IllustrationTHE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER CAUGHT ON FIRE AND ALMOST CHOKED ME AND MY COUSIN TO DEATH SMH. IT SAYS THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS BUT I GUESS MY CAR IS TO OLD. IT ONLY HAS A 130,000 MILES ON IT THIS SHOULDNT HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE.
2001 Mercedes Benz CL500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all CL500 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 4 of 5 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Suspension. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
0 crash reports1 fire reports1 injury reports
What owners actually said
5 reportsDRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WENT BLACK AND HAS NOT COME BACK ON. THIS INCLUDES THE SPEEDOMETER, THE FUEL GAUGE AND ALL THE OTHER ENGINE GAUGES. THE CRUISE CONTROL DOES NOT WORK. SEARCHING ONLINE, THIS APPEARS TO BE A PREVALENT PROBLEM AND THAT WAS CONFIRMED BY MY MECHANIC. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS IS NO…
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DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WENT BLACK AND HAS NOT COME BACK ON. THIS INCLUDES THE SPEEDOMETER, THE FUEL GAUGE AND ALL THE OTHER ENGINE GAUGES. THE CRUISE CONTROL DOES NOT WORK. SEARCHING ONLINE, THIS APPEARS TO BE A PREVALENT PROBLEM AND THAT WAS CONFIRMED BY MY MECHANIC. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS IS NOT A SAFETY RECALL FOR THIS VEHICLE AND THE MANY OTHERS AFFECTED. THE VEHICLE HAS ABOUT 100,000 MILES ON IT (I CAN'T SEE EXACTLY HOW MAY WITH THE DASH BLACK).
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCEDES-BENZ CL500. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE AIRMATIC WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. UPON INSPECTING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED FLUID LEAKING FROM UNDER THE HOOD ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED BY AN UNKNOWN DEALER PER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 07V263000 (SUSPENSION, ENGINE AND ENG…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCEDES-BENZ CL500. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE AIRMATIC WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. UPON INSPECTING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED FLUID LEAKING FROM UNDER THE HOOD ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED BY AN UNKNOWN DEALER PER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 07V263000 (SUSPENSION, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING), BUT THE REMEDY FAILED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL BODY SHOP WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FLUID WAS DUE TO THE COMPRESSOR THAT FRACTURED AND THE COMPRESSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000. THE VIN WAS INVALID.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCEDES BENZ CL500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE CHASSIS LOWERED OVER THE WHEELS OF THE VEHICLE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE HYDRAULIC LINE WAS CORRODED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHI…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCEDES BENZ CL500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE CHASSIS LOWERED OVER THE WHEELS OF THE VEHICLE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE HYDRAULIC LINE WAS CORRODED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE HYDRAULIC FUSE SYSTEM PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCEDES BENZ CL500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ACTIVE BODY CONTROL SENSOR ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY AND THEN REMAINED LIT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 137,000.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.