I have a 2020 GLE 350 with ~55,000 miles. We have been meticulous with maintenance…always done on time by our Mercedes-certified mechanic. We were recently on a road trip from Virginia to Indiana for our son’s college graduation, and on an interstate in rural West Virginia the car’s dash lit up with every warning light and the engine immediately died. Luckily we were in the slow lane by the shoulder and coasted to the side of the (very busy 70mph) interstate. We were stranded — had to wait about 2 hours before a tow could come and get us. We went to the closest garage, around 45 minutes away. They were a general repair shop and had no idea what happened. We had to have someone come and pick us up and take us back home (many hours away). (Yep, we missed our son’s college graduation. There was no nearby city, and any rental car place within 100 miles had an available car to rent. It was incredibly dangerous and caused us to miss this once-in-a-lifetime event.) A few days later, we found a tow who would make the long trip to bring the car back to our hometown.

Our mechanic says the engine has just seized—for no discernible reason. There had never been a check engine light, no other kind of warning light, no odd sounds, no issues…nothing…just bam, dead. We’re looking at at *least* $15k (prob more) for a new engine (and I don’t want an identical engine put in). (Not to mention the over $1,000 we’re already out for towing and transport to get all back home.) We don’t know if it’s worth doing, given the value of the car. Will either do engine and sell/trade-in, or just sell dead for whatever we can get. Either way, I’ll never trust that car again.

We’ve driven Mercedes for over 21 years now and have *never* had an issue—just routine maintenance. Now I need to car shop (which I hate), and typically I’d go get a GLS, but I’ve now completely lost faith in MB. This failure put us in an incredibly dangerous situation—we were lucky we weren’t hurt—and being truly stranded on the edge of a busy interstate was pretty anxiety provoking for me and my wife…not to mention the sadness from our family about the graduation.

So two questions — 1–Has anybody heard of this kind of thing happening in the 2020 models, and if so, what’s the cause? 2–Anyone have any recommendations for a replacement vehicle — largish SUV (hybrid would be great).

Any input would be much appreciated.

 

The one-sixty-lemon (167) is the worst car Mercedes has built in the last 26 years. You aren't the first to have this problem. The GLS is just a larger version of the same problem. Have a used engine put in it, and either keep it, expecting more problems,or sell it afterwards and look into something Japanese...Lexus, Toyota, Honda.. You won't get much selling it as-is, maybe $5k

 

Sorry to hear about the experience.

Real world example after real world example that MB is pure garbage.

MB, the best of nothing.

 

When the redesigned GLE arrived as a 2020 model, it shifted away from simpler older platforms to a massive, hyper-complex electrical and mechanical architecture. A few key issues plagued early production years:

Because of high demand and early production bottlenecks at the Vance, Alabama plant, early 2020 and 2021 models frequently suffered from fit-and-finish complaints—uneven panel gaps, rattling trim, or loose exterior badges.

The MBUX infotainment, digital dashboard screens, driver-assist sensors, and the computer modules controlling everything from the air conditioning to the power windows have a higher-than-average rate of bugs and random resets

The mechanical core of the powertrain is robust. If you separate the heavy iron, gears, and pistons from the electronics, the mechanical foundations of the 2020+ GLE are strong.

Reliability for the V167 generation improved markedly from 2023 onward, primarily due to a major mid-cycle "facelift" (refresh) launched for the 2024 model year.

Automakers typically use mid-cycle updates to quietly engineer away the systemic flaws of early production years. Mercedes used this opportunity to target the exact electrical, software, and assembly-line issues that plagued the 2020–2022 models.

While Japanese manufacturers do a better job at transitioning to new models I personally don't get the same enjoyment from their products.

 

No. The 2.0 four banger is a piece of pure automotive rubbish. As have been all MB four bangers for the past three or four engine generations. The 9G is widely accepted to be a bad transmission in comparison to the best from Aisin and ZF. The previous 7G was marginal.

 

Hmmm, so all the engine oil leaked out? If so where did it leak from?

 

What was the cause of the engine seize? Low oil pressure (oil loss) or high engine temperature (coolant loss) should have stopped the engine before permanent damage. I've heard a few reports of hydrolocking when an engine sucks in water after driving through standing water.