2008 Mercedes Benz Ml320 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Exterior Lighting (3) · Vehicle Speed Control (2) · Steering (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Mercedes Benz Ml320 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
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 (82)
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 82 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2024-08-24 · Service Brakes“right rear brake light inoperative even with new bulb. dash warning light shows this light not working .08…”
2022-03-07 · Exterior Lighting“the rear turn signals and brakes lights are not working properly, even with new bulbs and replacement of the bulbs base case the turn signal still blinking as if the bulb is burned and the brake light doesn't work simultaneously it work when the turn signal is not used. the car was took to the dealer several times and the problem continue the same.…”
2021-09-01 · Unknown Or Other · 💥 crash“8/1/2021 accident involving 2008 mercedes ml320 cdi >recall faulty tow hitch< mercedes has refused to conduct an investigation and resolve these damages. while injured (both myself and 9 yr old son w/ a heart condition), no serious injuries or fatalities happened during the accident. it resulted in totaling the vehicle and our camper. recall d…”
2021-08-06 · Unknown Or Other · 💥 crash“tow hitch weld broke resulting in vehicle accident. interstate wreck, could have killed myself, my 9 yr old and 4 dogs along w/ any other vehicles that could have struck us. …”
2018-12-31 · Exterior Lighting · 200,000 mi“while driving the mercedes ml320 at night the vehicle suddenly posted the following message "battery voltage is too low. please start the engine. otherwise, comand will shut off in 3 minutes." the engine was running at this time and the vehicle was in motion. a short time later the headlights on the vehicle suddenly went out. i turned on the fl…”
2018-02-06 · Structure:body:hatchback/Liftgate · 108,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2008 mercedes-benz ml320. the contact stated that the liftgate failed to open. in addition, the rear middle brake light failed to illuminate. the contact called mercedes-benz of fort lauderdale at (954) 949-0623 (located at 2411 s federal hwy, fort lauderdale, fl 33316) and was informed that the vehicle was not included in a …”
2018-02-06 · Electrical System · 107,000 mi“my 2008 is having the same problem as this 2009. mercedes benz is recalling 16,130 my 2009 m-class w164 passenger vehicles equipped with the optional power lift gate. as a result of a faulty seal around the rear tail lamp assembly, water may enter the rear compartment containing the spare tire. water contamination of the control unit for the power …”
2016-03-21 · Electrical System · 89,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2008 mercedes-benz ml320. while driving approximately 30 mph, the engine stalled without warning. the vehicle restarted, but the failure recurred twice. the second time the failure recurred, the vehicle did not restart. the contact also stated that the horn sounded without being prompted. the vehicle was towed to the contact'…”
2016-01-05 · Visibility/Wiper · 127,555 mi“water entered the vehicle (rain) standing water in the spare tire area of the car. the windshield wiper quit working. got error messages on the dash rear hatch open, checked rear hatch was closed and it would not open either manually or using the remote opener or the button in the car, multiple error messages rear brake lights left right side and…”
2015-02-13 · Suspension · 125,781 mi“right rear coil spring broken. rear of vehicle has uneven level. could affect handling. *tr…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.