10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 1
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 1 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 85,125 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.
May 2010 I have problem in my 2004 ML350. My wife turned on the drivers side seat heater to the high setting. Within a short time the heater had burned through the leather seat. The seat caught fire in a small spot ( like a cigarette burn) while my wife was driving and almost caused her to have an accident. This issue is repeated several times in online searches I did for the 03 and 04 ML350. I spoke to a Benz roadside assistance mechanic and he said he has seen this happen before and that it is a short in the seat wiring. He said he would look into it but I have not heard back from him. I am going to call the dealer today.
- Lakewood, CO, USA
The driver seat heater over-heated and caused a minor burn when I took the car to the dealer. The dealer agreed to pay for half the cost of replacement but would not give the defective part back to me even when I specifically asked for it. While searching for more information, I came across other incidents with this car with the exact same problem.
- Akron, OH, USA
I have a 2004 Mercedes ML350 SUV and I turned on the seat heater and it got so hot that I had to turn it off. The left side of the seat burned so hot that I had to move my body and weight to my right side because it felt like you were sitting on coals - even through the leather interior. I did not use it again because the weather was not that cold. The next person to use it was my mother. She was driving my car and I was next to her and she turned on her seat heater and after a few minutes she screamed because the heat of the seat heater was so piercing. I turned off the heater immediately and she looked and saw smoke and smelled smoke as well. This is a huge hazard that I have heard other ml's have had as well and the manufacturer of the seat heater should be held accountable, as should Mercedes!!! she swerved off the road and almost hit a car because of the intensity of heat.
- Glen Cove, NY, USA
- Old Bridge, NJ, USA