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2006 Mercedes Benz ML500

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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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

Suspension complaints

1 reports
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23,000 miles · Nov 24, 2007
Suspension

THE ELECTRONIC AIRMATIC SUSPENSION SYSTEM IS MALFUNCTIONING FOR THE SECOND TIME IN A YEAR! WHEN THIS HAPPENS THE VECHILE IS UNDRIVEABLE BECAUSE THE FRONT END FALLS ON THE FRONT WHEELS. *TR CAN YOU BELEIVE I PAID EXTRA DOLLARS FOR THIS OPTION AND IT APPEARS THAT THIS WILL BE AN ONGOING PROBLEM AND I BELEIVE THE PROBLEM WILL …

Read full complaint

THE ELECTRONIC AIRMATIC SUSPENSION SYSTEM IS MALFUNCTIONING FOR THE SECOND TIME IN A YEAR! WHEN THIS HAPPENS THE VECHILE IS UNDRIVEABLE BECAUSE THE FRONT END FALLS ON THE FRONT WHEELS. *TR CAN YOU BELEIVE I PAID EXTRA DOLLARS FOR THIS OPTION AND IT APPEARS THAT THIS WILL BE AN ONGOING PROBLEM AND I BELEIVE THE PROBLEM WILL NEVER BE RESOLVED. I CAN SEE MYSELF IN ANOTHER 5000 OR 6000 MILES EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM! I BELEIVE FROM PAST EXPERIENCE WITH MERCEDES BENZ THE ELECTRONIC AIRMATIC SUSPENION WILL NEVER WORK PROPERLY AND THE CAR SHOULD BE DECLARED A LEMON FOR THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTED REASON! I OWN A 1963 MERCEDES BENZ 300SE WITH THE OLD MERCEDES BENZ HYDROLIC VERSION OF THE AIRMATIC SUSPENSION AND IT ALWAYS BROKEN. THAT WAS 43 YEARS AGO AND THE CRAFTED THINKERS AT MERCEDES BENZ HAVE NOT RESOLVED THE PROBLEM YET! WHEN I BOUGHT THE VECHILE THE SALESMAN ASSURED ME THAT THEY HAD WORKED OUT ALL THE PROBLEMS WITH THE AIRMATIC SUSPENSION AND I HAD NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT! IF THAT'S THE CASE! WHY IS MY CAR IN THE GARAGE AND I HAVE NO VECHILE TO DRIVE UNTIL MY SERVICE APPOINMENT THIS WEDNESDAY COMMING UP. MERCEDES BENZ OFFERS A $70,000 TRUCK WITH A NIGHMARE ELECTRONIC SUSPENSION FOR AN OPTION THAT DOES NOT WORK THAT YOU PAID EXTRA MONEY FOR. WHAT A JOKE? I REALLY THINK THEY SHOULD REPLACE THE VECHILE. THIS PROBLEM WILL NEVER BE RESOLVED! ALL I,M GONNA GET FROM MERCEDES BENZ IS WE WILL FIX THE PROBLEM SIR! DON'T WORRY! THE BIG QUESTION WHO WILL PAY THE COST OF THE REPAIR OF THIS PROBLEM WHEN MY WARRANTY ENDS IF I KEEP THIS VECHILE! IT'S NOT FAIR!

NHTSA ODI #10209783

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.