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Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class GLE 250 d 4Matic common faults.

2015–2018, SUV, diesel, 204 HP.

The fault list covers: OM651DE22LA engine, MB7229, MB7250 transmission.

What you save stays on this device only. My saves

6 fault write-ups. All are important. 5 recalls.

If you know the year, pick it. Faults for other years drop out of the list.

Before you buy

Known faults

6 important faults

critical2

OM651: the chain tensioner seal leaks and oil drips onto the exhaust

critical

The chain tensioner seal starts to leak and engine oil can drip onto the exhaust system. On the hot exhaust the oil can ignite.

Show the rest

The manufacturer issued a recall for it, covering more than 100,000 cars built between February and November 2014. The repair is free under the campaign. The visible signs are oil traces at the back of the engine and a burnt smell.

What to check

  • Look at the back of the engine from underneath: oil traces point at the tensioner seal
  • Smell the engine bay when warm: burnt oil has a telling smell
  • Look at the top of the exhaust: baked-on oil leaves a mark
2 more steps in the write-up

OM651: the sealing ring of the chain tensioner leaks and the chain can loosen

critical

The sealing ring of the chain tensioner starts to let through, and engine oil escapes at the tensioner. The cause is insufficient manufacturing tolerance of the sealing rings. Beyond the loss of oil the chain tensioner can also loosen, and in an extreme case the timing chain comes free, which means engine damage. A separate phenomenon is that on the early OM651 engines a shortcoming of the tensioner let the chain stretch prematurely, which typically caused serious engine damage. The maker revised the tensioner several times, so this mainly affects the older units. The maker issued a recall, for more than 100,000 cars in Germany and for 2,869 cars and 2,579 vans in Austria. The range is the four-cylinder diesel units built between February and November 2014. The classes affected are A, B, C, E, S, V, CLA, GLA, GLK, SLK, CLS, ML, GL, Vito, Viano and Sprinter. It also affects older cars that received a replacement engine or chain tensioner from that period. The repair is replacing the sealing ring, free of charge under the campaign, and takes 1.5 to 2.5 hours of workshop time. The visible sign is an oil trace at the rear of the engine.

What to check

  • Ask whether the recall has been carried out, and ask for the workshop confirmation
  • Start the engine cold and listen for a clacking or rattling noise
  • Listen to the chain on lifting off and on load changes as well
2 more steps in the write-up

expensive4

OM651 2.1/2.2 diesel: Delphi piezo injectors and rear timing chain

expensive

The Mercedes OM651 common rail diesel has two faults that are independent of each other.

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1) Delphi piezo injectors. According to the German technical press the fault affected the two more powerful versions (125 kW / 170 hp and 150 kW / 204 hp). The weaker versions got solenoid injectors and were not affected. The fault could show up as early as around 50,000 km: the engine drops into limp mode, power is limited, and the car can still be driven slowly. Because of supply shortages the maker at first replaced only the failed injector rather than all four, so some owners went back four times. Later they moved to replacing the full set. From spring 2011 every 220 CDI version got solenoid injectors; the 250 CDI kept piezo injectors throughout, in several revised versions.

2) Timing chain. The engine runs on gears plus a short simplex roller chain. Increased chain wear (typically caused by a faulty chain tensioner) shows up occasionally at higher mileage. The replacement is very labour intensive, because the chain sits on the rear of the engine, on the gearbox side. The labour is the bigger part of the bill.

In November 2014 the chain tensioner caused trouble again: it can release, and engine oil can leak. The maker recalled cars built between February and November 2014. If the car falls in that window, check that the campaign was carried out.

The water pump can leak too.

between 50,000 and 250,000 km

What to check

  • Check the power output first: the 125 kW (170 hp) and 150 kW (204 hp) versions are the piezo injector, higher risk group. The weaker ones got solenoid injectors
  • Ask whether the injectors were replaced, and how many: a partial replacement meant repeat workshop visits
  • Listen to the engine on a cold start: rough running, shaking, smoke; limp mode or limited power while driving
4 more steps in the write-up

7G-Tronic (722.9): mechatronics and conductor plate

expensive

In the Mercedes 7 speed 722.9 automatic (7G-Tronic / 7G-Tronic Plus) the mechatronics unit and the conductor plate (Leiterplatte) age over time: jerking on shifts, delayed engagement, a "Getriebe schützen" message, and fault codes on the gearbox electronics.

