AI DamageMercedes-Benz CLK: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Mercedes-Benz CLK across 9 model years: 19 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 26% of all complaints
- 2 Exterior lighting 21% of all complaints
- 3 Fuel/propulsion system 16% of all complaints
- 4 Engine and cooling 11% of all complaints
- 5 Powertrain 11% of all complaints
- 6 Seats 11% of all complaints
- 7 Service brakes 11% of all complaints
- 8 Electronic stability control 5% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 5 complaints (26% of all).
- Exterior lighting: 4 complaints (21% of all).
- Fuel/propulsion system: 3 complaints (16% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 2 complaints (11% of all).
- Powertrain: 2 complaints (11% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 19 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Seats | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 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.
2008 clk 550 - transmission locked in drive, when shifter indicated that car was in park. We were advised that a shift linkage clip broke. The car drove uncontrolled into a low wall damaging the vehicle. Had this happened 5 minutes before in a hospital parking lot, this could have caused serious injury.
The brake light on the trunk simply fell off. I have searched the internet and have found that there are at least 50 other owners that have experienced the same problem. This does not include those that simply just went ahead and got it fixed without posting it.
After filling up the gas tank and parking it in the garage it gives off a terrible gas odor which gets more and more strong the longer the car is in the garage. Once the cars fuel tank empties somewhat it seems to not emit the gas odors as much . Shame on mercedes usa for not doing a recall on this hazard.
Our 2006 mercedes clk 500 started to smell like gas right after filling it up and would continue to smell until about 3/4 of a tank. After removing the rear seat and service cover I noticed that there was standing gasoline on top of the gas tank.
The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that there was fuel leaking from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel sending unit needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 mercedes benz clk 430. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the transmission would not shift into third or fourth gear. The failure recurred intermittently and progressed to a permanent failure.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
- Fuel/propulsion system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
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.