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2006 Mercedes-Benz ML320 Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
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Latest Sep 18, 2017
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
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Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
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What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2006 Mercedes-Benz ML320, 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

  • Powertrain (other)1100.0%

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

Powertrain (other)

Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

2006 ML350 WITH ONLY 112,000 MILES ON IT THE VEHICLE, WENT INTO LIMP MODE WHILE ENTERING A MAJOR INTERSTATE HIGHWAY NEARLY CAUSING A TERRIFYING ACCIDENT. MB USA RESTRICTS THE REPAIR OF THIS "MFG DEFECT" AND IT MUST BE REPAIRED AT AN MB DEALERSHIP ONLY, TYPICALLY AT A COST OVER $2,000. THE PROBLEM WILL NOT GO AWAY UNLESS REPAIRED. I MADE MB USA AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND THEY DENIED THAT ANY ISSUE EXISTS. I AM AWARE THOUGH, OF A CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT OVER THE DEFECT IN THE 722-9-7GTRONIC-AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THE LIMP MODE PREVENTS THE TRANSMISSION FROM UPSHIFTING OR DOWNSHIFTING. WHILE AT A STOP SIGN, IF THE TRANSMISSION GOES INTO LIMP MODE, THE ENGINE WILL RACE BUT THE CAR WILL NOT MOVE. I HAVE TO TURN THE CAR OFF, TAKE THE KEY OUT OF IGNITION, PUT BACK IN, AND START CAR. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME MANY TIMES IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION WITH OTHER CARS BLOWING THEIR HORN AT ME. THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO OTHER THAN SHUT THE CAR OFF AND RESTART, THEN PUTTING IN GEAR. THIS IS HAPPENING TYPICALLY ABOUT 2-4 TIMES A DAY. THE PROBLEM TYPICALLY HAPPENS WHILE THE CAR IS DRIVING, BUT NOT NOTICED UNTIL I SLOW DOWN AND ULTIMATELY COME TO A STOP (WITH EXPERIENCE I NOW AM AWARE THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS NOT DOWNSHIFTING AND I KNOW THAT IT IS IN LIMP MODE, AND IF I HAVE TO STOP, I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT HAVING TO TURN THE ENGINE OFF AND RESTARTING THE CAR). AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, THIS STARTED HAPPENING ONLY OCCASIONALLY, BUT IS NOW HAPPENING 3-4 TIMES A DAY WHILE DRIVING AROUND TOWN.

NHTSA ID 11024119 · filed Sep 18, 2017

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

Data on this page last refreshed .