AI DamageMercedes-Benz CL Class: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Mercedes-Benz CL Class across 5 model years: 33 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Suspension 24% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 21% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 15% of all complaints
- 4 Air bags 12% of all complaints
- 5 Seat belts 12% of all complaints
- 6 Seats 9% of all complaints
- 7 Tires 9% of all complaints
- 8 Service brakes 6% of all complaints
- Suspension: 8 complaints (24% of all).
- Electrical system: 7 complaints (21% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 5 complaints (15% of all).
- Air bags: 4 complaints (12% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seat belts: 4 complaints (12% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 4.7 L · petrol · turbo · 8 cyl 2011–2014
- 5 L · petrol · 8 cyl 1998–2006
- 5 L · petrol · turbo · 8 cyl 2003
- 5.4 L · petrol · 8 cyl 2001–2002
- 5.4 L · petrol · turbo · 8 cyl 2004–2006
- 5.5 L · petrol · 8 cyl 2007–2010
- 5.5 L · petrol · turbo · 8 cyl 2011–2014
- 5.5 L · petrol · 12 cyl 2003
- 5.5 L · petrol · turbo · 12 cyl 2004–2014
- 5.8 L · petrol · 12 cyl 2001–2002
- 6 L · petrol · 12 cyl 1998–1999
- 6 L · petrol · turbo · 12 cyl 2005–2014
- 6.2 L · petrol · 8 cyl 2008–2009
- 6.3 L · petrol · 8 cyl 2010
- automatic, 5-speed 1998–2014
- automatic, 7-speed 2004–2014
Drive: RWD, 4WD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 33 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Seats | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Tires | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercedes benz cl500. The contact was entering a parking space when the vehicle abnormally accelerated, causing him to crash into the bumper of another vehicle. There were damages to the front of the vehicle and the contact's insurance company was notified of the crash.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercedes benz cl with michelin primacy mxv4 tl tires, line size 225/55/r17, dot number: 898kef1x4707. The consumers grandson was driving 65 mph when the front passenger side tire blew, causing him to crash into an embankment, hit a sign post and came back onto the road into the right lane…
The front end of the mercedes was destroyed and caught fire. The air bags did not deploy until the vehicle came to rest after the crash. The front of the limousine was "sheered" off. There were three fatalities and one injury.
45mph) where the cl55 dash mounted airbags deployed after the vehicle came to rest, and the cl55's integrated seatbelt worn by the passenger and sole survivor resulted in the displacement of the seat-back by 45-degrees without imposing a notable injury to the passenger's right shoulder.
The mercedes cl & sl classes have the same front seats with an integrated seat belt system. Since it was only connected to the seat, the seat failed without even a bruise to my right shoulder (by over 30-40 degrees). I was left against the dash board (with my seatbelt on) throwing limbs at my survival.
Upon impact impact side air bag did not deploy. Consumer notice mercedes benz body service, no response as to why?
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Other models of this make
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-06.