Avg. Price Paid:$58,182 - $70,339
Original MSRP: $88,200 - $111,900
MPG: 12 City / 15 Hwy
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Mercedes-Benz G-Class Recalls & Reliability

These scores and this review are from when the car was new.

Scorecard

Overall: 2008 Mercedes-Benz G-Class U.S. News Best Cars 7.5
Critics' Rating: 7.2
Performance: 6.9
Interior: 8.0
Safety: N/A
Reliability:
How we calculate scores
Research analyzed for this review

Pros & Cons

  • Superior off-road capabilities
  • Solid, heavy-duty construction
  • A bold, military-inspired look
  • Large number of standard comfort and safety features
  • More expensive than comparable vehicles in its class
  • Poor gas mileage for the class
  • Mediocre handling and body roll on highway
  • Lacks standard or optional side air bags

Research Other Years

Review Last Updated: 3/12/09

Recalls

There have been 2 safety recalls issued from NHTSA.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTSRecall Date: 08/04/2010
  • Consequence: THE VEHICLES FAIL TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE STANDARD.
  • NHTSA Campaign ID: 10V368000
  • Potential Number of Units Affected: 1938
  • Summary: MERCEDES-BENZ IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2002-2009 G-CLASS VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "'LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THE HEADLAMPS OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH A PROTECTIVE GRILL THAT IS NOT PERMISSIBLE UNDER FMVSS NO. 108.
  • Remedy: DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE HEADLAMP GRILLS FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE NOVEMBER 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MERCEDES-BENZ AT 1-800-367-6372.
  • Notes: OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV .
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNALRecall Date: 08/04/2010
  • Consequence: THE SIGNAL LIGHT'S VISIBILITY TO OTHER MOTORISTS MAY BE REDUCED OVER TIME, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
  • NHTSA Campaign ID: 10V366000
  • Potential Number of Units Affected: 3552
  • Summary: MERCEDES-BENZ IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2002-2010 G-CLASS VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "'LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH A GRILL COVER FOR FRONT TURN SIGNAL PROTECTION THAT, WHILE PERMISSIBLE, MAY IMPACT OVER TIME THE SIGNAL'S ABILITY TO MEET THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS 108.
  • Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL IMPROVED TURN LIGHT UNITS OPTIMIZED FOR USAGE WITH GRILLS. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE NOVEMBER 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MERCEDES-BENZ AT 1-800-367-6372.
  • Notes: OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV .

Reliability

Our reliability score is based on the J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) rating or, if unavailable, the J.D. Power Predicted Reliability rating.

Predicted Reliability Score
  • Key:
  • Among The Best
  • Better Than Most
  • About Average
  • The Rest

J.D. Power and Associates Power Circle Ratings do not include all information used to determine J.D. Power and Associates awards. See JDPower.com for more information on Power Circle Ratings. Your experience may vary.

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Warranty

The 2008 Mercedes-Benz G-Class comes with a four-year/50,000-mile basic warranty.

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