2006 Mercedes-Benz CL500 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2006 Mercedes-Benz CL500, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Airbags228.6%
- Brakes114.3%
- Fuel system114.3%
- Steering114.3%
- Tires & wheels114.3%
- Transmission114.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
AIRBAG DEPLOYED WITH NO ACCIDENT OR PHYSICAL DAMAGED. *TR
I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WHEN MY ACTIVE HEAD RESTRAINTS DEPLOYED AND STRUCK MY HEAD AND NECK. THE SOUND WHEN THEY ACTIVATED WAS LIKE A GUNSHOT INSIDE THE CAR. THE DEALER SAID THEY FOUND NO REASON FOR THE DEPLOYMENT. THEY SAY NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE CAR. *NM *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
I WAS DRIVING MY MERCEDES ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE LIGHT FLASHED ON FOR THE BRAKES SAYING BRAKING POWER REDUCED. ALL OF A SUDDEN I COULD NOT STOP MY CAR, I WAS SO SCARED ON THE HIGHWAY I REALLY THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE. ME AND MY BOYFRIEND WAS IN THE CAR AT THE TIME. SOMEHOW I GOT OVER TO THE FAR LANE TOWARDS THE GUARDRAIL WHERE NO ONE NORMALLY DRIVES AND THEN I ROLLED THE CAR UNTIL IT SLOWED ALL THE WAY DOWN AND THEN I FORCED IT INTO PARK. SMH THERE SHOULD REALLY BE SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. NOW I FEAR TO DRIVE MY CAR EVER AGAIN.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
EXTREMELY STRONG FUEL ODOR UPON LEAVING FUEL STOP FOR THE PAST SEVERAL FILL UPS. TOOK VEHICLE IN FOR DIAGNOSIS AND DISCOVERED THAT FUEL TANK IS CRACKED AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I AM REPORTING THIS BECAUSE THE REPAIR GARAGE TOLD ME IT IS A MAJOR PROBLEM IN THE SAME AREA OF THE FUEL TANK THAT AFFECTS MY VEHICLE AND THAT THEY HAVE REPAIRED THIS SAME ISSUE ON MY VEHICLE MODEL ALL THE TIME.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED AT SPEEDS BELOW 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE FELT AS THOUGH THERE WAS NO POWER STEERING. THE TENSION IN THE STEERING CHANGES FROM DAY TO DAY. THE DEALERSHIP IS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM, BUT HAS REPLACED MULTIPLE COMPONENTS. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED AND THE DEALERSHIP STATED THERE ARE NO FURTHER REPAIRS AVAILABLE AND THE VEHICLE SHOULD NOT BE RETURNED.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2006 Mercedes Benz CLS500 equipped with Continental Tires, Tire Line: Extreme Contact, Tire Sizes: 275/40/ZR18 and 275/35/ZR18, DOT Numbers: 1HW0FBD0A and 1AF0FB0M5 respectively. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the neighbor informed the contact that the driver’s side front and rear tires were flat. The contact stated that the TPMS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the tires were diagnosed with a slow leak on the sidewall. The tires were replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 13,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ACCELERATING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE TRANSMISSION JERKED AND SHIMMIED. ALSO, WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED, THE TRANSMISSION BANGED. BOTH PROBLEMS WERE INTERMITTENT. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE COMPUTER AND TRANSMISSION, BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTED.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .