47 of the
651 complaints filed about the Mercedes Benz ML350
are about the braking system —
7% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2006.
Subject: Complaint Regarding Failure to Repair Safety Recall – Brake Booster (STOP DRIVE ORDER) Background In August 2022, I received a “STOP DRIVE ORDER” recall notice from Mercedes-Benz, informing me that my ML350 was unsafe to drive due to a defective brake booster. Despite repeated attempts over nearly three years, the recall repair has not been completed. Attempts to Obtain Recall Repair Initial Attempts: Contacted Fletcher Jones Mercedes-Benz (Las Vegas) twice; they refused to schedule service citing workload. Henderson Dealership: Scheduled inspection with Mercedes-Benz of Henderson. Technician inspected my ML350 at my home, confirmed the brake booster issue, and arranged for towing. Improper Repair Demands: After holding my vehicle two weeks, Henderson dealership issued an $8,200 estimate for unrelated repairs (tires, control arms, starter). I refused, as these were unnecessary and unrelated to the recall. The service manager demanded I remove the vehicle from the lot immediately or he would have it towed to impound. Recall Parts Unavailable When I contacted Mercedes-Benz USA, I was told parts for the brake booster recall were not available, contradicting the dealership’s prior statements. My vehicle was returned unrepaired. Vehicle Mishandling •Tow company returned the vehicle at the wrong time, left it on the street with a window down, and failed to return the key. •Despite repeated requests, the key has never been returned. •The ML350 sat exposed for months, registration expired, and I had to hire another tow company to move it to my driveway. Lack of Resolution •Vehicle has been unusable for nearly 3 years. •My written correspondence and calls to Mercedes-Benz USA have gone unanswered or been mishandled (frequent transfers/dropped calls). •I have suffered financial costs, inconvenience, and loss of vehicle value. I respectfully request that 1.Immediate replacement of the defective brake booster at no cost. 2.Retrieval of my original vehicle key o
NHTSA complaint #11688683 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2006 Mercedes-Benz ML350. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V298000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle a week later, the brake warning light and the check engine warning light were illuminated, and the message "Take to Service Center" was displayed. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, but no assistance was provided. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the brake pedal, the brakes made an abnormal rubbing and squeaking sound, and the vehicle jerked. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer for the failure to be corrected under the recall, but no assistance was provided. The contact stated that the recall repair failed to correct the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 163,450.
NHTSA complaint #11641387 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:WHEEL SPEED SENSOR/TONE RING
The contact owns a 2009 Mercedes-Benz ML350. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the brake sensor warning light was illuminated. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The contact was concerned that the failure could cause someone to be injured in the event of a failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 230,000.
NHTSA complaint #11596276 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owned a 2007 Mercedes-Benz ML350. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle failed to stop. The contact stated that his son had to apply pressure and pump the brake pedal multiple times to coast the vehicle to a stop however, the vehicle failed to stop. As a result, the contact’s vehicle crashed into a pole. The air bags failed to deploy. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot and deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The contact then stated that she received NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V315000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The dealer nor manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
NHTSA complaint #11548670 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2005 Mercedes-Benz ML350. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the service brake warning light illuminated. The contact then stated that her husband depressed the brake pedal to slow the vehicle and had to apply added pressure to the brake pedal, with the brake pedal extending to the floorboard. The contact stated that the brake pedal remained stuck on the floorboard. The contact’s husband shifted into park(P) and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
NHTSA complaint #11533491 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Received recall notice dated August 2022. Phoned local Mercedes Benz of Chicago on 1520 W. North Avenue and Mercedes Benz of Chicago Service Center on 949 N. Elston Ave. Scheduled a mobile inspection multiple times but they never showed. I was instructed to contact Brake Booster Hotline to have them tow the vehicle but Tarek at this company informed me that I needed to coordinate a date/time with MB dealer to accept the vehicle upon towing. Left a couple of messages with Maya at MB dealer to coordinate appointment for towing company to tow the vehicle but have not received a response. I phoned MB dealer again today and spoke with Jenny who informed me that she would notify the manager, Vince. Jenny informed me that the vehicle cannot be serviced even if it is towed to their dealership. Her experience has been that they have been unable to service these vehicles from this particular recall. This recall issue has continued to go unresolved and the recall notice clearly states that owners are advised not to drive the vehicle until inspection is performed. The vehicle has not been driven for many months and we are currently just waiting for any response from Mercedes Benz.
