AutoUtility currently tracks 22 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLS. Brakes & Traction Control issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 6 complaints (27.3% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 1 filing cites a crash, 3 cite a fire. The 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLS belongs to the 2nd Generation / GL Facelift (X166) platform.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
6 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
4 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
3 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
2 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"The contact owns a 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLS 550. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle made an abnormal clicking sound when making a right turn, and an abnormal ticking sound at startup. There was no warning light illuminated. Another driver informed the contact that the..."
"January 2023 - Airbag suspension failed. Replaced by Mercedes dealership. December 2024 - Airbag suspension failed. Replaced by Mercedes dealership. April 2024: First brake failure. The brakes stopped while driving. Repaired. April 2025: Second brake failure. Brakes failed again. Repaired. The..."
"Brake brakes are terrible. They have other years that they’ve acknowledge that the break are spongy and at times does not break the GLS has that defect. Also smell of gas fumes inside the vehicle. Please direct me the right way and help me with this issue. The brake issue almost have caused me two..."
"When attempting to rise/lower the automatic suspension, the compressor cooling notification pops up, followed by a malfunction. After this occurs, the vehicle is incredibly bumpy, to the point of it being unsafe to drive. The vehicle has been repaired twice already by the dealership under extended..."
"This 2018 gls 450 has issues with suspension system. Bought this car in 2023 and using since Jna 2023 and suspension system failed like 3 -4 times. Mechanic changed the air compressor , valves and others and still the car has same issue. It used to lift the car to adequate height but the compressor..."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2017–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLS | 41 | 1 | 8 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLS Current Page | 22 | 1 | 4 | Current |
| 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLS | 27 | 1 | 3 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS | 38 | 3 | 24 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLS | 37 | 2 | 12 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLS | 15 | 2 | 10 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLS | 10 | 0 | 5 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLS | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Mercedes-Benz GLS | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2026 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 17 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLS
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLS is Brakes & Traction Control, appearing in 6 records (27.3% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Suspension (4) and Electrical System (3).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 22 consumer defect complaints and 4 safety recall campaigns for the 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLS.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLS, 1 filing cites a crash, 3 cite smoke or fire, and 0 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.