Mercedes Benz C63 problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
20 owner complaints analyzed
5 distinct recall campaigns
43,639 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2008 to 2010 model years. Data snapshot: . 13 complaints include usable failure mileage.
This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.
Most common problems
Electrical System is the most frequently named component, appearing in 7 of 20 complaints (35.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Steering behavior | 3 | 15.0% |
| Braking behavior | 2 | 10.0% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 2 | 10.0% |
| Engine operation | 1 | 5.0% |
| Fuel system concerns | 1 | 5.0% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Electrical System | 7 |
| Air Bags | 5 |
| Exterior Lighting | 5 |
| Unknown Or Other | 4 |
| Engine | 3 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 1 |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 1 |
| Service Brakes | 1 |
Electrical System: 7; Air Bags: 5; Exterior Lighting: 5; Unknown Or Other: 4; Engine: 3; Engine And Engine Cooling: 1; Fuel/Propulsion System: 1; Service Brakes: 1
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 1 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 7 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 3 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 1 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 1 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 1; 25,000 to 49,999: 7; 50,000 to 74,999: 3; 75,000 to 99,999: 1; 100,000 to 149,999: 1; 150,000 and above: 0
25,000 to 49,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (7). 7 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2013 | 6 |
| 2014 | 3 |
| 2015 | 2 |
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2021 | 1 |
2013: 6; 2014: 3; 2015: 2; 2016: 4; 2018: 3; 2019: 1; 2021: 1
Pattern summary
Electrical System leads the component reports. Steering behavior appears in 3 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 2 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 2 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10874900 · 2016-06-17 (June 17, 2016)
MY 2008 MERCEDES AMG C63 HAD BEEN OPERATING WITHOUT FLAWS UNTIL RECENTLY, I PARKED, WENT IN THE GYM TO WORK OUT FOR 45 MINS. WHEN I CAME OUT AND TRIED TO START THE VEHICLE, THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. STEERING WHEEL LOCKED, WOULDN'T COME OUT OF PARK. LEFT ME STRANDED. I HAVE READ DOZENS OF COMPLAINTS ON THE MERCEDES-BENZ FORUMS ABOUT THIS SPECIFIC ISSUE HAPPENING TO OTHER OWNERS OF 2008-2009 MERCEDES C63 SEDANS. MERCEDES HAS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN LISTING THIS AS A COMMON OCCURRENCE, AND THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN LOCK HAS TO BE REPLACED(USUAL…
Owner-reported narrative. 94,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10874900 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10884993 · 2016-07-15 (July 15, 2016)
THE ELECTRONIC STEERING CONTROL LOCK MODULE WENT OUT ON MY CAR. THIS SEEMS TO BE A REOCCURRING ISSUE WITH ANY "W204" 2008/2009 MERCEDES BENZ MODEL CAR. I'VE DOCUMENTED OVER A FEW HUNDRED CASES ALONE ON THE FORUMS ONLINE. THIS IS A DEALERSHIP ONLY FIX AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. BASICALLY, SECURITY SYSTEM IN THE CAR THAT LETS THE KEY COMMUNICATE WITH THE IGNITION SYSTEM GOES OUT AND THE CAR WILL NOT START. IT'S A $1200 FIX MINIMUM..
