2010 Mercedes-Benz ML350

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Below Average

Quick Summary

The 2010 Mercedes-Benz ML350 has 112 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 1.4x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is air bags problems (60% of all complaints), specifically: when making a left hand turn on city road, aprox 25mph the passenger headrest srs system malfunctioned and sprung open hitting passenger in back of head causing neck injury. *tr. ⚠️ 3 fire reports filed.

3 fire reports 8 crash reports 1 injury

112

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

1.4x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

AIR BAGS

67 complaints

60%

• WHEN MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN ON CITY ROAD, APROX 25MPH THE PASSENGER HEADREST SRS SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED AND SPRUNG OPEN HITTING PASSENGER IN BACK OF HEAD CAUSING NECK INJURY. *TR
• WARNING LIGHT COMES ON: A) FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG DISABLED, SEE OPERATORS MANUAL B) FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG ENABLED, SEE OPERATORS MANUAL C) ESP WARNING LIGHT ALSO COMES ON ADULT PASSENGER IS ALWAYS SEATED AND WITH SEAT BELT ON WHEN THESE ERROR MESSAGES COME ON. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SERVICE D
• TAKATA RECALL FOR TAKATA INFLATORS. MY CAR IS EQUIPPED WITH THESE AND I NEED THE RECALL WORK DONE. IT IS A MATTER OF SAFETY AND I AND MY FAMILY REALLY WOULD NEED TO GET THE RECALL WOK DONE, THANK YOU

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“WHEN MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN ON CITY ROAD, APROX 25MPH THE PASSENGER HEADREST SRS SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED AND SPRUNG OPEN HITTING PASSENGER IN BACK OF HEAD CAUSING NECK INJURY. *TR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

SEATS/RESTRAINTS

10 complaints

• REAR PASSENGER SEAT BELTS WON'T RETRACT. THIS LEAVES THE BELTS LOOSE AND INEFFECTIVE WHILE DRIVING. *TR
• THE REAR SEAT BELTS ON THIS VEHICLE GET STUCK ALL THE WAY OUT AND WILL NOT RETRACT. THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY AS OF THIS MONTH AND THE DEALER IS QUOTING AROUND $800 TO FIX THIS KNOWN ISSUE. HAVING A BROKEN RETRACTOR IS NOT SAFE AS WE CANNOT PUT TWO PEOPLE IN THE BACK SEAT OF OUR CAR. A TERRIBLE
• REAR SEATBELTS FAIL TO RETRACT. I'M WAITING ON A CALL FROM THE DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT AS TO THE COST TO REPLACE THE REAR SEAT BELTS. I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM IN ANY OTHER CAR BRAND. VERY DISAPPOINTED AND CONCERNED ABOUT COST TO REPLACE AS CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY. HOWEVER, SINCE

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“REAR PASSENGER SEAT BELTS WON'T RETRACT. THIS LEAVES THE BELTS LOOSE AND INEFFECTIVE WHILE DRIVING. *TR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

10 complaints

• AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. INSTEAD OF BLOWING A FUSE , FUSE HOUSING MELTED FROM FIRE AND HEAT REQUIRING REPLACEMENT OF THE ENTIRE HOUSING WITH ALL FUSES AND RELAYS. I BROUGHT IT UP TO MERCEDES BENZ ATTENTION AND THEIR RESPONSE WAS AS THE PART GOT REPLACED AT THIS POINT IT IS ONLY AN "ALLEGED" PROBLEM. THEY
• THE IGNITION SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THE CAR WAS NOT ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE ELECTRONIC KEY ANYMORE TO THE TUNE OF $1,300.00+ ON A FOUR YEAR OLD CAR, AT THIS PRICE POINT IS RIDICULOUS! ADDITIONALLY, A NEW KEY WAS NEEDED. *TR
• 2010 MERCEDES ML350 LED STYLE BRAKE LIGHTS FAIL GRADUALLY, ONE LED OR ONE ROW AT A TIME, GRADUALLY DIMINISHING THE BRAKE LIGHT INTENSITY. BOTH THE RIGHT AND LEFT BRAKE LIGHTS ARE FAILING IN THE SAME MANNER. THE HAZARD OF LOSING VEHICLE BRAKE LIGHTS IS OBVIOUS.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 2 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. INSTEAD OF BLOWING A FUSE , FUSE HOUSING MELTED FROM FIRE AND HEAT REQUIRING REPLACEMENT OF THE ENTIRE HOUSING WITH ALL FUSES AND RELAYS. I BROUGHT IT UP TO MERCEDES BENZ ATTENTION AND THEIR RESPONSE WAS AS THE PART GOT REPLACED AT THIS POINT IT IS ONLY AN "ALLEGED" PROBLEM. THEY”

