NHTSA recalls & complaints · 1998–2011

Mercedes-Benz ML320 recalls, complaints and VIN decoding

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns and 742 owner complaints for the Mercedes-Benz ML320, covering model years 1998 to 2011. The 2000 model year drew the most complaints (166), and Steering is the component owners name most often.

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint flat files, updated September 25, 2026.

Decode your Mercedes-Benz ML320 VIN

See the model year, plant and build details of one vehicle, then the recalls for its exact year.

4 recall campaigns on file
742 owner complaints (unverified reports to NHTSA)
13 model years with data (1998–2011)

most complaints: 2000 (166 for that model year)
top component: Steering (140 complaints)
latest recall 24V298000 (reported Apr 26, 2024)

56 complaints reporting a crash (7.5%)
35 complaints reporting a fire (4.7%)
47 complaints reporting an injury (6.3%)
0 complaints reporting a death (0.0%)

Mercedes-Benz ML320 complaints by model year

12 model years · NHTSA complaints

The 2000 model year has the most complaints: 166 of 742, or 22.4%. Next come 2001 (136) and 1998 (133). The fewest are for 2011, with 1 complaint.

Owner complaints per model yearHighest yearOther years

Mercedes-Benz ML320 complaints by model year, with complaints reporting a crash, fire, injury or death

Mercedes-Benz ML320 complaints by model year, with complaints reporting a crash, fire, injury or death
Model year	Complaints	Reporting a crash	Reporting a fire	Reporting an injury
1998	133	9	5	11
1999	125	14	2	6
2000	166	13	6	13
2001	136	10	7	6
2002	88	4	8	5
2003	22	1	4	2
2005	5	2	0	1
2006	1	0	0	0
2007	16	0	2	1
2008	21	3	0	2
2009	28	0	1	0
2011	1	0	0	0
All model years	742	56	35	47

Crash, fire, injury and death columns count complaints that report at least one of them, not people.

Most-reported Mercedes-Benz ML320 components

top 15 · NHTSA categories

Steering is the component named most often, in 140 complaints (18.9% of all 742), followed by Engine and Engine Cooling (112) and Electrical System (90).

Components named most often in Mercedes-Benz ML320 complaints (top 15)

Components named most often in Mercedes-Benz ML320 complaints (top 15)
Component	Complaints	Share of complaints
Steering	140	18.9%
Engine and Engine Cooling	112	15.1%
Electrical System	90	12.1%
Service Brakes	70	9.4%
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	70	9.4%
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)	63	8.5%
Power Train	57	7.7%
Vehicle Speed Control	56	7.5%
Fuel System, Gasoline	47	6.3%
Air Bags	43	5.8%
Visibility	40	5.4%
Structure	32	4.3%
Seats	26	3.5%
Suspension	26	3.5%
Exterior Lighting	23	3.1%

One complaint can name several components, so the shares add up to more than 100%. Component names are NHTSA’s top-level categories.

What NHTSA owner complaints mean

These figures count complaints that vehicle owners and other members of the public have submitted to NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. NHTSA uses complaints, together with other data, to spot safety issues that may warrant an investigation and to check whether existing recalls go far enough.

They are reports, not findings. Each complaint is the submitter's own account. Its presence in the database does not mean NHTSA has confirmed a defect.
Counts are not defect rates. The data doesn't say how many vehicles were sold, so a raw count can't tell you what share of vehicles had a problem.
Popular models collect more complaints. A model sold in large numbers will usually gather more complaints than a rare one, simply because more people own it.
One complaint can name several components. Totals by component can therefore add up to more than the number of complaints.
Coverage starts in 1995. NHTSA's complaint file contains complaints received since January 1, 1995.

Use complaint patterns as a prompt for questions: whether a recall covers the issue, whether the vehicle you are considering has had the fix, and what a mechanic finds on inspection. For confirmed safety defects, see the recall list for this model.

Mercedes-Benz ML320 recalls

4 campaigns · newest first

Every vehicle recall campaign NHTSA lists under the model name ML320, newest first. The 4 campaigns cover model years 2002 to 2010. The 2009 model year appears in the most campaigns (3).