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The repair is typically replacing the mechatronics unit or the conductor plate together with an oil change: not the whole gearbox. The complaint is most common on the longitudinal platforms from around 2005 to 2015 (C/E/ML and the early GLC).

The 9G-Tronic (725.0) is a different design; this applies only to the 7G.

between 100,000 and 220,000 km

What to check

  • Try it cold and warm: a delayed 1 to 2 or 2 to 3 shift is suspect
  • Watch for the gearbox warning or the "Getriebe schützen" message on the dash
  • Ask for a fault code read on the gearbox controller (not just the engine codes)
1 more steps in the write-up

Airmatic air suspension: leaking air spring, overworked compressor

expensive

The Mercedes Airmatic system holds the ride height with air springs and electronically controlled dampers. The most common faults over time are the relay, the compressor and a leaking air spring or air line.

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The rear air springs of the 2003 to 2009 E-Class (W211) are particularly prone to leaking along the clamps. If the system leaks, the compressor runs continuously, overheats and fails, so an unrepaired leak takes the compressor with it.

Symptoms: one corner of the car sinks by morning, an "Air Suspension" or level control fault message, and compressor noise while standing. It was an option (or standard) across several generations from the W220 S-Class onwards; the estate E-Class often has air springs with level control on the rear axle as standard.

between 100,000 and 220,000 km

What to check

  • In the morning, before setting off, look at all four corners: an uneven stance means a suspected leak
  • With the car standing, listen to the compressor: continuous running indicates it is overworked
  • Ask for a fault code read on the suspension controller (level and pressure sensor codes of the C1132 / C1144 kind)
3 more steps in the write-up

OM651 diesel: contested defeat device, KBA authority recalls

expensive

The Stuttgart public prosecutor investigated the OM651 diesel on suspicion of an illegal defeat device (Abschalteinrichtung): the engine management returns better emission figures on the test bench than in real use. According to the German technical press the suspicion covered more than one million cars sold in Europe and the USA between 2008 and 2016.

Show the rest

For Germany the suspicion was confirmed in KBA recalls supervised by the authority:

  • KBA 8227: GLC 220d / GLC 250d, 06.2015 to 06.2018
  • KBA 8251, 8252, 8253, 8314: Vito 2.2 diesel, 09.2014 to 09.2016 (partly classed as M1 passenger cars, partly as N1 commercial vehicles)

The ADAC lists these on top: C 220d / C 250d and C 220 / C 250 BlueTEC (12.2013 to 05.2018), S 300 BlueTEC HYBRID / S 300 h (12.2013 to 09.2016), ML 250 BlueTEC (08.2011 to 06.2015), and possibly the GLE 250d. In October 2019 the KBA ordered a third recall as well.

A large share of the cars exported out of the German market come from exactly this group, and the paperwork does not show whether the software update was done. In most countries this alone does not take the car off the road, but it hurts the car's value and how easily you can sell it on.

After the update many owners report higher fuel consumption and worse drivability: you notice that while driving, not from the documents. And in March 2021 the Stuttgart regional court found deliberate, immoral conduct on the maker's part and awarded a C 220 buyer around 25,000 euro in damages (7 O 224/20).

What to check

  • Ask the franchised dealer, by VIN, whether the KBA recall (8227 / 8251 / 8252 / 8253 / 8314) applies to this car and whether it was carried out
  • On an imported car ask for the German service history: the software update is documented there
  • If it was carried out: watch the drivability on the test drive and ask about real fuel consumption, because the update can make both worse
2 more steps in the write-up

Checklist

Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class GLE 250 d 4Matic

First what you would check on any car. Then the faults of this model.

Before you buy

Checklist

The printed sheet starts with what you would check on any car. What you tick stays on this device only.

On every car

Ask the owner

Faults of this model

vinkodex.com · Before you buy it, see what can go wrong.

Official recall5 recallsShow

The manufacturer fixes these for free at a franchised dealer. Ask with the VIN whether it was done.

