2007 Mercedes-Benz ML350 Powertrain (other) Problems

The transmission fails to shift into second gear. Gets stuck in limp mode. Won’t accelerate more than 30 miles per hour.

NHTSA ID

11444765

Incident

Nov 18, 2021

ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, WHILE MOVING IN TRAFFIC, THE VEHICLE WILL JUMP FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL; THE ENGINE IS DISENGAGED AND REVS FREELY. THE VEHICLE WILL NOT ENGAGE BACK INTO DRIVE UNTIL THE IGNITION IS COMPLETELY TURNED OFF, WHICH LOCKS THE STEERING WHEEL, SO THE DRIVER MUST EXIT THE TRAFFIC LANES WITH NO POWER BEFORE THE VEHICLE CAN BE RESTARTED. THIS HAS ALMOST CAUSE A COLLISION AS THE DRIVER HAS NO CONTROL OF THE CAR BUT MUST EXIT HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC LANES, OR COME TO A COMPLETE STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF A FREEWAY.

NHTSA ID

11161833

Incident

Dec 15, 2018

Mileage

60,000 mi

CONDUCTOR PLATE TRANSMISSION ISSUE

NHTSA ID

11112294

Incident

Jun 11, 2018

Mileage

127,000 mi

SERPENTINE BELT SYSTEM. WHILE DRIVING ON ROAD AT THE HIGHWAY SPEED, ONE OF THE IDLER PULLEYS LOCKED UP DUE TO THE FAILED BEARING, LEADING TO DAMAGING/BRAKING SERPENTINE BELT. THAT LED TO LOSS OF STEERING (LOSS OF POWER STEERING) AND OVERHEATING THE ENGINE. CREATED A VERY DANGER SITUATION AND LEFT MY FAMILY STRANDED MANY MILES AWAY FROM HOME. VERY COSTLY TOWING SERVICE AND REPAIR.

NHTSA ID

10924806

Incident

Oct 31, 2016

Mileage

107,000 mi

SAFETY ISSUES BEING OBSERVED ON ML 350 2007 OBSERVATIONS (MY WIFE & I HAVE BOTH EXPERIENCED): AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION , EXPERIENCING LIMP MODE CREATING A SAFETY ISSUES WHICH CANNOT BE FORESEEN, CAN HAPPEN ANY TIME THE PROBLEM OCCURS WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT AND UNPREDICTABLE, IT WILL BE DRIVING FINE AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT WILL START LOSING POWER IN TRAFFIC & DRAG DOWN. ALSO, THE VEHICLE WILL START SHIFTING BY ITSELF FROM ONE GEAR TO ANOTHER & THE SPEED OF THE CARS STARTS TO CRAWL, LIKE "LIMP MODE" THE IDLE SPEED STARTS TO REV UP, CAR IS NOT INCREASING THE SPEED AS ONE WOULD EXPECT ONCE NORMALLY WHEN PRESSING ON THE GAS PEDAL. ONE HAS TO PULL OVER IF THEY CAN OR STUCK IN THE STREET ONE IS DRIVING WHICH I EXPERIENCED AND TRIED TO PULL OVER & HAD ISSUES. I BASICALLY HAD TO TURN THE ENGINE OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WHILE DRIVING AND HOPED THE CAR WOULD START BACK AGAIN, I HAD TO REPEAT THIS SEVERAL TIMES AS I EXPERIENCED THE DRAG DOWN AND GEARS GOING DOWN. VERY SCARY INCIDENTS WITH CHILDREN & WIFE IN THE CAR WHEN I WAS COMING BACK FROM AN OCCASION (I.E. DRIVING BACK HOME). TOLD BY DEALER ON 10/11/16: CODE 0717 & 0718 & NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY 4 YEARS/50K POTENTIALLY RELATED ISSUE: CODE 064 INCIDENT HAD OCCURED SEVERAL TIMES NOW IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS

