2006 Mercedes-Benz M Class Owner Complaints

THE AIRMATIC SYSTEM BEGAN TO FAIL. THE FRONT LEFT STRUT QUIT WORKING AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. SINCE THAT TIME THE RIGHT STRUT HAS FAILED AND BOTH REAR AIRMATIC SPRINGS HAVE FAILED. ALL ITEMS HAD TO BE REPLACES AT GREAT COST. NOW THE AIRMATIC COMPRESSOR HAS FAILED AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE MILEAGE AT THIS TIME IS AROUND 72000. A DIFFERENCE OF JUST OVER 15000 MILES AND THE WHOLE SYSTEM HAS COMPLETELY BROKEN DOWN. AFTER REVIEWING OTHER ONLINE POSTS ABOUT MERCEDES AIRMATIC SUSPENSION PROBLEMS THERE IS CLEARLY SUBSTANTIAL EXPOSURE TO DANGEROUS CONDITIONS WITH THE SUSPENSION SYSTEM AS WELL AS GREAT COST TO THE OWNERS OF THESE AUTOMOBILES. THE FAILURE OF THE SYSTEM AT ANY TIME CAN MAKE THESE VEHICLES DRIVE ERRATICALLY AND MAY CAUSE ACCIDENTS. THE FACT THAT THIS SUSPENSION SYSTEM FAILS FOR THE MOST PART BEFORE 75000 MILES IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. MERCEDES SHOULD EITHER HAVE WARRANTY ON THIS BEYOND A CERTAIN MILEAGE OR AT LEAST INFORM BUYERS OF THE POTENTIAL FAILURE OF THE SYSTEM. THERE SHOULD ALSO BE A TEMPORARY SUSPENSION DEVICE INCORPORATED INTO THE AIRMATIC SYSTEM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10596036

Incident

Jul 25, 2012

Mileage

56,646 mi

I HAVE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY CAR AND MY MODEL IS NOT EFFECTED WITH THIS RECALL RECALL NUMBER: 05V224000 DATES MANUFACTURED: JAN 0001 TO JAN 0001 NUMBER OF VEHICLES AFFECTED: 7191 DATE OWNERS NOTIFIED ON: JAN 0001 ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, A HOSE CLAMP THAT SECURES THE POWER STEERING FLUID COOLING HOSE TO THE POWER STEERING FLUID COOLER MAY NOT PROVIDE SUFFICIENT CLAMPING FORCE FOR THIS CONNECTION. CONSEQUENCE OF DEFECT: A LOSS OF POWER STEERING FLUID CAN DAMAGE THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND MAY RESULT IN DIMINISHED POWER ASSIST FOR STEERING WHICH COULD LEAD TO A CRASH. CORRECTIVE ACTION: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE POWER STEERING HOSE CLAMP FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 17, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MERCEDES-BENZ AT 1-800-367. *TR

NHTSA ID

10561315

Incident

Jan 9, 2014

Mileage

70,000 mi

WHEN THE SEAT HEATER WAS ACTIVATED A BURNING SMELL FILLED THE CABIN. SOME SMOKE CAME OUT OF THE LOWER, LEFT SIDE OF THE BACK OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT. THE SWITCH TURNED OFF ON ITS OWN. THERE IS A HOLE, APPROXIMATELY 3/4 IN. IN DIAMETER ON THE SEAT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10458972

Incident

May 15, 2012

Mileage

150,136 mi

TWO PROBLEMS - FIRST, TRANSMISSION DO NOT SWITCH HIGHER THAN SECOND SPEED. UPON ENGINE RESTART, VEHICLE DROVE PROPERLY. SECOND, ON ANOTHER OCCASION, I WAS SITTING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO PULL OFF, THE VEHICLE STARTED DRIVING VERY SLOW AND ROUGH. I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD; TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND WAITED FOR A FEW SECONDS. WHEN I STARTED THE VEHICLE AGAIN AND ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE AWAY, THE VEHICLE DROVE PROPERLY. MERCEDES DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF THESE ISSUES, AND ALSO MANY OF PEOPLE I KNOW WHO HAVE MERCEDES WITH SAME TRANSMISSION TYPE - VALVE BODY/ELECTRIC PLATE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED IN AUTO TRANSMISSION. *TR