Most recent: 23 December 2022

22V955000FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP:CONTROL/DRIVE MODULEFUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP:CONTROL/DRIVE MODULE23 December 2022 · NHTSA (USA)

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2012-2014 ML550, 2012-2015 ML350, AMG ML63, 2015 ML250, ML400, 2016 GLE450, GLE300, 2016-2018 GLE350, GLE550, 2016-2019 GLE400, 2017-2019 AMG GLE43, and 2016-2020 AMG GLE63 vehicles. Water might accumulate in the spare tire wheel well and damage the fuel pump control unit, which could cause an engine stall while driving.

Risk: An engine stall while driving increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will install a water drain plug, inspect for water intrusion, and replace the fuel pump control unit as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 15, 2023. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's numbers for this recall are 2023010002 and 2023010003.

The authority's notice

16V903000AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATIONAIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION15 December 2016 · NHTSA (USA)

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 GL350 4Matic Bluetec, GL550 4Matic, GLE350 4Matic, GLE43 AMG Coupe, GLE450 4Matic, 2016 GLE300d 4Matic, GLE350, GLE350d 4Matic, GLE400 4Matic, GLE550e 4Matic, GLE63 AMG, GLE63 AMG 4Matic, GLE63S AMG 4Matic Coupe, and 2017 GLS63 AMG vehicles manufactured April 23, 2014, to May 10, 2016. The front passenger seat Occupant Classification System (OCS) calibration may be incorrect, and as a result, the system can incorrectly classify the occupant as a child seat, deactivating the front passenger air bag.

Risk: If the front passenger air bag does not deploy as necessary in the event of a crash, the front passenger has an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.

The authority's notice

16V759000EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTSEXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS20 October 2016 · NHTSA (USA)

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 GLE 300d 4MATIC, GLE 350, GLE 350 4MATIC, and GLE 400 4MATIC vehicles manufactured October 14, 2015, to November 23, 2015. The low beam headlights on the affected vehicles may not be properly adjusted. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Assoc. Equipment."

Risk: If the low-beam headlights are out of adjustment, the driver's visibility may be reduced, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and correct the headlight adjustment, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in November 2016. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.

The authority's notice

A12/00045/22Safety recallFireno date · EU Safety Gate

The vacuum-controlled coolant pump may not be tightly sealed between the coolant and vacuum circuits. This may result in the coolant leaking into the vacuum circuit leading to an electrochemical reaction, increasing the risk of fire. The product does not comply with the requirements laid down in the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of Motor Vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.

Remedy: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Manufacturer Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users Date of entry into force: Unknown

The authority's notice

A12/0849/18Safety recallInjuriesno date · EU Safety Gate

The connectors for the transmission oil cooler hoses may not have been correctly moulded. As a consequence, the transmission oil cooler hoses may work loose while the vehicle is being driven, leading to the loss of oil in the transmission and depriving the vehicle of forward propulsion.

Remedy: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Manufacturer Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users Date of entry into force: Unknown

The authority's notice

Engine and transmission

1 engines · 2 transmissions

OM651DE22LA · Viano 2.0 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY (4MATIC)

100–150 kW (136–204 HP) · diesel

MB7229 · 7G-Tronic / 7G-Tronic Plus, longitudinal (Mercedes 722.9 / NAG2)

automatic · 7 speed

Torque limit700 Nm
MakerMercedes-Benz

We built the code from the model and the gear count. The factory sheet does not state it. More than one transmission is possible. 7 gears = MB7229, 9 gears = MB7250.

Variant data

What is in this version

Factory data

Trim
GLE 250 d 4Matic
Body
SUV
Fuel
diesel
Transmission
automatic
Engine size
2143 cc
Power
150 kW (204 HP)
Drive
AWD
Production
2015–2018

Factory service interval

The manufacturer specifies this for this version. Of the mileage and the time, the one that comes first is the one that counts.

  • Air filter

    • 60,000 km or 4 years

  • Cabin (pollen) filter

    • 30,000 km or 2 years

  • Brake fluid change

    • first: 3 years, then 2 years(first change at 3 years, then every two years)

  • Fuel filter, diesel

    • 60,000 km or 2 years
All W166 versions

Information, not an expert opinion

We write the descriptions, and we put the source next to them. A person reviews them before they go out. They are still information, not a technical expert opinion.

  • A fault on the list does not mean the car you are looking at has it.
  • A fault missing from the list does not mean the model is fault-free. Write-ups are made model by model. Not all of them are done.
  • You decide whether to buy. This is no substitute for an inspection. That needs a workshop and a history check.
Details in the terms