2012 Mercedes-Benz R350 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (5) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic (1) · Engine (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Mercedes-Benz R350 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (3)
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.
Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module 2016-02-11 · campaign 16V081000 · 711,159 vehicles
Defect: Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 ML320 BlueTec 4Matic, GL320 BlueTec 4Matic and R320 CDI 4Matic, 2011 E350 Cabriolet and E550 Cabriolet, 2009-2011 ML350, ML350 4Matic, ML550 4Matic, ML63 AMG, and C63 AMG, 2010-2011 ML450 4Matic Hybrid, E350 Coupe, E350 4Matic, E550 Coupe, E550 4Matic, and E63 AMG, 2011-2012 GL350 BlueTec 4Matic and R350 BlueTec 4Matic, 2009-2012 GL450 4Matic, GL550 4Matic and R350 4Matic, 2007-2008 SLK280, SLK350, and SLK55 AMG, 2011-201
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: MBUSA will their notify owners, and Fiat Chrysler will notify the affected Chrysler owners. Dealers for the respective brands will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. This recall began November 2016. Mercedes-Benz owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372 and Chrysler owners may contact Fiat Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403.
Service bulletins (52)
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 2026-03-09 · 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 la
Showing the 6 most recent of 52 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2022-07-07 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 185,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 mercedes-benz r350. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 22v315000 (service brakes, hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue…”
2019-03-31 · Air Bags“tamara recall. it's been 10 years now. when is my luck running out?…”
2019-03-29 · Air Bags“tl* takata recall. the contact owns a 2012 mercedes-benz r350. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 16v081000 (air bags). the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the contact called mercedes-benz of denver (located at 940 s colorado blvd, denver, co 80246, (303) 953-…”
2018-03-29 · Electrical System · 65,000 mi“"takata recall" - while driving along a county street my vehicle completely stalled. i put in park and it started and went approximately a 1/2 of a mile and stalled again. it did this twice more before i got home where i shut it off and called a tow company to take it to the shop. my service advisor call and told me that the wiring hones to the eng…”
2017-12-24 · Air Bags · 58,000 mi“takata recall manufacturer advised me of the defect in may 2016. the letter advised it would take some time to design and ultimately replace the defective part. no further notices have been received with a solution after more than 18-months. no accidents or collisions have occurred to test the bag effectiveness.…”
2017-12-02 · Air Bags“takata recall - airbag fix has yet not been made available and the company has declared bankruptcy, i'm clueless on who is going to fix the airbags.…”
2017-11-01 · Air Bags“takata recall i received a post card in the mail from tk holdings stating to contact the dealer for a free repair. i have contacted the dealer and they state that the airbags are on back order. the issue is not being resolved in a timely manner…”
2014-04-14 · Engine · 34,000 mi“tl*the contact owns a 2012 mercedes benz e350. the contact stated that the engine stalled without warning. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who performed a diagnostic that detected sludge in the engine. the engine was replaced however, the failure was not corrected and the vehicle continued to sporadically stall. the vehicle was taken back to t…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.