NHTSA complaint #11507805 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes-Benz ML350. The contact stated upon taking the vehicle to the dealer for servicing, he was informed that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V315000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the vehicle remained at the dealer for 2 months. The contact later received the recall notification. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and advised the contact that parts were not available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA complaint #11484778 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2006 Mercedes-Benz ML350. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V315000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the recall repair was not performed by the dealer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle intermittently experienced phantom braking with the ABS warning light illuminated. Additionally, the brake pedal went to the floorboard while depressed and made an abnormal sound; however, the brakes failed to stop the vehicle immediately. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the ABS sensor was faulty. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the ABS sensor needed to be reset. The dealer reset the ABS sensor and informed the contact that the brake system housing was corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 151,831.
NHTSA complaint #11484390 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes-Benz ML350. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V315000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
NHTSA complaint #11483473 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes-Benz ML350. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V315000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA complaint #11479841 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2006 Mercedes-Benz ML350. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V315000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The contact was given an appointment by the dealer weeks in advance and was notified in the recall notice to stop driving the vehicle immediately. The manufacturer assured the contact on multiple occasions that the dealer would provide an alternative form of transportation until the recall was serviced; however, the dealer failed to provide the contact another form of transportation. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA complaint #11475279 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes-Benz ML350. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V315000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA complaint #11472787 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Hello, There is a safety recall from the manufacturer and they have advised not to drive the vehicle. The vehicle does take a little more press on the breaks for it to function so we are assuming that we are affected by this recall. I have writen emails and called the Mercedez hotline on June 1st 2022 and they assured me over the phone that the dealership will be able to help. When i called the dealerships in St Louis, namely Plaza motors and St Louis Mercedez they declined to inspect the vehicle and advised that i can keep driving untill they inspect the vehicle. The recall from mercedez clearly states that the vehicle should not be driven. When i told them about it they changed the story and told me they dont know when they can do the inspection. Upon calling Mercedes back, they told me that they are sorry about the misinformation ad that I can rent a vehicle for reembursement but when asked about the process of getting the money back, they could not provide an answer. We did not feel comfortable renting a vehicle before knowing the process in detail so we called Mercedes back and the next person told me that the rentals will not be reimbursed. We are really in a tough situation as the car is not safe to drive per the recall and neither Mercedes or the local dealers are willing to help even after a month of the recall notice. We are hoping that either they can inspect the vehicle, give us a loaner vehicle or reimburse us for a rental vehicle. We have a small family with a 3 year old and want to make sure that we are all safe. Thank you
NHTSA complaint #11468905 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Since my significant others and I purchased this 2006 Mercedes Benz SUV - ML-350, over three months ago, we were wondering why the "Engine check light was always on" so we purchased (4) sensors and replaced the sensors of where OBD tests pointed out for the engine, deleted the Engine Check Light several times but it will go back on after we driven it for another 50 to 100 miles away to normal highways and freeways driving to relearn the computer system and the Check Engine Light On again and again but not blinking? We called our friendly mechanics and he said it maybe faults recalled that part of the electronics or maybe the computer is giving that "engine check" light on because it has some safety components is malfunctioning, the braking is also hard and sometimes it is too soft when I push it with my right foot to stop the car and also the car is using too much gas. So, we kept postponement of bringing this car to the dealership for repairs because we cannot afford the repairs. Then today, I check to my email and I see the Recall email from NHTSA about MB - ML-350 / recall number 2022050015 / NHTSA # 22V315, since we cannot smog check it because of the "Engine Check On" it is always on we were puzzled why this light and this car cost too much to use and sometimes hard and sometimes soft to push on it's braking power? Please let us know on what to do next? Shall we call the MB-Dealerships to tow this car to their shop because we have stop using this car about over (3) months ago since we bought it ? Braking System is sometimes is too hard and sometimes too soft and using too much gas and the "Engine Check is always On " even we have replaced the (4) electronic sensors that the OBD machine pointed out but is still doing the same thing. Please advise us of what to do to resolve these operational safety of our 2006 - ML-350 Mercedes Benz, it is stored in our car garage. The rear reverse camera also stops working and it is saying braking lights are not functioning?
NHTSA complaint #11467959 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While trying to slow in to a corner, the brakes did not work, pushing harder on the brakes caused pulling and vibration. The vehicle left the road causing damage to right fender, bumper, wheel, tire and door. The vehicle has been inspected, brake pads and brakes seemed fine. This continues to happen on a rare occasion, maybe once every 30 times vehicle is driven. This is very scarry to have brake failure, so the vehicle is rarely driven now because no remedy has been offered.
NHTSA complaint #11465027 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2007 Mercedes Benz ML350. The contact stated while driving approximately 40-50 mph, the vehicle started shuddering and lost stability. The ABS warning light and an unknown warning light were illuminated. The contact stated she veered to the side of the road and then drove the vehicle to her residence at a slower speed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the ABS system and the power steering system had failed. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 132,945.
NHTSA complaint #11426785 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.