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2007 Mercedes Benz GL450

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

101 reports with mileage · 14 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Seats. Review the 39 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

5 crash reports33 fire reports14 injury reports

What owners actually said

115 reports
190,000 miles · Feb 3, 2025
Seats

The contact owns a 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, he felt a sharp pinch coming from the driver’s side seat. Upon further inspection, the contact’s husband noticed an abnormal hole with smoke coming from the driver’s side seat. There was no visible fire pre…

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The contact owns a 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, he felt a sharp pinch coming from the driver’s side seat. Upon further inspection, the contact’s husband noticed an abnormal hole with smoke coming from the driver’s side seat. There was no visible fire present. No medical attention was sought. No warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.

NHTSA ODI #11640374

Mileage unknown · Nov 7, 2024
Electrical SystemStructure

The contact owns a 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450. The contact stated that the SRS warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that while the dealer was servicing the air suspension strut failures, the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle had sustained severe water damage. The dealer informed the contact th…

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The contact owns a 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450. The contact stated that the SRS warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that while the dealer was servicing the air suspension strut failures, the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle had sustained severe water damage. The dealer informed the contact that the water had leaked from the sunroof through the headliner and onto the floor. The dealer informed the contact the water leak had caused mold on the headliner, and mold and corrosion on the floor, where the battery and electrical wires were located. The dealer informed the contact that the water entry had caused electrical failures, causing the driver's side and passenger's side third-row windows and the horn to become inoperable. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI #11623956

Mileage unknown · Oct 22, 2024
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

Blinkers and horn stopped working windshield wipers coming on without being turned on it’s saying drive to workshop without shifting gears and won’t start in the middle of the highway

NHTSA ODI #11621304

187,000 miles · Sep 8, 2023
Service Brakes, HydraulicCrash

The contact owned a 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450. The contact received a recall notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V315000 (Service Brake, Hydraulic). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed by the dealer that the vehicle had been inspected but the brake booster was not replaced. The contact then…

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The contact owned a 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450. The contact received a recall notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V315000 (Service Brake, Hydraulic). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed by the dealer that the vehicle had been inspected but the brake booster was not replaced. The contact then stated that approximately eight months later, while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, she depressed the brake pedal to stop the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to stop. As a result, the vehicle crashed into another vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot and deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The contact was informed that he would be in contact however, had not received a call back. The failure mileage was approximately 187,000.

NHTSA ODI #11543453

59,050 miles · Jun 21, 2023
SeatsInjury

The contact owns a 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH in the rain, there was an abnormal smoke odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle then started filling up with smoke. The contact checked and became aware that the back of the front driver's se…

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The contact owns a 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH in the rain, there was an abnormal smoke odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle then started filling up with smoke. The contact checked and became aware that the back of the front driver's seat was on fire. The contact was able to pull over and extinguish the fire with his hand. The contact sustained a little burn to his hand, but medical attention was not sought. The Fire Department was not contacted. Neither a Police nor Fire report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the seat needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 59,050.

NHTSA ODI #11528145

Mileage unknown · Dec 12, 2022
Air Bags

The steering wheel airbag spontaneously deployed with no prior warning sensors activated or collision (moments after pulling into driveway at home). Mercedes Benz refuses to take any responsibility, or at least inspect and replace the steering wheel and airbag. Driver's arm was partially injured due to deployment, not severe. Ho…

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The steering wheel airbag spontaneously deployed with no prior warning sensors activated or collision (moments after pulling into driveway at home). Mercedes Benz refuses to take any responsibility, or at least inspect and replace the steering wheel and airbag. Driver's arm was partially injured due to deployment, not severe. However the concern remains of whether this could have deployed while driving, causing critical injuries. Should we worry about the remaining airbags spontaneously deploying?

NHTSA ODI #11497098

130,000 miles · Oct 17, 2022
Power Train

The contact owns a 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission slipped and failed to shift into the intended gear. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The dealer replaced the transmission control module. The manufactur…

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The contact owns a 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission slipped and failed to shift into the intended gear. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The dealer replaced the transmission control module. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. The contact stated that their vehicle still has not been repaired. The dealer nor the manufacturer have a remedy to fix the vehicle or accommodate him.

NHTSA ODI #11489565

Mileage unknown · Jun 6, 2022
Service Brakes

Was driving my vehicle on the freeway and pulled off on and exit ramp. Brake pedal went to floor with very little braking had to pump the brake pedal to regain control. Brakes felt soft. Returned home by pumping brakes. No warning lights, Next day bled brakes and replaced brake fluid. Function restored but no cause could be ide…

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Was driving my vehicle on the freeway and pulled off on and exit ramp. Brake pedal went to floor with very little braking had to pump the brake pedal to regain control. Brakes felt soft. Returned home by pumping brakes. No warning lights, Next day bled brakes and replaced brake fluid. Function restored but no cause could be identified for the air in the brake lines. Very disturbing and unsafe. Sounds very much like 22V315000.

NHTSA ODI #11467893

Mileage unknown · May 30, 2022
Service Brakes

In the past several weeks, whenever I press on the brake pedal firmly at a stoplight or even on the highway, the "low brake light" alarm on the vehicle turns on. I went and checked the brake fluid level, but it is normal. It also seems to take longer to brake the car than before. I'm not sure if it is related to the recent recal…

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In the past several weeks, whenever I press on the brake pedal firmly at a stoplight or even on the highway, the "low brake light" alarm on the vehicle turns on. I went and checked the brake fluid level, but it is normal. It also seems to take longer to brake the car than before. I'm not sure if it is related to the recent recall or not.

NHTSA ODI #11466665

153,000 miles · Nov 20, 2021
EngineUnknown Or Other

The GL450 has the balance shaft problem .It skipped timing and caused major engine failure.. This problem is prevalent for the M273 engine. The parts wear prematurely. The timing is affected and the 4 cam power train misaligns. The engine quits and the repair is usually over 4000.00. It produces 1208 1200 codes along with misfi…

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The GL450 has the balance shaft problem .It skipped timing and caused major engine failure.. This problem is prevalent for the M273 engine. The parts wear prematurely. The timing is affected and the 4 cam power train misaligns. The engine quits and the repair is usually over 4000.00. It produces 1208 1200 codes along with misfire codes. I feel Mercedes Benz Corp is responsible and has liability for the loss. Thank You. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI #11441117

Official recalls

2

24V298000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:vacuum

Apr 26, 2024

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2006-2012 ML, GL, and R-Class vehicles. Please refer to MBUSA's recall report for specific vehicle model details. Moisture may accumulate and cause corrosion in the brake booster housing unit, which can result in reduced brake performance or brake failure.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Reduced brake performance or brake failure can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy has been performed. Dealers will remove the rubber sleeve, inspect the brake booster, and as necessary, replace the brake booster. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 24, 2024. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MMUSA's number for this recall is 2024050001/2. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 22V-315.

22V315000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:vacuum

May 9, 2022

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2006-2012 ML-Class, GL-Class, and R-Class vehicles. Please refer to MBUSA's recall report for specific vehicle model details. Moisture may accumulate and cause corrosion in the brake booster housing unit, which can result in reduced brake performance or brake failure.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Reduced brake performance or brake failure can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy has been performed. Dealers will remove the rubber sleeve, inspect the brake booster, and as necessary, replace the brake booster. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 30, 2022. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's numbers for this recall are 2022050014, 2022050015 2022090006, & 2022090007.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.