IllustrationSTEERING FAILURE DUE TO DEFECTIVE HARMONIC BALANCER. REFER TO NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: PE03058
1998 Mercedes Benz ML320
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most ML320 years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Mercedes Benz ML320 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 28.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all ML320 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
20–25K
625–50K
1150–75K
1275–100K
8100–150K
4150K+
43 reports with mileage · 90 unknown
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.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 31 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
9 crash reports5 fire reports10 injury reports
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
31 reportsBELT TENSIONER FAILED AT 73886 MILE,$308.00. HARMONIC BALANCER FAILED @80,772 MILES. LOST POWER STEERING AND ALL ACCESSORIES. REPLACED BELT ,OIL PAN ,TENSIONER(AGAIN),HARMONIC BALANCER,OIL ,OIL SEAL. MERCEDES PAID FOR PARTS. I PAID FOR LABOR $675.00. DID TENSIONER FAIL FIRST TIME BECAUSE OF BALANCER. WAS BALANCER A KNOWN DEFECT…
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BELT TENSIONER FAILED AT 73886 MILE,$308.00. HARMONIC BALANCER FAILED @80,772 MILES. LOST POWER STEERING AND ALL ACCESSORIES. REPLACED BELT ,OIL PAN ,TENSIONER(AGAIN),HARMONIC BALANCER,OIL ,OIL SEAL. MERCEDES PAID FOR PARTS. I PAID FOR LABOR $675.00. DID TENSIONER FAIL FIRST TIME BECAUSE OF BALANCER. WAS BALANCER A KNOWN DEFECT? *CB
REGARDING NHTSA ACTION NUMBER PE03058. THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY HARMONIC BALANCER WAS FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE ON MY MERCEDES ML, 320 TODAY. THE VEHICLE HAD 57,435 MILES. THE DEALER TOLD ME IT WAS STARTING TO FAIL AND RECOMMENDED IT BE REPLACED OR IT COULD LEAD TO A LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND MAJOR ENGINE DAMAGE.*AK
1998 MERCEDES-BENZ ML320, 73K MILES - CRANKSHAFT HARMONIC BALANCER DISINTEGRATED, RESULTING IN CONCURRENT LOSS OF MULTIRIBBED-V-BELT AND INSTANTANEOUS LOSS OF POWER STEERING, ALTERNATOR AND WATER PUMP FUNCTION.*AK
VEHICLE STALLED ON THE HIGHWAY WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 55 MPH. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR ANALYSIS. *AK
HARMONIC BALANCER FAILURE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *LA
1998 MERCEDES BENZ ML320, 47K MILES, HARMONIC BALANCER LOOSENED, GROUND THROUGH TIMING COVER AND UPPER OIL PAN LEADING TO RAPID LOSS OF OIL. COULD HAVE BEEN A SAFETY ISSUE TO CARS BEHIND. *LA
98 MERCEDES ML320 WITH 75,000 MILES HARMONIC BALANCER WENT UP AND DESTROYED HALF OF THE ENGINE WHICH COST OVER $5,000 IN REPAIRS. MBUSA SAID THEY HAD NO PREVIOUS COMPLAINTS AND THAT I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL REPAIRS SINCE IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. I HAVE SINCE FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM FOR THESE VEHICLES/ENGINES TH…
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98 MERCEDES ML320 WITH 75,000 MILES HARMONIC BALANCER WENT UP AND DESTROYED HALF OF THE ENGINE WHICH COST OVER $5,000 IN REPAIRS. MBUSA SAID THEY HAD NO PREVIOUS COMPLAINTS AND THAT I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL REPAIRS SINCE IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. I HAVE SINCE FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM FOR THESE VEHICLES/ENGINES THAT MB IS TRYING TO COVER UP. *LA
THE CRANK SHAFT DAMPER (HARMONIC BALANCER) CAME APART CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE MIDDLE OIL PAN AND THE FRONT TIMING COVER.
WHILE DRIVING 25-35 MPH THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP TWICE BUT THE PROBLEMS STILL EXIST. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *NLM
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
1PE03058 · Engine Crankshaft Pulley Failure
Opened Dec 17, 2003 · Closed Apr 22, 2004
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline:belts And Associated Pulleys
THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF ENGINE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY HARMONIC BALANCER FAILURE THAT COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF POWER-STEERING ASSIST.ODI HAS RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 546 NON-DUPLICATIVE REPORTS THAT ALLEGE ENGINE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY HARMONIC BALANCER FAILURE ON ALL MERCEDES-BENZ VEHICLES USING THE SUBJECT COMPONENT.THE SUBJECT COMPONENT FAILURES ARE PROGRESSIVE IN NATURE AND ONLY A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE COMPLAINTS AND WARRANT CLAIMS INVOLVED A FAILURE THAT HAD PROGRESSED FAR ENOUGH TO EFFECT POWER STEERING PERFORMANCE (6 OF 55 ODI COMPLAINTS REFERENCE INCREASED STEERING EFFORT).THERE HAVE BEEN NO CRASHES OR INJURIES RELATED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT.A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY WILL TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.SEE SUMMARY REPORT ATTACHED FOR FURTHER DETAIL.