NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
99 reports55,000 miles · Aug 20, 2011
Engine And Engine Cooling
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE VEHICLE FAILED STATE INSPECTION AND WAS TAKEN TO A MERCEDES DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THEY REPORT THAT THERE IS A BALANCE SHIFT PROBLEM THAT WAS RELATED TO WEAR AND TEAR. THE REPAIR COSTS 5,000.00. I FOUND ONLINE THAT THERE IS A CLASS ACTION SUIT REGARDING THIS ISSUE. I BELIEVE MERCEDES IS WELL AWARE …
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CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE VEHICLE FAILED STATE INSPECTION AND WAS TAKEN TO A MERCEDES DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THEY REPORT THAT THERE IS A BALANCE SHIFT PROBLEM THAT WAS RELATED TO WEAR AND TEAR. THE REPAIR COSTS 5,000.00. I FOUND ONLINE THAT THERE IS A CLASS ACTION SUIT REGARDING THIS ISSUE. I BELIEVE MERCEDES IS WELL AWARE THAT THIS ID A DEFECTIVE PART AND WILL NOT RECALL THE VEHICLE DUE TO FINANCIAL RAMIFICATIONS. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10420793
100,000 miles · Aug 15, 2011
Power Train
GEAR GETS STRUCK IN MERCEDES-BENZ R350. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10419448
80,000 miles · Jul 20, 2011
Engine And Engine Cooling
MY CAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN SERVICE BY MERCEDES DEALERSHIP. I BARELY DRIVE MY R350 MERCEDES. MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I WAS TOLD THAT MY BALANCE SHAFT AND INTAKE MANIFOLD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER SAID ITS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT OCCUR WITH THE 2006 AND THEY ARE NOT SURE WHY ITS NOT A RECALL. *KB
NHTSA ODI #10413833
68,080 miles · Jun 30, 2011
Engine And Engine CoolingFuel System, GasolinePower Train
THE VEHICLE INDICATED CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND THE ERROR CODE SHOWS P0016 WHICH IS SHAFT BALANCE ISSUE. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT ATTEND TO IT DESPITE THE FACT THAT IT A KNOWN ERROR FROM FACTORY. THE ISSUE WOULD REOCCUR BECAUSE OF POOR MATERIAL AND COULD CAUSE THE CAR TO STALL WHILE IN TRAVEL.
NHTSA ODI #10411070
51,560 miles · Apr 9, 2011
Power Train
I HAVE A 2006 MERCEDES R350 THAT WE BOUGHT USED IN 2009. THE CAR NOW HAS 51,560 MILES AND THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL IS OUT AND NEEDS REPLACED AT A COST OF 3500.00. I HAVE READ OF SEVERAL COMPLAINTS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE SAME MILEAGE ON THE CAR. MERCEDES IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT REFUSES TO ISSUE A RECALL. I AM FIGHTIN…
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I HAVE A 2006 MERCEDES R350 THAT WE BOUGHT USED IN 2009. THE CAR NOW HAS 51,560 MILES AND THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL IS OUT AND NEEDS REPLACED AT A COST OF 3500.00. I HAVE READ OF SEVERAL COMPLAINTS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE SAME MILEAGE ON THE CAR. MERCEDES IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT REFUSES TO ISSUE A RECALL. I AM FIGHTING WITH THEM NOW TO JUST GET THEM TO COVER HALF THE COST. EVEN THOUGH IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY, THE PROBLEM STARTED BEFORE THE WARRANTY WAS OUT AND I CALLED THE DEALER. THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE WARRANTY RAN OUT ON FRIDAY AND I CALLED ON MONDAY SO THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO FOR ME. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10395375
39,000 miles · Mar 7, 2011
Structure
A DEFECTIVE DRAIN OR FILTER ALLOWS WATER TO ENTER THE VENTILATION UNIT. THIS DAMAGES THE ELECTRICAL REQUIRING REPLACEMENT. RESIDUAL WATER LEAKS TO THE CARPET, CAUSING MILDEW SMELLS. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10386778
62,000 miles · Feb 24, 2011
Engine And Engine Cooling
BALANCE SHAFT PROBLEMS IN 2006 R350 MERCEDES BENZ AT 62K MILES. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10384253
48,200 miles · Feb 23, 2011
Engine And Engine Cooling
DETAILED VEHICLE INFORMATION: VIN: [XXX] MODEL YEAR: 2006 MODEL: R350 (MODEL CODE 251.156/165) ENGINE: 3.5L 90 V6 (M272) CURRENT MILEAGE: APPROXIMATELY 48,500 MILES REFERENCE: MERCEDES BENZ SERVICE BULLETIN S-B-03.30/08J: MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AT 70 MILES PER HOUR AND ENGINE LOST POWER AND DEVELOPED STRON…
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DETAILED VEHICLE INFORMATION: VIN: [XXX] MODEL YEAR: 2006 MODEL: R350 (MODEL CODE 251.156/165) ENGINE: 3.5L 90 V6 (M272) CURRENT MILEAGE: APPROXIMATELY 48,500 MILES REFERENCE: MERCEDES BENZ SERVICE BULLETIN S-B-03.30/08J: MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AT 70 MILES PER HOUR AND ENGINE LOST POWER AND DEVELOPED STRONG VIBRATIONS, FORCING ME TO SLOW DOWN AND LIMP HOME. MERCEDES MECHANIC DIAGNOSED IT AS BROKEN BALANCE SHAFT GEAR. DUE TO WEAK MATERIALS USED IN THE EARLY M272 ENGINE PRODUCTION, THE BALANCE SHAFT SPROCKET AND OTHER ENGINE COMPONENTS CAN FAIL CATASTROPHICALLY CAUSING PROPERTY DAMAGE AND PERSONAL INJURY. THIS IS KNOWN DESIGN FLAW AND SHOULD BE SUBJECT TO RECALL. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10384247
35,000 miles · Feb 23, 2011
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting
TAIL LIGHTS DOES NOT ILLUMINATE, JUST THE SUBSTITUTE BULBS. I CHANGED OUT ALL THE BULBS BUT STILL NO STOP, TAIL LIGHTS. FUSES ALL GOOD. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10384216
88,500 miles · Feb 10, 2011
Structure
A DEFECTIVE DRAIN AND/OR AIR BOX ALLOWS WATER TO ENTER THE INTERIOR AIR HANDLER/BLOWER UNIT. THIS DAMAGES THE BLOWER REQUIRING REPLACEMENT AND LEAKS TO THE CARPET, CAUSING MILDEW SMELLS AND POTENTIAL RUST. THE PROBLEM IS NOT COVERED BY MBUSA. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10381456
Official recalls
2Apr 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.
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 ↗
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