4 recall campaigns
2 “Do Not Drive” advisories

Mercedes-Benz ML320 recall campaigns covering each model year
Decade	Years ending in 0	Years ending in 1	Years ending in 2	Years ending in 3	Years ending in 4	Years ending in 5	Years ending in 6	Years ending in 7	Years ending in 8	Years ending in 9
2000s			2002: 1 campaign	2003: no campaigns	2004: no campaigns	2005: no campaigns	2006: no campaigns	2007: 2 campaigns	2008: 2 campaigns	2009: 3 campaigns
2010s	2010: 1 campaign

Highlighted: the model year with the most campaigns.

NHTSA campaign 24V298000
Reported Apr 26, 2024
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Power Assist › Vacuum
Model years 2007–2009
NHTSA “Do Not Drive” advisory: affected vehicles should not be driven until the recall repair is done.
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2006-2012 ML, GL, and R-Class vehicles. Please refer to MBUSA's recall report for specific vehicle model details. Moisture may accumulate and cause corrosion in the brake booster housing unit, which can result in reduced brake performance or brake failure.
Consequence:
Reduced brake performance or brake failure can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy:
Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy has been performed. Dealers will remove the rubber sleeve, inspect the brake booster, and as necessary, replace the brake booster. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 24, 2024. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MMUSA's number for this recall is 2024050001/2. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 22V-315.
Filed by Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
NHTSA campaign 22V315000
Reported May 9, 2022
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Power Assist › Vacuum
Model years 2007–2009
NHTSA “Do Not Drive” advisory: affected vehicles should not be driven until the recall repair is done.
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2006-2012 ML-Class, GL-Class, and R-Class vehicles. Please refer to MBUSA's recall report for specific vehicle model details. Moisture may accumulate and cause corrosion in the brake booster housing unit, which can result in reduced brake performance or brake failure.
Consequence:
Reduced brake performance or brake failure can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy:
Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy has been performed. Dealers will remove the rubber sleeve, inspect the brake booster, and as necessary, replace the brake booster. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 30, 2022. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's numbers for this recall are 2022050014, 2022050015 2022090006, & 2022090007.
Filed by Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
NHTSA campaign 16V081000
Reported Feb 11, 2016
Air Bags › Frontal › Driver Side › Inflator Module
Model years 2009–2010
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 ML320 BlueTec 4Matic, GL320 BlueTec 4Matic and R320 CDI 4Matic, 2011 E350 Cabriolet and E550 Cabriolet, 2009-2011 ML350, ML350 4Matic, ML550 4Matic, ML63 AMG, and C63 AMG, 2010-2011 ML450 4Matic Hybrid, E350 Coupe, E350 4Matic, E550 Coupe, E550 4Matic, and E63 AMG, 2011-2012 GL350 BlueTec 4Matic and R350 BlueTec 4Matic, 2009-2012 GL450 4Matic, GL550 4Matic and R350 4Matic, 2007-2008 SLK280, SLK350, and SLK55 AMG, 2011-2014 SLS AMG Coupe, 2012 SLS AMG Cabriolet, 2013-2014 SLS AMG GT and SLS AMG GT Cabriolet, 2005 C230 Kompressor and C320, 2006-2007 C230, 2006-2011 C350, 2008-2011 C300 and C300 4Matic, 2010-2012 GLK350 and GLK350 4Matic and 2007-2008 Chrysler Crossfire vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Consequence:
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy:
MBUSA will their notify owners, and Fiat Chrysler will notify the affected Chrysler owners. Dealers for the respective brands will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. This recall began November 2016. Mercedes-Benz owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372 and Chrysler owners may contact Fiat Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403.
Filed by Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
NHTSA campaign 01V290000
Reported Sep 10, 2001
Suspension › Front › Control Arm › Upper Arm
Model year 2002
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The left front upper control arm may not meet the specified strength requirements.
Consequence:
The control arm could fail, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy:
Dealers will replace the left front upper control arm. Owner notification began September 29, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Mercedes-Benz at 1-800-367-6372.
Filed by Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC

Recall text is shown as NHTSA publishes it; older campaigns, which NHTSA stores in capital letters, are shown in sentence case. NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline, 1-888-327-4236, also answers recall questions.