Owner-reported narrative. 135,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10884993 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10557662 · 2013-12-29 (December 29, 2013)
THE PASSENGER TAIL LAMP BULB CARRIER, GROUND WIRE, AND CONNECTING PLASTIC HARNESS ALL MELTED CAUSING MY TAIL LAMPS TO APPEAR DIM AND EVENTUALLY MELTED TO THE POINT THE PASSENGER BRAKE LIGHTS, REAR RUNNING LAMPS, REAR PASSENGER TURN SIGNAL AND REAR FOG LAMP ALL COMPLETELY QUIT FUNCTIONING. I CONTACTED MY LOCAL MERCEDES BENZ DEALER AND THEY WOULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM UNDER WARRANTY OR GOOD WILL EVEN KNOWING IT TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM. I PURCHASED THE PARTS THAT THEY CLAIMED HAVE BEEN UPDATED (ALTHOUGH THEY APPEAR TO BE EXACTLY THE SAME) AND HAD THE…
Owner-reported narrative. 67,200 miles reported. Look up ODI 10557662 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10559336 · 2014-01-10 (January 10, 2014)
AN ALERT ON MY DASH BOARD SCREEN TELLING ME THAT MY BRAKE AND TAIL LIGHT MAY NOT BE FUNCTIONING. I HAVE READ THAT THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF COMPLAINTS WITH MERCEDES C SERIES CARS FROM 2008, 2009, 20010, 20011 THAT HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE TAIL LIGHT GROUND, MAY HAVE EVEN CAUSED FIRES IN SOME. I'M CONCERNED THIS MAY HAPPEN. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 43,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10559336 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10505806 · 2013-04-10 (April 10, 2013)
CAR DASH DISPLAY INDICATED TO CHECK RIGHT REAR TURN LAMP. WHILE CHECKING THE LAMP, THE LAMP HOLDER ASSEMBLY WAS HOT. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO UNPLUG THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR TO THE LAMP HOLDER ASSEMBLY, DISCOVERED THAT THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR WAS MELTING (SPECIFICALLY AROUND THE GROUND WIRE). THERE SEEM TO BE OTHER REPORTS OF THIS ISSUE ON WEB FORUMS (E.G. MB WORLD). *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 40,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10505806 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10555888 · 2013-12-12 (December 12, 2013)
REAR TAIL LIGHT WIRING HAS BURNT UP CAUSING FAILURE OF THE TAILLIGHT. THIS HAPPENED ON BOTH SIDES OF THE VEHICLE. THE RIGHT SIDE ACTUALLY BEGAN PUTTING OUT SMOKE WHEN THE BURNT CONNECTOR FAILED. THIS FIRE COULD HAVE SPREAD WITH MY KIDS IN THE CAR. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 23,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10555888 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10716413 · 2015-05-14 (May 14, 2015)
CEL ILLUMINATION, ENGINE MISFIRE, STALLING, ROUGH RUNNING, LOW COOLANT INDICATOR LIGHT UPS. NO EXTERNAL COOLANT LOSS DETECTABLE. COOLANT IN THE ENGINE OIL AND/OR IN THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER. THIS IS CAUSED BY A BROKEN CYLINDER HEAD BOLT. ENGINE COOLANT ENTERS INTO ENGINE OIL. COOLANT MIGHT BE PRESENT IN THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER. AFFECTED ENGINE NUMBER UP TO 1569XX 60 060658. NOW THE DEALERSHIP IS TRYING TO CHARGE ME $7K TO HAVE THIS FIXED WHEN IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE ON THESE VEHICLES. I RESPECTFULLY DEMAND THAT MERCEDES BENZ USA COVER THE CO…
Owner-reported narrative. 45,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10716413 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10497765 · 2013-02-11 (February 11, 2013)
2008 C63 AMG-EVERY TIME FILL UP TANK THERE VERY STRONG GAS SMELL EVEN OUT DOOR. I TRACKED DOWN SMELL FROM UNDER BACK SEAT WHERE GAS TANK IS. OPEN BACK SEAT YOU WILL SEE WET SPOT FROM GAS LEAK. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS THAT CAR CAN GET CAUGHT ON FIRE. I RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND MANY MERCEDES HAS SAME ISSUE AND BEEN TOLD BY DEALER THAT IT TEAR AND WEAR, AND USER RESPONSIBLE FOR REPAIR. MY CAR IS 2008 C63 AMG, ONE OF TOP C CLASS MODEL, WITH 50,000 MILES. THE GAS TANK SHOULD LAST MUCH LONGER THAN 50,000 MILE. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR MERCEDE…
Owner-reported narrative. 50,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10497765 at NHTSA ↗
Recalls by model year
All campaigns in the snapshot affecting each model year, including recalls announced years later.
Recall campaigns
Shared campaigns appear once in each affected model year.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 3 |
| 2009 | 5 |
| 2010 | 3 |
2008: 3; 2009: 5; 2010: 3