2006 Mercedes Benz Ml500 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes, Hydraulic (5) · Vehicle Speed Control (4) · Power Train:automatic Transmission (4)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Mercedes Benz Ml500 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
31 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:vacuum 2024-04-26 · campaign 24V298000 · 15,604 vehicles ⚠ DO NOT DRIVE
Defect: 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.
Risk: Reduced brake performance or brake failure can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:vacuum 2022-05-09 · campaign 22V315000 · 350,294 vehicles ⚠ DO NOT DRIVE
Defect: 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.
Risk: Reduced brake performance or brake failure can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (93)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Service Brakes 2026-09-22 · LI42.10-P-078779 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
complaint repeat workshop visit for vehicle vibration while braking from 60mph. note: although the symptom is similar to a tire or wheel vibration, it is usually readily noticeable that it is distinctly different if it happens at all times or only while braking. cause although the cause of the vibra
Structure:body 2026-09-14 · LI82.62-P-078631 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
complaint clanking noise from the area of the speakers in the doors. cause under analysis. remedy to narrow down the cause, first of all remove the door trim. • if the noise continues to occur even with the door trim removed, then continue the diagnosis working towards the speaker and if necessary,
Structure:body 2026-08-06 · LI82.62-P-078631 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
complaint clanking noise from the area of the speakers in the doors. cause under analysis. remedy to narrow down the cause, first of all remove the door trim. • if the noise continues to occur even with the door trim removed, then continue the diagnosis working towards the speaker and if necessary,
Power Train 2026-07-14 · LI35.30-P-058566 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end). the noise is heard once in each instance when changing direction of travel. note: sound file in attachment cause if the complaint is eliminated by experimentally loosening the outboard collar n
Visibility/Wiper 2026-04-20 · LI77.21-P-075806 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
complaint the sliding sunroof glass panel of the panoramic roof reverses during the closing process, either once or multiple times, without an entrapment (anti‑pinch) event being detected. the concern may occur temporarily or repeatedly during normal closing operation. cause the automatic reversing
Exterior Lighting 2026-04-16 · LI82.10-P-078301 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
complaint headlamp, front fog lamp leaky or fogged. cause fogging of the headlamps is a natural phenomenon, which can occur under certain climatic conditions. it does not lead to any technical impairment of the headlamp. if a pressure compensation diaphragm is fitted in the housing cover, then the l
Showing the 6 most recent of 93 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-11-17 · Vehicle Speed Control · 💥 crash“the esp and abs malfunctioned and the vehicle went out of control and hit parked vehicles causing multiple damages and injuries to me.…”
2024-04-01 · Electrical System · 200,000 mi“the contact owns a 2006 mercedes-benz ml500. the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the passenger's side rear door glass had independently fallen into the door. the contact stated a burning odor was on the interior of the vehicle. the contact stated that after inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed water underneath the front pas…”
2024-01-17 · Service Brakes“i am experiencing malfunctions of the seat belt, electrical and breaking system…”
2023-04-27 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 125,000 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owns a 2006 mercedes-benz ml 500. the contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undetermined speed, the vehicle accelerated and crashed into a tree. the brake pedal was applied but it failed to respond. there were no warning lights illuminated. the driver-side air bag was deployed. the contact sustained bruises and injuries …”
2022-10-28 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 132,000 mi“the contact owns a 2006 mercedes-benz ml500. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. the contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power whenever the ignition was bumped. no warning light was illuminated. the dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised that the cost to repai…”
2022-09-06 · Unknown Or Other“when reviewing the vehicle for purchase i noticed the srs light on. i brought it to the dealerships attention. they instructed me to bring it back in the morning after signing paperwork so they could fix it. after i brought it back they let me know that they didn't see any srs lights and would not be servicing the vehicle. there has been multiple m…”
2022-08-31 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic“the contact owns a 2006 mercedes-benz ml500. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 22v315000 (service brakes, hydraulics) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the contact s…”
2022-07-18 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 200,000 mi“the contact owns a 2006 mercedes-benz ml500. the contact stated while driving 50 mph, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. the contact stated that the vehicle responded. the abs warning light was illuminated. the contact drove to his residence. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 22v315000 (service brake…”
2022-02-03 · Steering“car is extremely hard to turn/loss of power steering. noticed that there was a recall on these vehicles but my vin was not included. mechanic said power steering rack is bad. this has been an ongoing issue with this car since purchased with only 70,000 miles - not sure why this vin was not included in the recall? car stock radio screen also has int…”
2021-11-05 · Air Bags · 140,000 mi“the contact owns a 2006 mercedes-benz ml500. the contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the srs warning light would remain illuminated and a whining noise was present coming from the steering wheel. the cause of the failure was not yet determined. the local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 140,…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.