RoadVitals

2003 Mercedes-Benz ML320 Recalls

Safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA that cover this model year

Data refreshed

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
Recall campaignsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
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Carrying an NHTSA advisoryCampaigns where NHTSA told owners not to drive the vehicle, or to park it outside, until the repair is done.
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Open investigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
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1 investigation on file

Recall campaigns

No recall campaigns in our database for this model year

This does not guarantee that a specific vehicle is unaffected. Recalls are issued against ranges of VINs rather than against a whole model year, new campaigns are announced regularly, and a manufacturer may have opened one since our last refresh. The authoritative answer for one vehicle is NHTSA’s own lookup — check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

What a recall is

Safety recall
A safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
Safety investigation
NHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
Manufacturer communication
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect, and it is not a recall.

PE05005ClosedPreliminary Evaluation

ELECTRIC SEAT WARMER OVERHEATS/BURNS

Opened Feb 2, 2005
Closed Jun 29, 2005

THIS INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED BASED ON THREE CONSUMER COMPLAINTS OF ELECTRIC SEAT WARMER OVERHEATING IN MY 2003 MERCEDES BENZ ML-320 VEHICLES.CONSUMERS ALLEGED THAT SUCH FAILURES MAY INFLICT BURN INJURIES TO SEAT OCCUPANTS.INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED THAT THE IDENTICAL SEAT WARMER DESIGN WAS INSTALLED IN 65.5 PERCENT OF ALL M-CLASS VEHICLES PRODUCED DURING MY 2000-2005.THE ALLEGED DEFECT RESULTED FROM BREAKAGE OF THE ELECTRICAL BUS WIRE OF THE HEATER GRID IN THE OUTBOARD SIDE OF THE SEAT BOLSTER.THE FAILURES WERE CAUSED BY REPEATED HIGH STRESS APPLIED DURING OCCUPANT INGRESS AND EGRESS.A SIMILAR FAILURE MODE HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFIED IN INVESTIGATIONS OF THIS TYPE OF FAILURE IN OTHER VEHICLES.THE RATES OF COMPLAINTS AND WARRANTY CLAIMS FOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLES, AS WELL AS FOR OTHER M-CLASS VEHICLES WITH THE SAME SEAT WARMER DESIGN, WERE IN SOME CASES HIGHER, BUT ON THE SAME ORDER OF MAGNITUDE AS THE RATES SEEN IN OTHER VEHICLES INVESTIGATED.THE INFORMATION DISCLOSED THAT SEAT CUSHION DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO SMALL, LOCALIZED AREAS AND THAT NO RISK OF FIRE EXISTED.THE INJURIES REPORTED WERE CONSISTENTLY VERY MINOR IN SEVERITY AND AT RATES COMPARABLE TO THOSE SEEN ON OTHER INVESTIGATIONS.ODI CONCLUDED THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT TREND WAS NOT IDENTIFIED IN THIS MATTER AT THIS TIME.ACCORDINGLY, THIS PE HAS BEEN CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .