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2006 Mercedes Benz R500

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

22 reports with mileage · 4 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.

  • Power Train. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. 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.

2 crash reports4 fire reports2 injury reports

Exterior Lighting complaints

1 reports
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179,000 miles · Sep 2, 2020
Electrical SystemExterior LightingSeatsFireInjury

THE VEHICLE'S REAR DRIVERS SIDE BRAKE OR REVERSE LIGHT WOULD NOT GO OFF FOR A WEEK (TO MY KNOWLEDGE) AND WHILE SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SIDE I TURNED ON THE HEAT WARMING DEVICE AND THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. IT WAS AFTER WE HAD BEEN SHOPPING AND RETURNED TO THE VEHICLE DID WE NOTICE A SMELL OF SOMETHING BURNING, BUT COULD NOT TELL WH…

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THE VEHICLE'S REAR DRIVERS SIDE BRAKE OR REVERSE LIGHT WOULD NOT GO OFF FOR A WEEK (TO MY KNOWLEDGE) AND WHILE SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SIDE I TURNED ON THE HEAT WARMING DEVICE AND THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. IT WAS AFTER WE HAD BEEN SHOPPING AND RETURNED TO THE VEHICLE DID WE NOTICE A SMELL OF SOMETHING BURNING, BUT COULD NOT TELL WHERE IT WAS COMING FROM. STILL UNAWARE THAT A FIRE COULD START FROM THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE, IS WHEN WE REALIZED THAT THE CARGO AREA OF THE VEHICLES SIDE PANEL WAS IN COMPLETE FLAMES! THUS, CAUSING PHYSICAL AND MENTAL INJURIES, SMOKE AND PROPERTY DAMAGE AND A COMPLETE SENSE OF INSECURITY. THE VEHICLES MAIN SECURITY FEATURE NEVER WARNED US OF ANY POTENTIAL LIFE THREATENING DANGER AS IT WOULD IF MY TIRE WAS LOW AND THE ON CALL SYSTEM FAILED TO BE HELPFUL WHEN TRYING TO GET HELP, FOR WE WERE ONLY ABLE TO HEAR THE REPRESENTATIVES BUT NOT COMMUNICATE WITH THEM WHICH LED TO 5 REPRESENTATIVE DISCONNECT CALLS.

NHTSA ODI #11352688

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.