AI Damage2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK320: common problems
Owners of the 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK320 filed 12 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system and tires. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 12
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 25% of all complaints
- 2 Tires 25% of all complaints
- 3 Air bags 17% of all complaints
- 4 Seat belts 17% of all complaints
- 5 Seats 17% of all complaints
- 6 Service brakes 8% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 3 complaints (25% of all).
- Tires: 3 complaints (25% of all).
- Air bags: 2 complaints (17% of all).
- Seat belts: 2 complaints (17% of all).
- Seats: 2 complaints (17% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 12 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 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 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.
My 2005 mercedes clk320 caught fire due to an electrical short while I was driving on the freeway. I pulled over, the entire car was engulfed in flames and totaled. It started with smoke coming out of the ac vents. When I turned the ac off the smoke got worse and fire proceeded.
At approximately 74,000 miles the front drivers side seat belt electric extender went in and out 6 six times uncontrollably, then in the retracted position failed all together, while the seat belt itself remained in the slack position and would not retract.
The contact stated that while driving at 70 mph, the brake pedal was applied but the brakes failed to respond. In addition, the abs warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the sensotronic brake control needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired.
Srs light on diagnosis faulty front seat sensor and control unit. Srs therefore no longer working. This is the third one of these I have had that has had this fault all on mercedes. Extreme safety issue that is repetitive and continuous. Issue needs to be looked into immediately!
Seat belt extended without tension and continued to release. So the driver side seat belt was of no functional use. Brought to mercedes service, replaced entire seat-belt and retraction system. Was told the wheel that retracts the belt is defective.
Srs light appeared and we took vehicle into dealership and were told the passenger side airbag was defective and had to be replaced. We had the repair done on 10/03/14. We thought the manufacturer should be responsible for this safety issue since the vehicle is less than 10 years old.
The srs light came on once before like 6 months back, and the mechanic cleared the code. This light came back on sept 5, 2012. The mercedes dealer told me that there are 2 fault codes: 1. 900b - passenger side seat belt buckle 2. 9243 - passenger side airbag ignition squib this car has only close to 37,000 miles.
The contact stated that the vehicle would not start. Once the vehicle was jump started all of the service lights and sensors on the instrument panel would turn on and off. The automatic seat belts would also engage and disengage on their own. The vehicle was shut off but the failures continued to occur.
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 10,160 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 28% most complained about).
On average one model year of the CLK320 has 13 complaints (9 years in the data). This year has 12, about average.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK320?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: electrical system, tires, air bags. Total complaints: 12. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (33%), airbag warning light (25%), warning lights, check engine (17%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK320?
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 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK320 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 2005 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 2026-11-05.