NHTSA ID

10915346

Incident

Oct 4, 2016

WE ARE HAVING SOME SERIOUS ISSUES WITH OUR MERCEDES BENZ ML350, 2007. THE SAFETY HAZARD CONCERNS US DEEPLY. BASED UPON OUR RESEARCH, WE HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. OTHERS ARE FACING THE SAME ISSUES WITH THIS VEHICLE. THIS PROBLEM OCCURS WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT. IT WILL BE DRIVING FINE AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, IT WILL LOSE ALL POWER IN THE TRAFFIC WHERE YOU ARE TOTALLY HELPLESS AND UNABLE TO PULL OVER. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS BECAUSE THE VEHICLE SLOWS DOWN UNEXPECTEDLY WHICH CAN CAUSE A MAJOR ACCIDENT. EXAMPLE: WHEN YOU ARE CROSSING A HIGHWAY; YOU THINK THE VEHICLE WILL DRIVE NORMAL. BUT THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT DRAGS. THEREFORE, YOU WILL HAVE TO CRAWL. EACH TIME WE HAVE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. IT APPEARS THAT THE VEHICLE RESETS ITSELF WHEN THE ENGINE IS TURNED OFF. THEN THE VEHICLE PROCEEDS AS NORMAL. ANOTHER EXAMPLE: IT WON'T SHIFT FROM SECOND GEAR TO THIRD, AND YOU CAN ONLY CRAWL 10-40 MPH. IT REFUSES TO SHIFT ANY MORE. OTHER DRIVERS AROUND US ON THE ROAD BECOME EXTREMELY IMPATIENT AND START SCREAMING AND USING VIOLENT GESTURES. ANOTHER TIME, I WAS COMING OFF A HIGHWAY MERGING TO THE ACCESS ROAD. THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN. I PRESSED ON THE GAS, THE ENGINE REVVED UP BUT THE CAR SLOWED DOWN TO ABOUT 35MPH AND A 18 WHEELER BEHIND US ALMOST HIT US BY SWERVING TO AVOID A MAJOR ACCIDENT. I HAD TO CRAWL ON THE ACCESS ROAD WITH FAST MOVING TRAFFIC. THERE ARE OTHER REPORTS WITH THE 2007 MERCEDES BENZ ML350 POWER TRAIN (TRANSMISSION) TO HAVE THESE ISSUES. THE REPORTS I HAVE READ INDICATED THAT THE MERCEDES BENZ CORPORATION IS NOT WILLING TO OWN UP TO THE FACT THAT THIS VEHICLE IS VERY DANGEROUS AND CAN CAUSE SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS. I PLEAD FOR YOUR HELP TO PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS MATTER SO THAT OTHERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR CAN BE SPARED. WE ARE APPEALING FOR YOUR HELP.

NHTSA ID

10762015

Incident

Mar 7, 2015

Mileage

80,000 mi

STARTED MY 2007 MERCEDES BENZ ML 350 WITH ONLY 46,000 MILES DRIVEN AND PULLED ONTO MAJOR STREET IN JACKSONVILLE, FL. CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT FROM FIRST GEAR - COULD NOT GET IT TO GO OVER 20 MPH. CARS WHIZZING BY ME. SURPRISED I DIDN'T GET HIT. TOOK THE CAR TO MERCEDES DEALER. FIRST PROBLEM ON ESTIMATE IS: "REPLACE TRANSMISSION ELECTRICAL PLATE (FAULTY TRANSMISSION ELECTRICAL PLATE)". MB ADMITS 722.9 TRANSMISSION IS FAULTY. HOWEVER, THEY WILL ONLY ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY TO REPAIR VEHICLES IN WARRANTY. MY VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY BY # OF YEARS, NOT MILEAGE. A CAR SHOULD NOT NEED TRANSMISSION WORK AT 46,000 MILES. WENT ONLINE TO RESEARCH AND THIS IS A PROBLEM OF MANY CARS WITH 722.9 TRANSMISSION. MY COST TO FIX WILL BE $1100 FOR THE TRANSMISSION ELECTRICAL PLATE. IN ADDITION, RECEIVED A CALL AFTER 3 DAYS IN SHOP THAT THEY WILL ALSO NEED TO REPLACE THE TORQUE CONVERTER. THE DEALER IS COPING THE COST TO REPLACE THE TORQUE CONVERTER. CAR IS STILL IN THE SHOP. I AM REPORTING BECAUSE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. IF THE GEARS WILL NOT CHANGE WHEN YOU PULL INTO TRAFFIC, HOW LONG WILL IT BE BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY INJURED. ANOTHER COMPLAINT LISTED ONLINE WAS THAT THE CAR JUMPS OUT OF GEAR ON EXPRESSWAY. I THINK THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON ALL CARS WITH THIS TRANSMISSION. THE DEALER IS WORKING WITH ME AND HAS PROVIDED A LOANER CAR. HOWEVER, I THINK MERCEDES BENZ SHOULD BE REPAIRING THIS PROBLEM ON ALL CARS THAT HAVE THE PROBLEM, WHETHER IN WARRANTY OR OUT, AT THEIR COST. *TR

NHTSA ID

10594012

Incident

May 20, 2014

Mileage

46,000 mi

PER AN E-MAIL SENT TO DAIMLER AG-MERCEDES, I HAVE A 2007 ML350 WITH ONLY 66,000 MILES WHICH IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AS THE CAR IS NOT SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR. THE FACTS ARE: THERE HAVE BEEN MANY INSTANCES, REPORTS, & COMPLAINTS TO MERCEDES WHERE THIS HAS HAPPENED. IT IS NOT SAFE & THE MERCEDES CAR SHOULD BE RECALLED FOR REPAIR.IT SHOULD NOT BE OCCURRING AT ALL ESPECIALLY WITH ONLY 66,000 MILES. CAR HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE SARASOTA, FL MERCEDES DEALER. COST IS $1,700 WHICH SHOULD BE COVERED & CORRECTED BY MERCEDES. WE CURRENTLY HAVE 2 MERCEDES & HAVE HAD MERCEDES FOR 20 YEARS THIS IS AN UNSAFE SITUATION; IT HAS OCCURRED WITH OTHER CARS; AND MERCEDES HAS RECEIVED MANY COMPLAINTS. THIS IS NOT A REPAIR ISSUE; IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE. THE SPEED SENSOR THAT MERCEDES IS REPAIRING IS A HAZARDOUS SITUATION DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE CAR STOPS SHIFTING TO ANY GEAR WHEN LEAVING A STOP SIGN OR TRAFFIC LIGHT AND WILL NOT ACCELERATE. THIS IS PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS IN HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS. WE HAVE HAD MERCEDES FOR 20 YEARS & ARE AWARE THAT REPAIRS ARE COSTLY, BUT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT SHOULD NOT BE OCCURRING AND IT SHOULD BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MERCEDES TO CORRECT IT. IT WOULD BE PRUDENT OF MERCEDES TO ISSUE A WARNING OF THE POSSIBILITY OF TRANSMISSION ERROR. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE AND COOPERATION.

