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What are the common problems with the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350?

Owners of the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 have filed 57 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine (28) and the electrical system (13). In NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026, 14 of them list a mileage; a complaint is an owner's report, not a proven defect.

By VIN Lookup Research DeskPublished 2026-11-11NHTSA files 2026-11-11United States
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Most-reported problems, 2021 GLE 350

NHTSA's file holds 57 owner complaints on the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350. Owners named the engine most often: 28 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 57 complaints, 3 report a crash, 3 report a fire and 2 report an injury (6 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.

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Common problems with the 2021 GLE 350

NHTSA's file holds 57 owner complaints on the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350. Owners named the engine most often: 28 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component.

2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350: most-reported NHTSA component categories, with the median mileage of the complaints that list one (complaints file, November 11, 2026)
Component (NHTSA category)ComplaintsListing mileageMedian mileage
Engine284Under 5 mileages
Electrical System134Under 5 mileages
Power Train50Under 5 mileages
Visibility54Under 5 mileages
Forward Collision Avoidance40Under 5 mileages

Of the 57 complaints, 3 report a crash, 3 report a fire and 2 report an injury (6 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.

Mileage when owners reported a problem with the 2021 GLE 350

The 14 mileages owners gave run from 500 to 100,000 miles, and half are at or under 49,045. With fewer than 20 mileages this page gives the median only: the other percentiles are too few to say. None came after 100,000 miles, none after 150,000 and none after 200,000.

These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 2021 GLE 350 wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.

Most of these reports came early in the vehicle's life: all 14 came at or under 100,000 miles, so they say nothing about how many miles a 2021 GLE 350 can cover.

Complaint mileage also follows a model year's age: the 2021 has had less time to cover miles than older years, so its figures will rise as it ages.

2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350: mileage in the 14 NHTSA complaints that list one (complaints file, November 11, 2026)
MeasureValue
Lowest mileage listed500 miles
25th percentileToo few to say
Median (50th percentile)49,045 miles
75th percentileToo few to say
90th percentileToo few to say
Highest mileage listed100,000 miles
Complaints after 100,000 milesnone
Complaints after 150,000 milesnone
Complaints after 200,000 milesnone

Is the 2021 GLE 350 a good year?

Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2021 is a good or a bad GLE 350: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2021 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.

With 57 complaints, the 2021 ranks 3rd of the 9 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 model years from 2016 to 2025 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2020 (91). The fewest: the 2025 (11).

Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.

Mercedes-Benz GLE 350: NHTSA owner complaints by model year, 2016–2025 (complaints file, November 11, 2026)
Model yearOwner complaintsListing mileageMedian mileage
2016 GLE 350532559,831
2017 GLE 350622520,177
2018 GLE 350412320,004
2020 GLE 350912322,000
2021 (this page)571449,045
2022 GLE 350411110,000
2023 GLE 350162Under 10 mileages
2024 GLE 350212Under 10 mileages
2025 GLE 350111Under 10 mileages

2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 recalls

NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 14 recall campaigns that name the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350. A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.

2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350: the 5 most recent of 14 recall campaigns in NHTSA’s recall files (November 11, 2026)
CampaignReport receivedComponent
24V724000Sep 27, 2024ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
23V880000Dec 21, 2023FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
23V835000Dec 8, 2023ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
23V177000Mar 17, 2023VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM
22V936000Dec 16, 2022STEERING:CRITICAL FASTENERS

What these figures can and cannot tell you

  • Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
  • The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
  • The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
  • They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 2021 GLE 350 lasts.
  • A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 2021 GLE 350.
  • Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
  • 43 of the 57 complaints on the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
  • NHTSA names counted: GLE 350, GLE350 and GLE 350 4MATIC. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only these.
  • Recall-file names matched: GLE 350, GLE 350 4MATIC and GLE350.
Evidence

Primary sources behind this page

Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.

  1. NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  2. Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  3. NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  4. NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  5. Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  6. NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  7. Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration

NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.

Quick answers

2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 questions

What are the most common 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 problems?

NHTSA's file holds 57 owner complaints on the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350. Owners named the engine most often: 28 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 57 complaints, 3 report a crash, 3 report a fire and 2 report an injury (6 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.

At what mileage do owners report problems with the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350?

Of the 14 complaints on the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 that list mileage, half came after 49,000 miles; none came after 100,000 miles, none after 150,000 and none after 200,000. With fewer than 20 mileages, the median is the only percentile given. These are mileages at a reported problem; they do not say how many miles a 2021 GLE 350 can cover.

Is the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 a good year?

Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2021 is a good or a bad GLE 350: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2021 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 57 complaints, the 2021 ranks 3rd of the 9 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 model years from 2016 to 2025 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2020 (91). The fewest: the 2025 (11).

How many recalls does the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 have?

NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 14 recall campaigns that name the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350. A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.

How do I check a used 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 before buying?

Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350.