. BROWN WIRE GETS REALLY HOT. ON CLUSTER SHOWS MESSAGES THAT THE BREAK,TURN SIGNAL, REVERSE FOG LIGHTS ARE OUT
FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road.
Cite this
Derived data is CC BY 4.0. Link back to the page you used. Text and BibTeX below.
Wrench.Pro (2026). 2011 Mercedes-Benz C-Class vehicle data [dataset]. https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2011/mercedes-benz/c-class
@misc{wrenchpro_2011_mercedes_benz_c_class_2026,
author = {Wrench.Pro},
title = {Wrench.Pro vehicle data: 2011 Mercedes-Benz C-Class},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2011/mercedes-benz/c-class}},
note = {Derived from NHTSA public records. CC BY 4.0.}
}