NHTSA ID

10432214

Incident

Jul 13, 2011

Mileage

74,600 mi

2006 ML350 TRANSMISSION FAILURE: WHILE EXITING FROM INTERSTATE, I NOTICE THAT THE CAR WAS JERKING/KNOCKING WHEN I WAS SLOWING DOWN. A COUPLE OF MILES ON THE SURFACE STREETS AT 30-40 MPH I NOTICED THAT THE JERKING BECAME WORSE AND FINALLY THE CAR WENT INTO NEUTRAL GEAR WITHOUT ANY POWER DELIVERED TO THE ENGINE. THE CAR STOPPED ON THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. LATER THAT EVENING I GOT IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS BLOWN OUT AND NEED TO BE REBUILT OR REPLACED WITH AN ~$8000 BILL. THE CAR HAS 58K MILES WITH ALL SERVICE RECORDS AND NOT MISSING A SINGLE SERVICE. I AM TOLD THAT THIS IS OUT OF THE WARRANTY ZONE. I FOUND THAT THERE IS A TRANSMISSION ISSUE IN MOST OF ML3500 FOR 2006 MODELS. I THINK THAT I AM BEING RIPPED OFF AND THE MERCEDES SHOULD FIX THIS VIA RECALL. *TR

NHTSA ID

10405339

Incident

Jun 2, 2011

Mileage

58,400 mi

THE STEERING PUMP WAS DAMAGED BY A LEAK. I PREVIOUSLY BROUGHT THE CAR IN COMPLAINING THERE WAS A LOUD WHIRRING NOISE. I WAS TOLD THE PROBLEM WAS RESOLVED. THEN THIS PROBLEM BEGAN AGAIN, I FOUND THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE. BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER AND WAS DENIED REPAIR OR THAT THERE WAS ANY RECALL THAT EXISTED. THE RECALL NUMBER IS 05V224000. *TR

NHTSA ID

10295444

Incident

Nov 26, 2009

AFTER DRIVEN THE NEW 2006 ML350 FOR 3500 MILES, THE LOW ENGINE OIL INDICATOR COME UP. TOOK THE CAR TO SERVICE, AND FOUND THE CAR IS LEAKING ENGINE OIL IN MULTIPLE PLACES. IT TOOK 1 WEEK TO FIX THE LEAK BETWEEN TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE. THEN THEY NEED TO ORDER PARTS TO FIX SECOND LEAK IN OIL PAN. AFTER THE PART ARRIVED, I TOOK THE CAR TO BE FIXED. AFTER 3 DAYS WITHOUT ANY CALL, I CALLED TO FIND OUT THE STATUS. NOW, THEY SAID ONE OF THE ENGINE CYLINDER IS LEAKING ENGINE OIL AND NEED SEVERAL MORE DAYS TO FIX. IT IS UNKNOWN TO ME IF THIS ENGINE WILL HAVE OTHER ISSUES OR NOT AFTER FIXING ALL THOSE OIL LEAKS. THE SECOND PROBLEM IS THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SOMETIME SUDDENLY DOWN-SHIFT AT LOW SPEED. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THIS IS FIXED BY REPROGRAM THE TRANSMISSION COMPUTER/FLASH. HOWEVER, I HAVE NOT HAVE CHANCE/TIME TO TEST IT OUT TO SEE IF THE PROBLEM IS REALLY FIXED. *NM

NHTSA ID

10144352

Incident

Dec 2, 2005

Mileage

3,500 mi

WHILE DRIVING A BRAND NEW 2006 ML-350, THE CAR SUDDENLY SHUT DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. IT DISPLAYED THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE: ESP MALFUNCTION, HEADLIGHT MALFUNCTION, SPEEDTRONIC INOPERATIVE. TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR, WITH NO LUCK. HAD TO WAIT FOR 20 - 25 MINUTES BEFORE THE CAR CAN BE RESTARTED. THIS HAPPENED 3 TIMES TO ME. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY SITTING AT A MB DEALERSHIP FOR 2 DAYS, AND THEY ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OIUT THE PROBLEM. IT SEEMS THAT ESP MALFUNCTION CAUSES THE NEW ML-350 TO STOP WHILE DRIVING, WHICH IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. THIS IS BRAND NEW CAR WITH ONLY 500 MILES. *JB

