2006 Mercedes-Benz R350 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Suspension (25) · Engine (11) · Seats (8)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Mercedes-Benz R350 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
88 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 (75)
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
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
Exterior Lighting 2026-02-25 · LI82.10-P-078307 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
complaint headlamps leaking or fogged cause the fogging of the headlamp is a natural phenomenon which can occur under certain climatic conditions. in contrast to a leaky headlamp, physical fogging does not result in a technical impairment of the headlamp. a leak test must be performed to determine i
Showing the 6 most recent of 75 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2022-09-06 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic“the contact owns a 2006 mercedes-benz r350. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 22v315000 (service brakes, hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the dealer was made aware of the issue. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair…”
2022-06-20 · Engine“my car has stalled several times, either when i am driving, or when i stop at a traffic light. rough idling and/or running when stopped at a red light or driving at speeds that wouldn’t normally be an issue. engine stalling or misfiring, and car sometimes have trouble starting up. loud rattling or vibrating noises from the engine. the check engine …”
2020-07-16 · Unknown Or Other · 98,000 mi“as i was driving down the highway i pressed on gas pedal and vehicle made a very loud chain whine noise and it cut off in the middle of highway and never started back up.…”
2019-12-29 · Steering · 204,000 mi“my abs my eesp my brake light and check engine light mine anyways the whole cluster is going crazy it's hard to shift down when i'm coming to a stop not all the time but just sometimes so i got a mind of its own my speedometer goes up and down it says check my tire pressure when it's good my srs light comes on my brakes lights comes on it says dion…”
2019-05-14 · Seats · 146,000 mi · 🔥 fire“may 13, 2019, my wife started the car and drove for less than a mile when her dress started smoking from the driver seat that was alight. she stopped the car and removed our 11 month old baby from the backseat and called me. she has a video of the incident. i checked on mercedes usa site and found out that there was a class action law suite on this…”
2019-02-15 · Service Brakes · 120,000 mi“mercedes 2006 when i brake the car will keep going. sudden acceleration. this has happen twice and i have not owned the car for a year. i could kill someone. took it to dealer and three different shops and no one knows what i'm talking about help…”
2018-08-27 · Wheels · 108,951 mi“complaint is directed to court@groveautocenter.com in forest grove, oregon. at time of purchase, tires were totally worn and dealer agreed to new tire replacement. subsequent event revealed replacement tires were not new and had previously been improperly repaired. in addition, load factor was below minimum manufacturers rating and unsafe. deal…”
2018-04-07 · Engine“takata recall. i purchased my 2006 mercedes r350 in 2016 with over 100k miles on it. with the engine light already on. i used a scanner tool for an accurate diagnosis. as it stated two issues. a crank shaft sensor/ cam shaft sensor was needed. so i decided against my better judgement to finalize the purchase anyway. needless to say, after i changed…”
2018-04-02 · Air Bags · 117,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2006 mercedes-benz r350. while sitting in the vehicle and waiting to change a flat tire, the passenger and driver side air bags deployed inadvertently. the vehicle had not been involved in a crash. there were no injuries. the contact stated that the air bag warning indicator was illuminated prior to the failure. the dealer an…”
2017-12-12 · Suspension · 82,000 mi“yesterday, while parked, i noticed the car is leaning towards left side. mechanic checked and found the air spring bag was leaking. also, the strut on right got shot. many owners have the same complaint. i'm scared to travel with my kids and grand kids in the car. these cars must be recalled for suspension problems. http://www.arfc.org/complaint…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.