6.0
fairly significant- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 13,500 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.
Our 2006 Mercedes ML500 has had both internal mechanical latches to doors break apart inside the front doors at different times. What happens is that when use use the electronic switch to open the vehicle doors, they unlock ok but the door will not close or lock after initial opening. When this happens, you cannot close the door (the latch is broken). This is a life threatening problem if you have to drive any distance to get to a Mercedes dealer. Of course they never have the parts in stock. On one occasion, I had to try to physically hold the passengers side front door closed until we could get some rope to tie from one door to another. Fortunately we now have a rope in the car at all times. My wife was alone in the vehicle yesterday and had to tie the divers door to the front passenger door. Fortunately she works 1 1/2 mile from the local Mercedes dealer. It was still very scary for her because whenever she turned a corner, the driver's door would swing open slightly. Again this is a dangerous problem and is a $1,000 repair. The last time this happened was about a year ago.
- Waco, TX, USA
- Moorhead, MN, USA