NHTSA ID

10143990

Incident

Nov 27, 2005

Mileage

502 mi

2006 MERCEDES ML 350 - WATER GOT SPILLED ON FLOOR IN PASSENGER REAR SEAT AREA; UNKNOWN TO US, THERE IS ELECTRICAL CIRCUITRY - REFERRED TO AS THE FRT SAM IN THE INVOICE. THIS CAUSED THE ENTIRE CAR TO SHUT DOWN, AND AT ONE POINT THE CAR STALLED IN TRAFFIC WHILE BEING DRIVEN. ALSO CAUSED A SHORT IN A POWER WINDOW THAT CREATED A LOT OF SMOKE. THERE IS A CUP HOLDER IN THE BACK SEAT, AND THAT IS WHERE KIDS SIT, BUT WE DID NOT KNOW THAT A LIQUID SPILL IN THE REAR SEAT COULD CAUSE THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND THUS THE CAR TO SHUT DOWN (EVEN THE TRANSMISSION IS ELECTRONIC, AND WAS INOPERABLE). IF THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS ARE ON THE FLOOR, WHERE ALMOST ALL SPILLS LAND, THEN IT SHOULD BE WATER TIGHT, OR IN THE ALTERNATIVE, THE OWNERS SHOULD KNOW BECAUSE IF YOU ARE ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY AND A CHILD SPILLS THEIR DRINK IN THE BACK SEAT, YOU CAR COULD SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY. *JB

NHTSA ID

10142963

Incident

Oct 20, 2005

Mileage

4,481 mi

THE VEHICLE SAFETY SYSTEMS FAILURES ARE DETAILED BELOW: DOT SAFETY RECALL FOR POWER STEERING CLAMP REPAIRED BY MBM IN JULY CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF POWER STEERING SYSTEM OCCURRED ~ 2 WEEKS LATER WHILE ROUNDING A CORNER WITH 4 OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS, BARELY AVOIDED A HEAD-ON COLLISION. VEHICLE TOWED TO MBM FOR REPAIRS. I INDICATED TO THE SERVICE REP THAT I WAS ALSO EXPERIENCING ABRUPT SHIFTING. A PROMISE BY NATIONAL SERVICE CENTER OF CLEAN UP OF GARAGE AND DRIVE FROM PS FLUID DID NOT OCCUR. POWER WASHING AND 4 HOURS AND $50 IN CLEANERS WERE NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE CLEAN UP. MBM INDICTED PERMANENT REPAIRS WOULD BE MADE AT A LATER DATE, AND I WOULD BE CALLED WHEN A NEW PART ARRIVED. NO SUCH CALL OR CONTACT FOR THE THIRD SAFETY SYSTEMS SERVICE WAS EVER RECEIVED. THROUGHOUT JULY AND AUGUST 7-SPEED ELECTRONIC AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DETERIORATED, EXPERIENCED ABRUPT DOWNSHIFTS PRIMARILY AT SLOW SPEED AND ON INCLINES. ON FIVE OCCASIONS EXPERIENCED COMPLETE DISENGAGEMENT OF TRANSMISSION, ALL OCCURRED AT ~20-45 MPH. 4 TIMES IT REENGAGED AFTER JERKING AND LURCHING MOTIONS OVER SEVERAL SECONDS. 1 OCCASION IT WAS NECESSARY TO SHUT OFF AND RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MBM IN AUGUST DIAGNOSED AS NEEDING REPROGRAMMING. RIGHT OUTSIDE MIRROR IS NOT OPERABLE RESULTING IN AN UNCORRECTABLE (NO MANUAL ADJUSTMENT WAS POSSIBLE) BLIND SPOT. REPAIRS IN PROGRESS. I DROVE THE ML 350 INTO MY GARAGE ~9AM SATURDAY MORNING, PUSHED IN THE TRANSMISSION BUTTON, HEARD TYPICAL TRANSMISSION SOUND AND STEEPED OUT OF VEHICLE TO UNLOAD BEFORE HEADING FOR ADDITIONAL ERRANDS LEAVING THE DOOR OPEN AND ENGINE RUNNING. I PROCEEDED TO THE REAR AND NOTICED IT MOVING REARWARD, IMMEDIATELY JUMPED BACK IN DRIVERS SEAT, AND SHUT OFF ENGINE. THE VEHICLE IMPACTED ON APPLIANCE IN GARAGE AND RESULTED IN ~$3,000 IN DAMAGE PRIMARILY TO DRIVERS DOOR. NO FINAL RESOLUTION OR REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE. *NM

