2006 Mercedes Benz ML350

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCEDES BENZ ML350. WHILE SHIFTING INTO REVERSE GEAR THE VEHICLE SURGED BACKWARDS, RESULTING IN A CRASH. UPON SHIFTING THE VEHICLE INTO DRIVE, IT THEN SURGED FORWARD, RESULTING IN ANOTHER CRASH. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A SERIOUS INJURY AND WAS TAKEN BY AMBULANCE TO THE HOSPITAL. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED TO A LOT WHERE THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 53,000. UPDATED 3/11/11 *CN UPDATED 07/11/11

HELLO I LIVE IN NY AND I HAVE A 2006 ML350. RECENTLY I BROUGHT MY CAR IN FOR A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO MERCEDES BENZ. THEY STATE THE CAR NEEDS NEW BALANCE SHAFT AND TIMING GEARS. THE CAR ONLY HAS 46,000 MILES. THIS SHOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE. THE COST IS OVER $5,000 TO GET FIXED. MERCEDES WILL NOT COVER IT. THIS SEEMS TO BE A DEFECT PART. IN RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM I FOUND OUT I WASN'T THE ONLY WITH THIS ISSUE. THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IN NEW JERSEY AS WELL AS OTHER STATES. MY INSPECTION HAS EXPIRED AND CAN'T NOT PASS WITHOUT THE REPAIR WHICH IS A SAFETY ISSUE. HERE IS THE LINK TO THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT HTTP://WWW.COURTHOUSENEWS.COM/2010/10/07/MERCEDES.PDF. THEY SHOULD MAKE A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCEDES BENZ ML 350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR WOULD NOT LOCK. APPROXIMATELY ONE MONTH LATER WHILE ATTEMPTING TO EXIT THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR REMAINED STUCK FROM THE INSIDE. SHE WAS FORCED TO CRAWL TO THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT TO EXIT THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND REPLACED THE RIGHT SIDE DOOR ACTUATOR. THE CONTACT DID INFORM THE MANUFACTURER OF THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 73,240 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 73,000. UPDATED 10/27/2011 *LN *TR

AROUND 52,000 MILES THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A MERCEDES BENZ DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND WAS NOTIFIED THAT THE BALANCE SHAFT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. IN ORDER TO REPLACE THE BALANCE SHAFT, THE ENGINE NEEDS TO BE TAKEN OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND TAKEN APART. ESTIMATED COST $4,000 TO $7,500. THE SERVICE DEPT. TOLD ME THAT IT WAS DUE TO A PART THAT WAS NOT HARDENED PROPERLY DURING MANUFACTURING. THERE IS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (S-B-03.30/08I) THAT WAS ORIGINALLY ISSUED IN 2007, HOWEVER IT SEEMS LIKE MERCEDES BENZ KNOWS THAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT (ON THE MAJORITY OF THESE VEHICLES) WILL NOT COME ON UNTIL AFTER 50,000 MILES, WHEN THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. SINCE THIS FIX IS A HUGE EXPENSE, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO ISSUE A RECALL EVEN THOUGH IT IS CLEARLY A SAFETY CONCERN. IF WE WOULD'VE HAVE CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE IN THIS CONDITION, EVENTUALLY THE BALANCE SHAFT WOULD HAVE CONTINUED TO BREAK ITS TEETH RESULTING IN ENGINE FAILURE. CONTINUING TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE IN THE CONDITION IS NOT SAFE, IT IS A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE VEHICLE STOPS RUNNING AND THE ENGINE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPLACED OUR BALANCE SHAFT, THE PARTS USED ARE TOO NUMEROUS TO LIST ALONG WITH LABOR CODES. HERE IS A BRIEF BREAKDOWN: 28.8 LABOR HOURS TOTAL $2,940.48, PARTS $1,263.50 (CONSUMER COST), $925.49 (NET COST). THE FAILURE HAS BEEN CORRECTED, HOWEVER THE SERVICE DEPT. TOLD ME ALL OF THESE VEHICLES MADE DURING THIS TIME WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE THIS FAILURE AND IT'S A SAFETY CONCERN, NOT TO MENTION A VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR. I FEEL THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ISSUED FOR THESE VEHICLES AND MERCEDES BENZ SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO NOTIFY CONSUMERS OF THIS FAILURE. I WAS AN ORIGINAL PURCHASER AND HAD MINE REPAIRED, HOWEVER THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE BUYING THESE VEHICLES USED UNAWARE OF THE PROBLEM, NOT ONLY STUCK WITH A $4,000 + REPAIR, BUT ALSO UNAWARE OF THE SAFETY HAZARD. MERCEDES BENZ SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. *TR