NHTSA ID

10552012

Incident

Nov 7, 2013

Mileage

66,000 mi

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAY ON: CODE 0060 = CONTINUOUS CAMSHAFT ADJUSTMENT ( RIGHT ) : INCORRECT POSITION OF THE EXHAUST CAMSHAFT ( P000B ). *TR

NHTSA ID

10519639

Incident

Jun 11, 2013

Mileage

41,500 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MERCEDES BENZ ML350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT HE WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER TO THE SHOULDER AND ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000.

NHTSA ID

10471912

Incident

Aug 20, 2012

Mileage

58,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MERCEDES BENZ ML350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED GEARS INDEPENDENTLY. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT HE WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER TO THE SHOULDER AND TURNED THE ENGINE OFF IN ORDER TO RESET THE SYSTEM. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 58,163. UPDATED 11/26/12 *CN UPDATED 11/30/2012 *JS

NHTSA ID

10470393

Incident

Nov 23, 2011

Mileage

58,163 mi

MY ML350 HAS A DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY. THE CAR HAS BEEN AT A MERCEDES BENZ DEALER AWAITING THE PART FOR OVER A MONTH. THE PART IS UNAVAILABLE DUE TO THE NUMBER OF DEFECTIVE VALVE BODIES. THE PROBLEM IS GLOBAL. PLEASE READ THE LINK. HTTP://MBWORLD.ORG/FORUMS/M-CLASS-W164/427254-2007-ML350-BEING-HELD-HOSTAGE-MB-CORPORATE.HTML#POST4964336. *TR

NHTSA ID

10440204

Incident

Feb 2, 2011

Mileage

68,300 mi

AS I WAS ATTEMPTING A SHARP LEFT TURN THE CAR SHIFTED FROM D TO D1. TO RECOVER I PLACED THE TRANSMISSION IN N THEN BACK TO D, WHILE MOVING. I CONTINUE WITH NO FURTHER PROBLEMS. THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST TIME SINCE IT HAS HAPPENED 3-5 TIMES SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR IN JUNE 2011 WITH 43,616 MILES. *TT

NHTSA ID

10425949

Incident

Sep 17, 2011

Mileage

48,880 mi

MINOR ACCIDENT IN LA, CAR TAKEN TO M-B OF CALABASAS THEY RECOMMENDED TRANSMISSION SERVICE. 12 DAYS LATER, CAR WAS PARKED, PUT IN PARK, ENGINE TURNED OFF, OWNER/PASSENGER IN CAR, DRIVER LEFT VEHICLE. CAR STARTED ROLLING BACKWARDS, HIT A SOFT SPOT IN GRAVEL, ROLLED OVER TWICE DOWN STEEP EMBANKMENT, STOPPED AGAINST A TREE. PASSENGER NOTICED CAR WAS IN PARK, UNBUCKLED HER SEAT BELT TO ENGAGE EMERGENCY BRAKE, TOO LATE. RIGHT HAND, SHOULDER AND BACK INJURED. CAR TOWED TO M-B OF WILSONVILLE. THEY SAID IT WAS TOTALED. REGIONAL MANAGER SAW CAR. NO RESPONSE AFTER REPEATED CALLS. NO ACTION TAKEN ON CAR. CALLED CORPORATE: 800-367-6372. VERY GRACIOUS. INVESTIGATED STATUS, REPORTED THAT REGIONAL MANAGER ADMITTED THAT HE HAD DROPPED THE BALL. RECEIVED LETTER (06/02/11) FROM M-B STATING "THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF ANY FAULTS OR DEFECTS WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED OR CONTRIBUTED TO THE DESCRIBED EVENTS." SINCE THE CAUSE OF THE MALFUNCTION WAS NOT ADDRESSED AND MERCEDES-BENZ DECLINES ANY RESPONSIBILITY IN THE MATTER, THE CAR CANNOT BE DRIVEN. OTHER SIMILAR VEHICLES HAVE REPORTED A SIMILAR MALFUNCTION, AS YET NOT ADDRESSED BY M-B. VEHICLE WILL BE AUCTIONED OFF FOR PARTS, SINCE IT IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10410715

Incident

Apr 27, 2011

Mileage

55,905 mi