NHTSA ID

10140198

Incident

Oct 15, 2005

Mileage

4,000 mi

DT: 2006 MERCEDES ML350. VEHICLE SURGES WHEN STARTING/ PULLING OUT AND COMING TO A STOP. . THE DEALERSHIP HAS VEHICLE FOR FIVE WEEKS AND THEY STILL HAVEN'T FOUND THE PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM STARTED OCCURRING AFTER TWO WEEKS AFTER PURCHASE. NO ACCIDENTS HAVE OCCURRED. *AK

NHTSA ID

10138650

Incident

Aug 14, 2005

DT: THE CONSUMER OWNS A 2006 MERCEDES ML350. WHEN SHE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE THE MOTOR RACED WHEN IT WAS STARTED. THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD WHEN HER FOOT WAS FIRST TAKEN OFF THE BRAKE. ON AUGUST 9, 2005 THE CONSUMER WAS PULLING INTO THE GARAGE WITH HER FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND THE VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD. SHE STATED SHE COULD HEAR THE MOTOR SURGING. SHE PUSHED THE BRAKE PEDAL ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOORBOARD AND THE VEHICLE DID NOT STOP. THE VEHICLE PUSHED A PING PONG TABLE THROUGH THE WALL AND THEN STOPPED. THIS CAUSED $5000 DAMAGE TO THE GARAGE AND $4000 DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. WHEN SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY STATED THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE AND SHE MAY HAVE HIT THE ACCELERATOR. *AK *JB

NHTSA ID

10133057

Incident

Aug 9, 2005

REGARDING: ODI ID NUMBER 10130895 I HAD SIMILAR ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE AND MERCEDES BENZ COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND BLAMED IT ON ME FOR DRIVING WITH TWO FEET. I DON'T DRIVE WITH TWO FEET AND I REFUSED TO ACCEPT THE CAR WITHOUT ANYTHING BEING DIAGNOSED AND REPAIRED. THE NEXT DAY THEY CALLED AND HAD A CODE FOR A FAULTY CRANK SENSOR WHICH THEY REPLACED. I HAVEN'T NOTICED ANY PROBLEMS SINCE THEN BUT IT WAS VERY UNNERVING TO KNOW MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THIS VEHICLE (ML500 '06) WHILE THESE PROBLEMS COULD HAPPEN. SOMEONE SHOULD RECALL THIS IMMEDIATELY.*JB

NHTSA ID

10132005

Incident

Jun 28, 2005

Mileage

500 mi

SUV ENGINE STALLED 7/3/2005 GOING 65 MPH WITHOUT WARNING; SUV RESTARTED AFTER STALL. SUV ENGINE STALLED AGAIN 7/22/2005 GOING 45 MPH WITHOUT WARNING; SUV DID NOT RESTART AFTER STALL. TOWED TO DEALER. THE DEALER FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH VEHICLE AND SAID CAUSE WAS WATER THAT SPILLED DURING THE INCIDENT HOWEVER WATER SPILLED BECAUSE OF INCIDENT NOT BEFORE. SUV HAD STALLED 3 WEEKS PRIOR AND NO WATER WAS INVOLVED. I AM SCARED TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE FOR FEAR IT WILL STALL AND I WILL GET HIT FROM BEHIND CAUSING BODILY INJURY OR DEATH. PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN. THANK YOU.

NHTSA ID

10130895

Incident

Jul 22, 2005

Mileage

3,090 mi