— NHTSA complaint filing

BRAKES

6 complaints

• REAR SEATBELT STOPPED RETRACTING,PASSENGER SIDE.ALSO HAD ABS AND ESP WARNING INDICATORS COME ON,WAS TOLD ALL SENSORS SHOULD BE CHANGED BUT DUE TO AN EXTENDED WARRANTY BOUGHT THROUGH A USED CAR DEALER ONLY ONE SENSOR WAS CHANGED.THIS HAS HAPPENED TWO TIMES IN THREE YEARS
• TWO ISSUES WITH MY ML350 2010 CAR - 1) ELECTRICAL - GAS GAUGE WENT TO ZERO WHILE DRIVING EVEN WHEN CAR WAS THREE QUARTERS FULL OF GAS. AFTER I STOPPED CAR AND RESTARTED ENGINE, GAS GAUGE WENT IMMEDIATELY BACK UP TO THREE QUARTERS FULL. 2) FAILED BRAKES - I WAS DRIVING INTO A PARKING SPOT SLOWLY USIN
• The contact owns a 2010 Mercedes-Benz ML350. The contact stated while driving at 45-50 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond. The contact depressed the brake pedal harder and the vehicle stopped abruptly. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to continue d

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 3 crashes

“REAR SEATBELT STOPPED RETRACTING,PASSENGER SIDE.ALSO HAD ABS AND ESP WARNING INDICATORS COME ON,WAS TOLD ALL SENSORS SHOULD BE CHANGED BUT DUE TO AN EXTENDED WARRANTY BOUGHT THROUGH A USED CAR DEALER ONLY ONE SENSOR WAS CHANGED.THIS HAS HAPPENED TWO TIMES IN THREE YEARS”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

5 complaints

• AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. INSTEAD OF BLOWING A FUSE , FUSE HOUSING MELTED FROM FIRE AND HEAT REQUIRING REPLACEMENT OF THE ENTIRE HOUSING WITH ALL FUSES AND RELAYS. I BROUGHT IT UP TO MERCEDES BENZ ATTENTION AND THEIR RESPONSE WAS AS THE PART GOT REPLACED AT THIS POINT IT IS ONLY AN "ALLEGED" PROBLEM. THEY
• IDLER PULLEY SPLIT INTO PIECES DUE TO SEIZED BEARING. *TR
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 MERCEDES BENZ ML350. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILUR

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

AIR BAGS(~50K mi)

$500

SEATS/RESTRAINTS(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

BRAKES(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 112 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
AIR BAGS: WHEN MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN ON CITY ROAD, APROX 25MPH THE PASSENGER HEADREST SRS SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED AND SPRUNG OPEN HITTING PASSENGER IN BACK OF HEAD CAUSING NECK INJURY. *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
SEATS/RESTRAINTS: REAR PASSENGER SEAT BELTS WON'T RETRACT. THIS LEAVES THE BELTS LOOSE AND INEFFECTIVE WHILE DRIVING. *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. INSTEAD OF BLOWING A FUSE , FUSE HOUSING MELTED FROM FIRE AND HEAT REQUIRING REPLACEMENT OF THE ENTIRE HOUSING WITH ALL FUSES AND RELAYS. I BROUGHT IT UP TO MERCEDES BENZ ATTENTION AND THEIR RESPONSE WAS AS THE PART GOT REPLACED AT THIS POINT IT IS ONLY AN "ALLEGED" PROBLEM. THEY
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
BRAKES: REAR SEATBELT STOPPED RETRACTING,PASSENGER SIDE.ALSO HAD ABS AND ESP WARNING INDICATORS COME ON,WAS TOLD ALL SENSORS SHOULD BE CHANGED BUT DUE TO AN EXTENDED WARRANTY BOUGHT THROUGH A USED CAR DEALER ONLY ONE SENSOR WAS CHANGED.THIS HAS HAPPENED TWO TIMES IN THREE YEARS
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)