← New search

2006 Mercedes Benz ML500

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

Other model years Selected year
Compare all ML500 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

31 reports with mileage · 6 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.

  • Electrical System. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

3 crash reports5 fire reports4 injury reports

Steering complaints

5 reports
Clear category filter
Mileage unknown · Feb 3, 2022
Electrical SystemSteering

Car is extremely hard to turn/loss of power steering. Noticed that there was a recall on these vehicles but my vin was not included. Mechanic said Power steering rack is bad. This has been an ongoing issue with this car since purchased with only 70,000 miles - not sure why this VIN was not included in the recall? Car stock radio…

Read full complaint

Car is extremely hard to turn/loss of power steering. Noticed that there was a recall on these vehicles but my vin was not included. Mechanic said Power steering rack is bad. This has been an ongoing issue with this car since purchased with only 70,000 miles - not sure why this VIN was not included in the recall? Car stock radio screen also has intermittent issues with displaying properly.

NHTSA ODI #11450281

68,000 miles · Oct 11, 2018
Steering

I CONTACTED MERCEDES ABOUT THE POWER STEERING LEAKAGE & PROBLEMS ON MY ML500 2006 SUV, I SEE A RECALL WAS MADE, BUT MY VIN# IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE VOLUNTARY RECALL BY MERCEDES

NHTSA ODI #11139739

98,000 miles · Dec 16, 2011
Steering

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCEDES BENZ ML500. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH APPROACHING A TURN AND HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM THE STEERING WHEEL. IMMEDIATELY, THERE WAS A SLIGHT LOSS IN THE POWER STEERING AND LEAKAGE OF FLUID. THERE WAS A RECALL UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER UNDER 05V224000 (STEERING: HYDRAULIC…

Read full complaint

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCEDES BENZ ML500. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH APPROACHING A TURN AND HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM THE STEERING WHEEL. IMMEDIATELY, THERE WAS A SLIGHT LOSS IN THE POWER STEERING AND LEAKAGE OF FLUID. THERE WAS A RECALL UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER UNDER 05V224000 (STEERING: HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM). THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000.

NHTSA ODI #10440197

Mileage unknown · Feb 18, 2008
Power TrainSteering

MERCEDES 500ML TRANSMISSION AND POWER STEERING NOT SAFE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10218439

19,800 miles · Feb 7, 2007
Steering

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING HIS 2006 MERCEDES ML 500 (19800 FAILURE MILEAGE) AT 25 MPH, AND MERGING RIGHT ONTO THE EXPRESSWAY, THE VEHICLE KEPT GOING STRAIGHT ONTO THE GRASS. THE CONTACT STOPPED THE VEHICLE TO CHECK THE STEERING WHEEL AND FOUND THAT THE STEERING WHEEL KEPT SPINNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A D…

Read full complaint

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING HIS 2006 MERCEDES ML 500 (19800 FAILURE MILEAGE) AT 25 MPH, AND MERGING RIGHT ONTO THE EXPRESSWAY, THE VEHICLE KEPT GOING STRAIGHT ONTO THE GRASS. THE CONTACT STOPPED THE VEHICLE TO CHECK THE STEERING WHEEL AND FOUND THAT THE STEERING WHEEL KEPT SPINNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER AND THE DEALER STATED THAT "THEY WILL NOT FIX THE VEHICLE, BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS IN A CRASH" EVEN THOUGH HE DIDN'T STRIKE ANYTHING WHEN HE LOST CONTROL AND RAN OFF ON TO THE MEDIAN. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT YET BEEN REPAIRED.

NHTSA ODI #10181871

Official recalls

2

24V298000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:vacuum

Apr 26, 2024

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 & remedy

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.

22V315000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:vacuum

May 9, 2022

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 & remedy

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.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.