Mercedes-Benz safety class action overview:
- Who: A Florida man is suing Mercedes-Benz.
- Why: The plaintiff says a number of Mercedes-Benz vehicles have a dangerous subframe defect.
- Where: The Mercedes-Benz safety class action was filed in a Georgia federal court.
A range of Mercedes vehicles have a dangerous safety defect that can lead to a sudden and unexpected loss of control for drivers, a new class action lawsuit alleges.
Plaintiff Steven Averbach filed the class action lawsuit against Mercedes-Benz USA LLC and Mercedes-Benz Group AG (Mercedes) on March 17 in a Georgia federal court, alleging violations of state and federal consumer laws.
The lawsuit seeks to represent owners and lessees of Mercedes C-Class, model years 2010 to 2022; CLS-Class, model years 2010 to 2022; E-Class, model years 2010 to 2022; G-Class, model years 2010 to 2022; GLK-Class, model years 2010 to 2015; SL-Class, model years 2010 to 2022; and SLC/SLK-Class, model years 2010 to 2020.
According to the lawsuit, the vehicles contain defective subframes.
The defect can allegedly cause the rear subframes, attached components, and nearby parts to prematurely rust or corrode, which adversely affects the drivability of the cars, causes corrosion of other components on the underside of the vehicles, and can cause the rear subframes to fail while they are in motion, resulting in a sudden, unexpected loss of control for the driver, the lawsuit states.
“Because of this risk, Mercedes authorized dealers and independent mechanics often advise Class Vehicle owners with rear subframe corrosion not to drive their Class Vehicles, especially at high speeds,” the lawsuit states. “Many Class Vehicle owners are therefore left with vehicles that are too dangerous to drive, especially at typical highway speeds.”
Mercedes has not offered relief from the defect, lawsuit alleges
Averbach says he owns a 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK 350. In August 2021, he says he nearly suffered a fatal accident while driving it.
He took his vehicle to a Firestone who allegedly informed him that his subframe was significantly corroded and would need to be replaced “soon,” he says, at a rate of about $1,700.
When he contacted Mercedes about the issue, he was denied remedy or assistance, he claims. Averbach says he is only one person of potentially hundreds of thousands affected by the issue.
He seeks to represent a nationwide class of drivers with the allegedly affected cars, plus a Florida subclass. He is suing for breach of warranty and breach of Florida consumer laws and seeks certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.
Meanwhile, a broad swath of Mercedes-Benz vehicles made between 2004 and 2022 have a defect that causes the batteries in the vehicles to drain “rapidly and unexpectedly,” another class action lawsuit alleges.
Are you affected by this alleged Mercedes defect? Let us know in the comments!
The plaintiff is represented by Ketan A. Patel of Corpus Law Patel LLC.
The Mercedes class action lawsuit is Steven Averbach, et al. v. Mercedes-Benz USA LLC, Case No. 1:23-cv-01156-SEG, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
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51 thoughts onMercedes-Benz class action claims rear subframes have dangerous safety defect
I wrote a very lengthy description of how I found a rear control arm totally rusted off of the driver rear subframe allowing out of control movement of that wheel and the car when braking. But the comment disappeared somehow. Anyway, I am going to attempt to cut and weld new metal to the subframe and the control arm bracket. I have some welding experience but this will be a challenge. I’m 75 years old with a bad back and only a hand Jack and Jack stands to work with. At highway speed it could have easily resulted in an accident and possibly death to anyone in the vehicle. It’s a 2010 glk 350 4matic that is well maintained. This defect was hidden by a snap on plastic cover . Good thinking Mercedes.
I kept hearing a strange noise coming from the rear when I stepped on the brake. I thought something was moving around unsecured in my trunk. My son suggested I have my brakes checked. The mechanic told me (and I saw) that the whole bottom of my car was rusted out and you could see breaks in the underbody of my C300 4 matic 2012. He told me not to drive the car as it is unsafe. I had to purchase another car.
On May 23, 2025 I was driving my 89 yr old mother to a doctor’s appointment. I hit the brakes to stop at a stop light and the car seemed to sway/shake in the rear. As I accelerated through the light, a warning message came on ” inoperable, see operator’s manual”. I decided to drive my car to a repair shop, paid $225 for diagnostic and the video showing the problem was frightening. The entire rear subframe on my 2013 Mercedes C300 had completely rusted, and snapped in half on one side . Didnt know anything about any issues regarding this until I was researching today.
Just yesterday while driving my Grandaughter and my two Grandson’s, in my 2013 C300 4-Matic, I had to apply the brakes very suddenly on the highway to avoid an accident. As I applied the brakes i heard what sounded loke a loud pop! I noticed the rear of the car jerk hard to left but noticed it corrected when I eased up on the brakes. Is seemed that after that I kept hearing a loud bump and scraping noise every time I used the brake. I took it to my local shop where it has been serviced for years and he showed my the busted SUBFRAME! I almosted choked! I could have ran off the road at 70 MPH, hit another car or God forbid had my Grandchildren hurt or worse! No recall listed!!!
I have a 2010 Mercedes C300 Sport that the entire rear subframe was so rusted at inspection that it needed replaced in its entirety. I had this work completed and always felt that never should have happened.