2006 ML350 MERCEDES BENZ - CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS COME ON AND THE GARAGE TELLS ME THAT THE BALANCE SHAFT GEARS HAVE WORN AND NEED TO BE REPLACED IN A CAR WITH JUST 67,000 MILES ON IT. THE PRICE IS 5500 AND THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE I'VE HEARD FROM WITH THE SAME ISSUE WITH THIS CAR. I THINK THIS IS AN OBVIOUS FLAW IN THIS BATCH OF ENGINES AND THAT THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL AS THIS IS SERIOUS IF THE CHAINS ACTUALLY COME OFF THE GEARS. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY 2006 MERCEDES ML 350, WITH THE SEAT WARMER TURNED ON. I NOTICED A SMELL OF SMOKE COMING FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE, SO I TURNED OFF THE SEAT WARMER AND THE SMELL WENT AWAY. THE NEXT DAY I DISCOVERED THAT THE SEAT WARMER HAD BURNED A SMALL HOLE IN THE SEAT COVERING ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT JUST ABOVE THE DRIVER'S WAIST. WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, THEY TOLD ME THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, AND THAT IT WOULD COST $800-$1000 TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE MECHANIC THAT I TALKED WITH 1-ON-1 TOLD ME THAT THEY GET THIS PROBLEM FREQUENTLY. SINCE THE DAY OF THE BURN THROUGH, I HAVE NOT USED THE SEAT WARMER. I FEEL VERY FORTUNATE THAT I NOTICED THE SMOKE AND SHUT THE SEAT WARMER DOWN BEFORE THE SITUATION RESULTED IN A FIRE OR PERSONAL INJURY. SYSTEMS WITH THESE TYPES OF RISKS SHOULD HAVE SOME KIND OF "EXTENDED" WARRANTY COVERAGE WHEN THEY FAIL, TO HELP COVER THE RISK OF FIRE OR INJURY. *TR

ABOUT 2 MINUTES AFTER TURNING ON THE DRIVER'S SEAT HEATER, THE DRIVER'S SEAT CAUGHT ON FIRE. A HOLE BURNED THROUGH THE DRIVER'S SEAT AND BURNED MY BACK. LUCKILY, I RECOGNIZED THE PROBLEM QUICKLY ENOUGH THAT I WAS ONLY SLIGHTLY BURNED. MY HUSBAND AND MY 1 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WERE IN THE CAR WITH ME. I WAS DRIVING AT THE TIME, SO MY CLOTHES COULD HAVE CAUGHT FIRE. IF WE HAD TURNED ON THE SEAT WARMER WHILE WARMING UP THE CAR, THE ENTIRE CAR COULD HAVE GONE UP IN FLAMES.

2006 MERCEDES ML350 AT 91,100 MILES DRIVER SMELLED A BURNING SMELL AND LATER FOUND A BURNED HOLE IN THE DRIVERS SEAT, DRIVER NOTICED SMELL WHEN SEAT WARMER WAS TURNED ON. DEALERSHIP IS REQUIRING THE DRIVER TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. THIS ISN'T NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR AND IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO THE DRIVER AS WELL AS OTHER DRIVERS SHOULD THE SEAT CATCH A FLAME. WHY IS THERE NO RECALL? *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCEDES BENZ ML350. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED SHE ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE INTO REVERSE BUT THE GEAR SHIFTER WOULD ONLY SHIFT INTO DRIVE OR NEUTRAL. SHE ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE BACK INTO PARK BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO PARK AND A MESSAGE ON THE DASHBOARD INFORMED HER THAT SHE COULD NOT SHIFT THE VEHICLE INTO PARK WHILE IT WAS IN MOTION. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES THE AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM ENGAGED AND SHE WAS ABLE TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE INTO PARK. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN SHUT OFF AND TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE COMPUTER SYSTEM WAS REPROGRAMMED AND THE WHEEL BEARINGS WERE REPLACED. SHE WAS INFORMED THE FAILURE WITHIN THE WHEEL BEARINGS RESULTED IN THE COMPUTER SYSTEM THINKING THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. THE FAILURE RECURRED ONCE MORE AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE BUT THE WHEEL BEARINGS WERE AGAIN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 41,000. UPDATED 01/06/11 *BF UPDATED 01/24/11*JB