2012 Mercedes-Benz E550 Owner Complaints

The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz E550. The contact stated that while occupying the vehicle while the vehicle was parked, the ignition switch failed to detect the key fob. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the electric steering rack had failed and needed to be replaced or reprogrammed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer was notified of the vehicle, but no assistance was provided. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 69,000.

NHTSA ID

11666601

Incident

May 27, 2025

Mileage

69,000 mi

The contact owned a 2012 Mercedes-Benz E550. The contact stated while her husband was driving 20-25 MPH and making a right turn, the brake pedal was depressed but traveled down to the floorboard, and the vehicle failed to respond. The contact's husband stood on the brake pedal; however, the vehicle failed to respond and crashed into a small ditch. The contact was occupying the front passenger's side seat at the time of the incident. The contact was unsure whether there was a warning light illuminated. The air bags deployed. The contact stated that there was smoke coming from the air bags. Both the contact and her husband immediately exited the vehicle. The contact's husband did not sustain any injuries. The contact stated that her left arm was deformed. The contact was transported to the Hospital by a family member. The Doctor diagnosed that the contact had sustained two broken bones on the left arm and two broken bones on the left foot. The contact underwent surgery and was scheduled for physical therapy. The contact was unsure whether a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and totaled by the insurance company. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that a field inspector would be sent to inspect the vehicle. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11629095

Incident

Oct 13, 2024

The Electronic Steering Lock (ESL) will fail and cause the vehicle to become disabled. The failure of this part will leave the owner strained and unable to use any functions of the car. You can’t even put the vehicle into neutral to move the vehicle. Everything is locked. There have been numerous reports of this failure on various Mercedes Benz forums on the web. Also, many videos outlining this problem on YouTube. Yes, the problem has been reproduced by an independent repair facility. Mercedes Benz is aware of this problem regarding the ESL part. I believe they even published a TSB regarding the failure of this part. The car did not display any warning lamps or messages. The car is just dead! It’s very scary getting into your car and it doesn’t start when you turn the key. All other systems checked out on the car i.e. battery, voltage, fuses, sensors etc. Once that ESL stops working your car becomes a static display.

NHTSA ID

11570918

Incident

Feb 8, 2024

The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz E550. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, there was an abnormal fuel odor inside the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the fuel sender unit was cracked, and that fuel was leaking into the rear seats of the vehicle. The contact was informed that the fuel sender unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was 80,000.

NHTSA ID

11541184

Incident

Aug 21, 2023

Mileage

80,000 mi

My car will not start and I get a message stating "Remove key from ignition" every time I insert the key to try to start the car. It appears that the ESL has failed. I have visited several MB forums and it appears that this is a common issue, regardless of car mileage. This is a factory defect that really needs to be recalled and fixed.

NHTSA ID

11521883

Incident

Feb 21, 2023

I WAS BACKING THE CAR WHEN THE STEERING BECAME STIFF AND A MESSAGE STATING 'POWER STEERING MALFUNCTION SEE OWNERS MANUAL' APPEARED. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTED AN HOUR LATER AND THE SAME MESSAGE APPEARED. STEERING WAS VERY DIFFICULT. THANKFULLY, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN AT A HIGH SPEED OR TURNING.

NHTSA ID

11348881

Incident

Jul 13, 2020

Mileage

113,000 mi

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ E550. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V010000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. MERCEDES-BENZ OF ALEXANDRIA (200 S PICKETT ST, ALEXANDRIA, VA 22304) WAS CONTACTED AND IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE REMEDY PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE. ## VIN PASSED ## MERCEDES-BENZ E550A 2012 ##*DT*JB

NHTSA ID

11337946

Incident

Jan 18, 2019

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ E550. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V010000 (AIR BAGS). THE PART NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CALLED MERCEDES-BENZ OF UNION RAY CATENA (2585 US-22, UNION NY 07083, (908) 356-6805) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THEY WOULD NOT TOUCH THE VEHICLE UNTIL THE MANUFACTURER PROVIDED THE PART FOR THE REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE PART WOULD BE AVAILABLE IN MAY OF 2020. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

11242300

Incident

Jun 18, 2019

I AM NOW OFFICIALLY ON MY 3RD SET OF WHEELS, 16 FLAT TIRES, AND NOW HAD TO REPLACE EVERY SINGLE COMPONENT IN THE AIR SUSPENSION ALMOST 8K INTO THE REPAIRS

NHTSA ID

11205025

Incident

May 1, 2019

Mileage

110,000 mi

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ E550. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V017000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. MERCEDES-BENZ OF FT. PIERCE (4500 S US-1, FORT PIERCE, FL 34982, (772) 617-0819) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

11195835

Incident

Mar 1, 2017

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ E550. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V017000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER (MERCEDES-BENZ OF BONITA SPRINGS, 14610 TAMIAMI TRAIL N, NAPLES, FL 34110, (239)-206-4291) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NO TIMEFRAME. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

11139527

Incident

Jan 18, 2017

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ E550. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V017000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. MERCEDES-BENZ OF FT. PIERCE (4500 US-1, FORT PIERCE, FL) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WERE TO BECOME AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

11072692

Incident

Jan 10, 2017

TAKATA RECALL I HAVE RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE JAN 2017 STILL NO DATE ON PARTS AND REPAIR THE CAN NOT BE RE SOLD BY A MERCEDES DEALER WITH OPEN RECALL CAR HAS LOST APPROX 10,000 DOLLAR IN VALUE OR THIS ISSUE. JUST SPOKE WITH LOCAL DEALER NO UPDATE COULD BE MONTHS OR YEARS WAS THERE UPDATE.

NHTSA ID

11041579

Incident

Jan 1, 2017

Mileage

19,000 mi

THE SEAT BELTS DO NOT RETRACT AFTER USE. THE SEAT BELTS ARE CLEAN AND ARE NOT TWISTED BUT DO NOT RETRACT MAKING THEM DIFFICULT TO USE AND THEY DO NOT FIT SNUGLY AROUND THE BODY. THE FAILURE TO RETRACT HAPPENS BOTH WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STOPPED AND WHEN IT IS IN MOTION.

NHTSA ID

11006183

Incident

Mar 24, 2016

Mileage

36,000 mi

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ E550. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V017000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED (FT. PIERCE MERCEDES IN FT. PIERCE, FLORIDA) AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WERE TO BECOME AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

11004040

Incident

Jan 10, 2017

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ E550. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PUT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT, THE SEAT BELT FRACTURED. THERE WERE ALSO ELECTRICAL FAILURES IN THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SEAT BELT WOULD HAVE TO BE REPROGRAMMED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,500. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

10934672

Incident

Dec 2, 2016

Mileage

25,500 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES BENZ E550 (N/A). THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE AIR BAG OFF WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED WITH THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPIED. THE OCCUPANT'S WEIGHT WAS APPROXIMATELY ONE HUNDRED POUNDS. THE MALFUNCTION RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER TWICE WHERE THEY INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE AIR BAGS WERE OPERATING PROPERLY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100.

NHTSA ID

10477296

Incident

Jan 15, 2012

Mileage

100 mi