2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
Documented records held locally from official US and Canadian sources. Each record shows its official identifier so it can be confirmed at the source; nothing here is a score or a prediction.
Vehicle coverage
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Coverage held for this vehicle
- OFFICIAL ACTION 3 US Recalls
- MANUFACTURER COMMUNICATION 108 Manufacturer Bulletins
- INVESTIGATION 1 Investigations
- CONSUMER REPORT 23 Consumer Complaints
- CANADIAN RECALL 3 Canada Recalls
These are counts of distinct official records held locally. They are not combined into any score, and a record count is not a failure rate. A zero means no record is held here, not that none exists.
US Recalls
NHTSA Recall US
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17V177000 2017-03-14
Recall 17V177000
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…
Recorded model years: 2012
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15V137000 2015-03-10
Recall 15V137000
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain model year 2015 CLS 400 and CLS 400 4matic, 2012-2015 CLS 550 and CLS 550 4matic, 2012-2013 CLS 63, 2014 CLS 63, and 2014-2015 CLS 63P. The affected vehicles have LED tail lights that may not light on the sides, reducing the rear side visibility of the vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail…
Recorded model years: 2012
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12V533000 2012-11-06
Recall 12V533000
Mercedes-Benz is recalling certain model year 2012 CLS550 and CLS550 4Matic vehicles, manufactured December 01, 2011, through December 13, 2011. The bolts that hold the hood's secondary latch striker may have been insufficiently tightened.
Recorded model years: 2012
A further 35 records exist for the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.
Campaign applicability can depend on build date, equipment and market, and a remedy may already have been completed. Confirm any campaign against the official record using the VIN.
Manufacturer Bulletins
NHTSA Manufacturer Communication US
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11035005 2026-07-14
LI35.30-P-058566
Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end). The noise is heard once in each instance when changing direction of travel. Note: Sound file in attachment Cause If the complaint is eliminated by experimentally loosening the outboard collar nut (by 1 turn), the problem is due to cracking of the microweld…
Recorded model years: 2012
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11033185 2026-05-26
LI82.85-P-080507
Complaint After successful commissioning of the HERMES control unit (N112/9) with XENTRY Diagnosis DVD 03/2026, the message "SOS - service not activated" appears on the instrument cluster. In addition, the following two conditions are also met: • HERMES (N112/9) control unit: event code B15CE00 is ACTIVE and STORED (A+S) • Vehicle Documentation System: For the HERMES control unit, the EID1,…
Recorded model years: 2012
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11033016 2026-05-26
LI82.85-P-080559
Complaint The customer requests deactivation of the N112/9 HERMES communication module Note: Deactivation of the HERMES control unit (N112/9) is not supported for gray-market vehicles. Cause Before deactivating the HERMES control unit (N112/9), it must be clarified by the legal department of the respective MPC whether and under what conditions deactivation may be carried out. If deactivation is not permissible…
Recorded model years: 2012
Showing 3 of 108 records held. The full set is available from the official source named above.
A further 394 records exist for the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.
A manufacturer communication is service guidance issued to dealers. It is not a safety recall, and its existence does not mean this vehicle has the described condition.
Investigations
NHTSA Investigation US
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EA21002 2021-09-17
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during…
Recorded model years: 2012
A further 2 records exist for the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.
An investigation records that a regulator reviewed a suspected defect. It is not itself a finding of defect and not a recall.
Canada Recalls
Transport Canada Recall CA
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2018724 2018-12-20
Transport Canada recall 2018724
Multiple source assertions are recorded for this identifier. Consult the official record for configuration-specific detail.
Recorded model years: 2012
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2015099 2015-03-10
Transport Canada recall 2015099
Certain vehicles may not comply with the requirements of Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 - Lighting System and Retro reflective Devices. Rear side markers may not have been programmed properly and may fail to meet the photometric performance requirements of the standard. This could reduce vehicle conspicuity, which could increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage…
Recorded model years: 2012
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2012373 2012-11-05
Transport Canada recall 2012373
On certain vehicles, the four bolts securing the secondary hood latch striker plate may have been insufficiently tightened and could loosen. If two or more bolts were to loosen, the secondary latch could become ineffective. If the engine hood was not closed properly, both primary hood locks were not latched and the driver were to ignore the hood open warning…
Recorded model years: 2012
A further 28 records exist for the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.
Canadian campaigns are recorded separately from US campaigns and do not imply one another.
Consumer Complaints
NHTSA Complaint US
23 complaint records in the dataset for this vehicle and year.
Outcomes stated in those reports
- reports mentioning a crash 1
- reported injuries 2
Outcomes as stated by the person who filed the report. They are not verified, not adjudicated, and carry no exposure denominator, so they cannot be turned into a rate.
By system
- Fuel system8 (25.8%)Official recall records for this system: 7, covering model years 2021–2023.
- Engine4 (12.9%)Official recall records for this system: 2, covering model years 2015.
- Brakes3 (9.7%)Official recall records for this system: 4, covering model years 2006–2020.
- Electrical system3 (9.7%)Official recall records for this system: 19, covering model years 2012–2023.
- Powertrain (transmission & drivetrain)3 (9.7%)
- Steering2 (6.5%)Official recall records for this system: 4, covering model years 2011–2022.
- Suspension2 (6.5%)
- Visibility (glass, wipers, mirrors)2 (6.5%)Official recall records for this system: 6, covering model years 2006–2021.
Other / uncategorized: 3 classifications (9.7%) were not assigned to a specific system by the source. They are counted but not treated as an issue area.
A single report can name several systems, so these figures overlap and must not be added together — their sum is larger than the report total above.
A further 228 complaint records exist for this vehicle where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.
These are owner-submitted allegations, not confirmed defects. Counts are record counts in the dataset. No exposure denominator exists, so no failure rate or reliability score can be derived from them.