2009 Mercedes Benz C300 Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 198 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 2009 Mercedes Benz C300, 34% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 70,400 miles. The words owners use most often: “steering lock” (21% of reports).
- 198electrical system complaints
- 70,400median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- $1,850typical repair cost reported by owners
- 33%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Steering lock: mentioned in 41 of 198 complaints (21%)
- Ignition switch: mentioned in 26 of 198 complaints (13%)
- Rear tail: mentioned in 16 of 198 complaints (8%)
- Remove key: mentioned in 11 of 198 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical electrical system repair on the 2009 Mercedes Benz C300 at $1,850, and half of them between $1,600 and $2,450.
Based on 12 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2015–2020), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 165 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 198 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 12 a fire, 2 an injury.
Mercedes-Benz C300 electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 C300 | 1 | 25% | — |
| 2024 C300 | 4 | 36% | — |
| 2023 C300 | 5 | 23% | 6,000 |
| 2022 C300 | 7 | 28% | 5,500 |
| 2021 C300 | 1 | 7% | — |
| 2020 C300 | 3 | 9% | 6,000 |
| 2019 C300 | 13 | 19% | 31,002 |
| 2018 C300 | 10 | 10% | 52,800 |
| 2017 C300 | 31 | 14% | 44,771 |
| 2016 C300 | 32 | 11% | 10,500 |
| 2015 C300 | 50 | 13% | 20,010 |
| 2014 C300 | 9 | 10% | 56,291 |
| 2013 C300 | 19 | 7% | 68,675 |
| 2012 C300 | 12 | 5% | 83,500 |
| 2011 C300 | 43 | 9% | 75,000 |
| 2010 C300 | 84 | 19% | 69,000 |
| 2009 C300 | 198 | 34% | 70,400 |
| 2008 C300 | 228 | 34% | 79,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Electrical system:software; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Problem: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2016 AMG GT-S, GLC300, CLA250 and GLE300d 4Matic vehicles, 2013 C250, E350 BlueTec and G63 AMG vehicles, 2008-2014 C300 vehicles, 2013-2014 C300 4Matic and ML350 4Matic vehicles, 2009 C350 vehicles, 2014 CLS550, E350 4Matic, E350 Coupe 4Matic, E350 Wagon 4Matic, GLK350 and SL550 vehicles, 2012 CLS550 4Matic vehicles, 2012-2016 E350 vehicles, 2016-2017 GL450 4Matic vehicles, 2012-2014 ML350 4Matic BlueTec vehicles, 2015 S550, S550 4Matic and C300 4Matic Sedan vehicles, 2015-2016 C300 Sedan vehicles, and 2017 SL63 AMG vehicles. Various control units on these vehicles may have been updated with incorrect software, potentially affecting the correct deployment of the air bags in the event of a crash.
Risk: If the air bags do not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, there would be an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will update software in the affected control units, free of charge. The recall began April 21, 2017. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
I have messages on my instrument panel stating I have airbag malfunction going on I also have tail lights that are not working and after trying to replace the bulbs it still don't work so obviously it's the light bulb panel so I went and looked at recalls and says that these are all recalls on my…
The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the check engine, seat belt, and air bag warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the headlights and navigation lights failed to activate for a while. There was burning odor inside the vehicle with the…
While driving the car on [XXX] at 9pm on sunday, [XXX] in lane two during a heavy rain a audible clicking noise came from the drivers side front of the dash instrument cluster area and all of the lights on the car simultaneously turned off without ever touching the light switch i was unable to see…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2009 Mercedes Benz C300s have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 198 owner complaints about electrical system for the 2009 Mercedes Benz C300 (34% of the 576 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2009 Mercedes Benz C300 electrical system?
Yes: 1 safety recall list electrical system. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do electrical system problems start?
The median reported mileage is 70,400 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix electrical system problems on the 2009 Mercedes Benz C300?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,850 (half paid between $1,600 and $2,450), from 12 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 2009 Mercedes Benz C300?
The most frequent phrase is “steering lock”, in 41 of 198 complaints, followed by “ignition switch” (26).
Other 2009 Mercedes Benz C300 problems
- Air Bags problems (182)
- Steering problems (136)
- Exterior Lighting problems (118)
See all 2009 Mercedes Benz C300 problems or electrical system problems across all C300 years.