AI Damage2003 Mercedes-Benz CL Class: common problems
Owners of the 2003 Mercedes-Benz CL Class filed 5 complaints with NHTSA, most often about seat belts and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 5
- involving a crash
- 3
What fails most often
- 1 Seat belts 60% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 40% of all complaints
- 3 Seats 40% of all complaints
- 4 Electronic stability control 20% of all complaints
- 5 Equipment 20% of all complaints
- 6 Powertrain 20% of all complaints
- 7 Steering 20% of all complaints
- 8 Suspension 20% of all complaints
- Seat belts: 3 complaints (60% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 2 complaints (40% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seats: 2 complaints (40% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electronic stability control: 1 complaints (20% of all).
- Equipment: 1 complaints (20% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 5 L · petrol · 8 cyl
- 5 L · petrol · turbo · 8 cyl
- 5.5 L · petrol · 12 cyl
- automatic, 5-speed
Drive: RWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 5 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat belts | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Air bags | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Seats | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 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.
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.
The abc or active body control system failed and with very little warning, the fluid started to leak , smoke was everywhere and I nearly caused a collision because of the thick smoke and poor visibility.
Dealership had to remove the fuse from the fuel pump to turn the motor off, and flat bed the vehicle to dealership. The problem was due to a failure in the module that operates this device. There's tsb on this issue.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 14,283 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 39% most complained about).
On average one model year of the CL Class has 7 complaints (5 years in the data). This year has 5, below average.
What to check before buying
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Seats. Occupant sensor, power adjustment, seat mounts.
- Electronic stability control. ABS/ESC sensors, steering angle, codes after suspension repair.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2003 Mercedes-Benz CL Class?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: seat belts, air bags, seats. Total complaints: 5. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (60%), smoke, burning smell, fire (40%), airbags did not deploy (20%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2003 Mercedes-Benz CL Class?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2003 Mercedes-Benz CL Class from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2003 models
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.