How to read this recall list

This list shows every safety recall campaign NHTSA has on file for this make, model and model year. It is not specific to one vehicle: a recall often covers only vehicles built in a certain date range or with a certain part, and many of the vehicles it covers will already have been repaired.

What each recall field means

What each recall field means
Field	What it tells you
Campaign number	NHTSA's unique ID for the recall, such as 20V771000. Quote it to a dealer or when searching NHTSA's site.
Component	The system or part involved, for example air bags, brakes or electrical software.
Summary	What the defect or non-compliance is and which vehicles are covered.
Consequence	The safety risk if the problem isn't fixed.
Remedy	What the manufacturer will do, such as a repair, replacement or software update, and whether it is free.

Some recalls carry an NHTSA consumer advisory, “Do Not Drive” or “Park Outside”. Follow it until the repair is done.
A single campaign often covers several models or model years, so the same campaign number can appear in more than one list.
Recalls are shown as NHTSA publishes them. Very recent campaigns may take time to appear.

Does your vehicle have an open recall? Only a VIN check can tell you. Enter the VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup (opens in a new tab) or on the manufacturer's website. Our VIN recall check guide explains what each option covers.

Mercedes-Benz ML320 questions

5 questions

How many recalls does the Mercedes-Benz ML320 have?

NHTSA lists 4 vehicle recall campaigns for the Mercedes-Benz ML320, covering model years 1998 to 2011. The most recent, 24V298000, was reported on April 26, 2024 and is filed under “Service brakes, hydraulic”. The 2009 model year is covered by the most campaigns (3).

Which Mercedes-Benz ML320 model year has the most complaints?

The 2000 model year, with 166 of the 742 complaints in NHTSA’s file (22.4%). The next are 2001 (136) and 1998 (133). Complaint counts also reflect how many vehicles of each year were sold and how long they have been on the road, so they are not a reliability ranking.

What is the most common Mercedes-Benz ML320 complaint?

Steering is the component named most often: 140 complaints, or 18.9% of all 742. Engine and Engine Cooling (112) and Electrical System (90) follow. Complaints are unverified reports from owners, not confirmed defects, and one complaint can name several components.

Does every recall on this page apply to my Mercedes-Benz ML320?

Not necessarily. Each campaign lists specific model years, and many cover only vehicles built in a certain period or fitted with a certain part; repairs already carried out aren’t shown. To see whether a recall is open on your vehicle, enter its VIN at NHTSA’s recall lookup (opens in a new tab) or ask a Mercedes-Benz dealer.

How many Mercedes-Benz ML320 complaints report a crash, fire, injury or death?

Of the 742 complaints, 56 report a crash, 35 a fire, 47 at least one injury and 0 at least one death. These figures count complaints, not people, and each complaint is the submitter’s own unverified account.

8 models · most complaints first

The Mercedes-Benz models with the most NHTSA complaints, and the Mercedes-Benz VIN decoder with every Mercedes-Benz model page, WMI code and VIN note.

Mercedes-Benz C 300 2008–2026 · 65 recalls · 3,961 complaints
Mercedes-Benz E 350 2003–2026 · 45 recalls · 2,210 complaints
Mercedes-Benz E320 1995–2009 · 4 recalls · 1,153 complaints
Mercedes-Benz ML350 2001–2015 · 9 recalls · 951 complaints
Mercedes-Benz GLK350 2006–2015 · 12 recalls · 907 complaints
Mercedes-Benz C250 2012–2016 · 9 recalls · 726 complaints
Mercedes-Benz C230 1997–2007 · 5 recalls · 657 complaints
Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 2016–2026 · 54 recalls · 651 complaints

All Mercedes-Benz models and WMI codes Look up recalls by year

Data: NHTSA recalls and complaints flat files, updated September 25, 2026. Recall campaigns are vehicle (V) campaigns listed for this model name; complaints are counted once per NHTSA ODI number and model year.