10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
89,273 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #11

Jun 022020

ML320 6-cyl

  • 195,000 miles
SRS. Ets. Aba lights on. Buzzing.

- Victorville, CA, USA

problem #10

Jan 012015

ML320 6-cyl

  • 120,000 miles
Defective passenger seat occupancy sensor turns airbag and seat-belt tensioner off whenever there's a passenger riding in the car, preventing the passenger-side airbag from deploying and the seat-belt from working properly.

- Lake Forest, CA, USA

problem #9

Jun 012004

ML320 6-cyl

  • 51,000 miles
I have been the owner of a 2000 Mercedes ML320 for about 6 years. The car was purchased from the dealer with approx. 30,000 miles. Today it has approx 73,000 miles. Since owning it, I have had several problems which were all out of warranty and which I feel were unwarranted and were not seriously attended to by mb or the dealer: This complaint form was very difficult to complete according to the fields provided. The equipment information included is not correct and was included just to get to the form. I felt that the problems with the car should be reported specifically the esp light and the air bag problems at about 51,000 miles, the airbag became inoperative. I was told that it would cost about $2000 to repair and correct. Dealer offered a small adjustment. I chose not to make the investment. At about 65,000 miles, I began having very loud noises that seemed to come from the crankshaft and appeared to be a brake problem. Dealer did try to determine what it was, but couldn't isolate the problem unless "he had to take the whole car apart" there was a related problem because the esp light would come on intermittently that the dealer advised could not be isolated unless I did the work on the brake and the crankshaft:" At about 72,000 miles, the car developed oil leaks from the motor. Est. Cost of repair was $2000. We are watching and waiting. In may, I was advised that there is a recall notice on the cruise control of the car. No word on that issue since. Because of the cruise control notice I received, I was prompted to write you about these other issues and became further concerned about the esp light and the faulty air bag the care has had., car is driven an average of 150 miles a week in mostly city driving. Car is serviced but not by the dealer because of the high cost and relative dissatisfaction from the service provided. Updated 07/27/11

- Albany, NY, USA

problem #8

Aug 112008

ML320

  • 90,000 miles
SRS light came on 2006. I called dealer who told me it was likely a failed child sensor in the passenger seat. I was advised the SRS was still intact and that these sensors are known to fail [mb 2000 ml 320]. August 2008 dealership advised me that I've had no SRS working since the light went on and so I paid $900 to have a $291 part replaced - $700 in labor. My complaint is that a safety feature light warning like the SRS - and a failed sensor - needs to be a manufacturers responsibility.

- Cohasset , MA, USA

problem #7

Mar 022005

(reported on)

ML320

  • 31,000 miles
The consumer's Mercedes Benz M L 320 slowed down on its own. The consumer pulled over put the car in park and restarted it. After this incident the consumer parked in a mall parking lot. When she returned to the vehicle the shift lever would not move out of park. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. After the vehicle was picked up from the dealer it went into stick mode again. The SRS light illuminate on the dash. The vehicle was taken tot he dealer and when it was returned to the consumer the light was still on. The engine light illuminated and the front end vibrated.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #6

Mar 172004

(reported on)

ML320 6-cyl

  • miles
Vehicle was always being serviced and the air bags failed to deploy in a severe accident. The consumer was struck by another driver and caused damage on both sides of the vehicle. Both sides of the doors were smashed and there was extensive damage in the passenger's cabin. Other problems are as followed: The engine light was on, engine low level oil light had come on, when the right front and left rear windows were erratic when going down, the cigarette lighter was inoperative, the rear cargo accessory plug was inoperative, the trim on the left side of the left front seat cracked, there was a buldge on the right rear tire, lug bolts were missing on the right rear wheel and the rear pads needed to be replaced, there was a noise heard in the rear when going over bumps, the power supply plug in the rear cargo area was inoperative, the light behind the climate control panel was inoperative, the left front window was intermittent, the left front park light was inoperative, the left front door was not closing due to the latching, the rear electrical plug in the rear cargo area was inoperative, the material on the center console wrinkled, the sunroof would bind when opened, the rear tire had a knot on the sidewall, when the vehicle was filled with fuel the fuel gauge would go down, there was a noise in he right front wheel when driven at low speeds, there was a whining noise when turning the steering wheel and the steering was stiff.

- Alorton, IL, USA

problem #5

Dec 242003

(reported on)

ML320

  • miles
Various problems involving 2000 Mercedes Benz ML320 / also air bags failed to deploy. Consumer was struck by another vehicle causing damage to both sides of the vehicle. All the doors were smashed in yet none of the six air bags deployed. In addition, the check engine light illuminated while driving. Vehicle has been to the mechanic many times for repairs but to no avail. Consumer felt vehicle may be defective and would like to exchange or get money back.

- Alorton, IL, USA

problem #4

Jan 172003

ML320

  • Automatic transmission
  • 450,000 miles
If the vehicle was driven for 25/30 minutes and turned off and then restarted, the air bag off warning lights came on. The dealership was unable to duplicate the problem.

- Irvine, CA, USA

problem #3

Jun 012002

ML320 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 45,000 miles
After driving the car for 30 or so minutes, stopping and restarting the car, the "air bag off" and "SRS" warning lights come on and stay on. Per vehicle manual, when these two lights are on it means that the air bag system may not be functioning properly. The air bags may go off when they are not supposed to or they may not trigger when they are supposed to. The manual says the car should not be driven and should be taken to the dealer for repair immediately. I have taken the car to the dealer several times, they told me they could not find anything wrong, but when I asked them if they could assure me the air bags would work properly or not, they said they could not say that either. This has been an ongoing problem for at least the last 10 to 12 months.

- Irvine, CA, USA

problem #2

May 242002

ML320 4WD

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
While driving at 50 mph consumer was hit on drive side and vehicle flipped over. Upon impact, none of the air bags deployed. Contacted dealer.

- Bellview, WA, USA

problem #1

Aug 092000

(reported on)

ML320 4WD

  • miles
This vehicle has had severe maunfactruing defects in the enite SRS ( safety restraint system). These defects are on-going. To date, the manufactruer has not complied with 2 wrtten requets via certified mail to replace the vehilce or to refund the purchase price. A friend who purchased an S-class car the same week has has similar problems with the SRS system of his Mercedes.

- Smyrna, GA, USA