IllustrationWHILE DRIVING VEHICLE AT 55 MPH BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON DASHBOARD, AND SMOKE STARTED TO COME FROM UNDER THE HOOD. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED.*AK
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
What owners actually said
133 reportsTHE SERPENTINE BELT HAD BROKEN WHILE DRIVING AT 45MPH AND CAUSED THE ENGINE TO OVERHEAT. MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. *AK THE CONSUMER STATED THAT AFTER THE INVESTIGATION PER GARRETT ENGINEERING, THE VEHICLE WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE A CRANK SHAFT PULLEY FAILURE WHICH CAUSED THE OTHER SYSTEMS TO FAIL. THE BELTS, ALTENATOR, AND TH…
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THE SERPENTINE BELT HAD BROKEN WHILE DRIVING AT 45MPH AND CAUSED THE ENGINE TO OVERHEAT. MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. *AK THE CONSUMER STATED THAT AFTER THE INVESTIGATION PER GARRETT ENGINEERING, THE VEHICLE WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE A CRANK SHAFT PULLEY FAILURE WHICH CAUSED THE OTHER SYSTEMS TO FAIL. THE BELTS, ALTENATOR, AND THE COOLING SYSTEMS FAILED AS A RESULT OF THE PULLEY FAILURE. THIS PART WAS SUPPOSED TO BE COVERED UNDER THE 80K WARRANTY, BUT HAS NOT BEEN HONORED. *SCC
AS TOLD BY THE MERCEDES BENZ COMPANY, THE FUEL LINE AND FUEL FILTER ON THIS PARTICUALER MODEL, ARE MUCH TOO SMALL TO ENSURE ADEQUATE FUEL TO THE ENGINE WHILE DRIVING. DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO CHANGE THE LINE AND FILTER WHILE UNDER WARRANTY CLAIMING IT WOULD BE CHANGED AT THE 60,000 MILE SERVICE CHECK UP AT OWNERS EXPENSE. *JG …
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AS TOLD BY THE MERCEDES BENZ COMPANY, THE FUEL LINE AND FUEL FILTER ON THIS PARTICUALER MODEL, ARE MUCH TOO SMALL TO ENSURE ADEQUATE FUEL TO THE ENGINE WHILE DRIVING. DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO CHANGE THE LINE AND FILTER WHILE UNDER WARRANTY CLAIMING IT WOULD BE CHANGED AT THE 60,000 MILE SERVICE CHECK UP AT OWNERS EXPENSE. *JG
FRONT CRASH AT 25 MPH, PASSENGER AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. DRIVER AIRBAG OPENED, AND DRIVER SUFFERED CHEMICAL BURNS TO THE FACE. $ 12000.00 DAMAGE TO VEHICLE.*AK *YH
VEHICLE HAS BEEN STALLING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS SINCE PURCHASE, DEALER HAS EXAMINED VEHICLE NUMEROUS TIMES, BUT CANNOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM.*AK *TT
FUEL GAUGE HAS BEEN READING INCORRECTLY SINCE PURCHASE. DEALER HAS REPAIRED THE FUEL GAUGE 10 TIMES, DID NOT REMEDY PROBLEM.*AK *SLC
VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING CATALYTIC CONVERTERS PROBLEM. *YD
THE SEATBELT RANDOMLY EXPLODED AND THE DEALERSHIP WAS NOT ABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHY.*AK
BRAKING SYSTEM IS DEFECTIVE, SYSTEM IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. CONSUMER HAS HAD SYSTEM REPLACED TWICE SINCE PURCHASING VEHICLE. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION. *AK
DRIVESHAFT BROKE. ASSOCIATED CABLE BROKE ACTIVATING SIDE AIRBAG SENSOR. MINOR CONTUSIONS.*AK
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.