2012 Mercedes-Benz ML550 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML550, 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
- Driver assistance133.3%
- Electrical133.3%
- Engine133.3%
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
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
In the last year, randomly, when starting the vehicle, the yellow check engine light comes on. Turn the vehicle off, it is gone. The side view mirrors have the yellow lights lit up on them when driving down any road, the red warning lights that tell you there's something behind or in front of you start going off for no reason while driving down any road, all the "safety" and lane assist features seem to have a ghost controlling them. The radio will also glitch out from time to time. It will swap through the channels or pull up list of channels when there is Nobody in the vehicle messing with it at all. Yesterday, I received the message that the backup assist was not working and another about lane assist not working. This morning, both messages are gone and things seem to be normal. This is very distracting! I've been on the highway, in the high speed lane and my alert is flashing and loudly sounding. It startled me, caused me to abruptly slow down and start looking all around; I was concerned someone was about to hit me or worse, I was about to hit something I couldn't see; it turns out there was nothing in front of, behind or around me at all. This needs to get resolved, asap. It appears to me to be a computer/electrical issue. It seems that there are many others complaining about very similar issues! Come on Mercedes-Benz, let's put out the recall already! The dealership just says "unless it's doing it while it's here, there's not much I can do". Of course it is never doing it then! Unreal!!!!
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
In the last year, randomly, when starting the vehicle, the yellow check engine light comes on. Turn the vehicle off, it is gone. The side view mirrors have the yellow lights lit up on them when driving down any road, the red warning lights that tell you there's something behind or in front of you start going off for no reason while driving down any road, all the "safety" and lane assist features seem to have a ghost controlling them. The radio will also glitch out from time to time. It will swap through the channels or pull up list of channels when there is Nobody in the vehicle messing with it at all. Yesterday, I received the message that the backup assist was not working and another about lane assist not working. This morning, both messages are gone and things seem to be normal. This is very distracting! I've been on the highway, in the high speed lane and my alert is flashing and loudly sounding. It startled me, caused me to abruptly slow down and start looking all around; I was concerned someone was about to hit me or worse, I was about to hit something I couldn't see; it turns out there was nothing in front of, behind or around me at all. This needs to get resolved, asap. It appears to me to be a computer/electrical issue. It seems that there are many others complaining about very similar issues! Come on Mercedes-Benz, let's put out the recall already! The dealership just says "unless it's doing it while it's here, there's not much I can do". Of course it is never doing it then! Unreal!!!!
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
In the last year, randomly, when starting the vehicle, the yellow check engine light comes on. Turn the vehicle off, it is gone. The side view mirrors have the yellow lights lit up on them when driving down any road, the red warning lights that tell you there's something behind or in front of you start going off for no reason while driving down any road, all the "safety" and lane assist features seem to have a ghost controlling them. The radio will also glitch out from time to time. It will swap through the channels or pull up list of channels when there is Nobody in the vehicle messing with it at all. Yesterday, I received the message that the backup assist was not working and another about lane assist not working. This morning, both messages are gone and things seem to be normal. This is very distracting! I've been on the highway, in the high speed lane and my alert is flashing and loudly sounding. It startled me, caused me to abruptly slow down and start looking all around; I was concerned someone was about to hit me or worse, I was about to hit something I couldn't see; it turns out there was nothing in front of, behind or around me at all. This needs to get resolved, asap. It appears to me to be a computer/electrical issue. It seems that there are many others complaining about very similar issues! Come on Mercedes-Benz, let's put out the recall already! The dealership just says "unless it's doing it while it's here, there's not much I can do". Of course it is never doing it then! Unreal!!!!
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
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .