2006 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 Complaints

I RECENTLY STARTED NOTICING A SLIGHT HUMMING SOUND COMING FROM THE FRONT OF MY SUV. I TOOK IT TO THE SERVICE CENTER AND WAS TOLD THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL NEEDS TO BE REPLACE AT A COST OF $3668.00. I WAS TOLD THEY JUST GO BAD AND ALSO THEY JUST REPLACED TWO MORE HERE LATELY. *TR

I BOUGHT A 2006 MERCEDES 3 YEARS AGO THINKING I WOULD HAVE A CAR FOR A LIFETIME BOY DID I GO WRONG. IN THE PAST 3 MONTHS I HAVE HAD MAJOR PROBLEMS AND MERCEDES DOESN'T CARE. THE FIRST ISSUE I HAD TO REPLACE THE CRANK SHAFT $6000 PLUS FOR REPAIR I ALMOST WENT CRAZY SO I STARTED RESEARCHING ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND OUT THERE WAS A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT FOR THIS ISSUE SO I PHONED MERCEDES AND THEY AGREE TO PICK UP HALF OF THE REPAIR. ONE MONTH LATER CAR STARTS MAKING WINDING NOISE TAKE IT BACK TO THEM AND NOW THEY SAY IT IS THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL $5500 TO REPAIR I START TO RESEARCH THAT ON THE INTERNET AND THERE ARE SO MANY COMPLAINTS FOR MY SAME ISSUE ON THE SAME YEAR AND MODEL SO I GO BACK TO MERCEDES HOWEVER THIS TIME NOT WILLING TO HELP. HOW MANY COMPLAINTS IS IT GOING TO TAKE FOR SOMETHING TO BE DONE TO SUCH A POWERFUL COMPANY LIKE MERCEDES. I TRULY DO NOT THINK THIS IS FAIR AND US THE CONSUMERS ARE BEING RIPPED OFF. *JS

CAR DOES NOT DOWN SHIFT WHEN SLOWING DOWN TO STOP. THEN WHEN YOU TRY TO ACCELERATE IT BARELY MOVES. ONE HAS TO PLACE THE TRANSMISSION INTO PARK, THEN TURN ENGINE OFF AND THEN RESTART ENGINE TO RESET TRANSMISSION. FAULT CODES IN THE ONBOARD COMPUTER ALL POINT TO VALVE BODY CONDUCTOR PLATE ON TRANSMISSION. MERCEDES WILL NOT SELL OR REPLACE PART TO INDEPENDENT MECHANICS. THEY WILL ONLY SELL IT TO DEALERS WHICH I BELIEVE ARE TOLD TO DIAGNOSE A DIFFERENT PROBLEM. IN OTHER WORDS WORK AROUND THE PROBLEM TO GENERATE INCOME BEFORE ACTUALLY TRYING TO FIX THE ACTUAL PROBLEM. THIS IS A WELL DOCUMENTED PROBLEM AMONGST ML 350 OWNERS WITH SOME PAYING THOUSANDS AND STILL NOT HAVING THE PROBLEM CORRECTED. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS BECAUSE THIS CAN BECOME A SAFETY ISSUE ESPECIALLY AT A BUSY TRAFFIC LIGHT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCEDES BENZ ML350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD LOSE POWER WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 10 MPH. THE FAILURE WAS EXPERIENCED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED AND LOCATED THE FAILURE AT THE TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000 AND THE APPROXIMATE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 115,000.

OWNER OF 2006 ML350 CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON TOOK IN FOR DIAGNOSIS WITH CAM SHAFT FAILURE, MB DOES NOT OFFER ANY HELP AND KNEW OF THIS ISSUE. CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IN NJ ALREADY STARTED, HOPING ONE WILL GET STARTED IN SC. COST TO REPAIR IS $6,000 TO THE CUSTOMER. THIS IS USURY, AND DECEPTION BY THE WONDERFUL AUTOMAKERS OF THIS GREAT FOREIGN CAR MAKER WITH AN OFFICE IN THE USA. WHEN YOU CALL MB USA THEY ADVISE YOU TO SPEAK WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER THAT OFFERS NO HELP. *KB

AT APPROXIMATELY 70K MILES, I BEGAN TO NOTICE A LOW-FREQUENCY WHINING NOISE IN THE FRONT END OF MY ML-350 AT SPEEDS ABOVE 40 MPH. THE NOISE BECAME MORE PREVALENT WHEN I TOOK MY FOOT OFF OF THE ACCELERATOR AT HIGHER SPEEDS. FIRST, REPLACED ALL FOUR TIRES WITH MICHELIN "LATITUDE TOUR HP" - $1,300 (INCLUDING ALIGNMENT). THE NOISE STILL OCCURRED. NEXT, TOOK TO MB SPECIALIST, WHO RECOMMENDED BOTH WHEEL BEARING BE REPLACED - COST $425/SIDE. THE BEARINGS WERE REPLACED AND NOISE STILL OCCURRED. MB SPECIALIST RECOMMENDED CHECKING DIFFERENTIAL OIL FOR METAL - FOUND LOTS OF METAL FRAGMENTS IN DIFFERENTIAL OIL. INSTALLATION OF NEW DIFFERENTIAL WAS ~$3,500. MB SPECIALIST STATED THAT HIS PARTS DISTRIBUTOR SAID THAT THEY SELL AT LEAST ONE-TO-TWO LATE MODEL ML-350 FRONT END DIFFERENTIALS PER MONTH. IN MY OPINION, IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THERE IS A FLAW IN THE DIFFERENTIAL'S DESIGN OR MANUFACTURING PROCESS, AS I SEEN SEVERAL REPORTS OF THE SAME DIFFERENTIAL ISSUES WITH [RELATIVELY]-LOW-MILEAGE/LATE-MODEL MB ML-350 SUVS. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MB RESEARCH THIS ISSUE, AND POSSIBLY INSTATE A RECALL OR REIMBURSE MB OWNERS WHO'VE ALREADY AFFECTED COSTLY REPAIRS ON THEIR LOW-MILEAGE ML-350'S FRONT END DIFFERENTIALS. *TR

TRANSMISSION CODES DO NOT SWITCH GEARS HAPPENS ALOT HOW I'M DRIVING HAVE TO GET CODES RESET EVERY 2 TO 3 DAYS! *KB

TOOK CAR TO MB DEALERSHIP IN NORTH OLMSTED OHIO BECAUSE FRONT END OF CAR AND STEERING WHEEL STARTED SHAKING AND VIBRATING EXCESSIVELY WHEN THE CAR WAS DRIVEN IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. CAR DROVE FINE UNDER THAT SPEED. I ALMOST WAS CAUSED TO DRIVE OFF OF ROAD AT MULTIPLE POINTS BECAUSE OF EXCESSIVE VIBRATION AND LACK OF STEERING CONTROL. CONDITION DID NOT OCCUR AT LOWER SPEEDS. CAR WAS 1 WEEK OUTSIDE OF MFR WARRANTY. WAS TOLD BY MB DEALERSHIP THAT CAR NEEDED NEW FRONT DIFFERENTIAL. I CALLED MB NATIONAL TO COMPLAIN ABOUT AN ALLEGED LUXURY CAR'S FRONT DIFFERENTIAL FAILING ONLY AFTER 40K MILES. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS NOT THEIR PROBLEM. CAR CONTINUES TO HAVE PROBLEM TO THIS DAY (1 YEAR LATER). I WAS TOLD THAT THE CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE. I HAVE SINCE BEEN LOOKING FOR A USED DIFFERNTIAL BECAUSE A NEW ONE W/INSTALL IS OVER $3K. IT SEEMS AS IF I AM NOT THE ONLY ML OWNER EXPERIENCING THESE PROBLEMS. MB WENT WITH A NEW 7 SPEED TRANSMISSION THAT YEAR WHICH MAY LEAD TO PROBLEMS. *TR

AROUND 45,000 MILES THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A MERCEDES BENZ DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND WAS NOTIFIED THAT THE BALANCE SHAFT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. IN ORDER TO REPLACE THE BALANCE SHAFT, THE ENGINE NEEDS TO BE TAKEN OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND TAKEN APART. ESTIMATED COST $6,000. THE SERVICE DEPT. TOLD ME THAT IT WAS DUE TO A PART THAT WAS NOT HARDENED PROPERLY DURING MANUFACTURING. THERE IS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (S-B-03.30/08I) THAT WAS ORIGINALLY ISSUED IN 2007 WHICH WAS FOUND IN INTERNET SEARCHING, HOWEVER IT SEEMS LIKE MERCEDES BENZ KNOWS THAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT (ON THE MAJORITY OF THESE VEHICLES) WILL NOT COME ON UNTIL WHEN THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. SINCE THIS FIX IS A HUGE EXPENSE, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO ISSUE A RECALL EVEN THOUGH IT IS CLEARLY A SAFETY CONCERN. IF I WOULD'VE HAVE CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE IN THIS CONDITION, EVENTUALLY THE BALANCE SHAFT WOULD HAVE CONTINUED TO BREAK ITS TEETH RESULTING IN ENGINE FAILURE. CONTINUING TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE IN THE CONDITION IS NOT SAFE, IT IS A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE VEHICLE STOPS RUNNING AND THE ENGINE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE MERCEDES BENZ USA REPLACED OUR BALANCE SHAFT OR PAY FOR IT PEOPLE WHO ALREADY FIXED. *TR

BALANCE SHAFT PROBLEM ON THE 2006 MERCEDES BENZ ML350 - I LIVE IN SOUTH FL AND I HAVE A 2006 MERCEDES ML350 WITH LESS THAN 50,000 MILES AND JUST LAST WEEK GOT A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP IN POMPANO BEACH AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE BALANCE SHAFT HAS TO BE REPLACED AND IT WILL COST $6600. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND THE MANUFACTURER MAKES NO EFFORT TO RECALL THE VEHICLES AND REPLACE THE PARTS FOR FREE. I CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY FOR THIS FACTORY DEFECT, MERCEDES BENZ SHOULD PAY FOR IT. *TR