AI DamageMercedes-Benz CLK500: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Mercedes-Benz CLK500 across 4 model years: 38 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Fuel/propulsion system 29% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 11% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 11% of all complaints
- 4 Seat belts 11% of all complaints
- 5 Fuel system 8% of all complaints
- 6 Powertrain 8% of all complaints
- 7 Tires 8% of all complaints
- 8 Engine and cooling 5% of all complaints
- Fuel/propulsion system: 11 complaints (29% of all).
- Air bags: 4 complaints (11% of all).
- Electrical system: 4 complaints (11% of all).
- Seat belts: 4 complaints (11% of all).
- Fuel system: 3 complaints (8% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 38 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel/propulsion system | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 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.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK500. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the vehicle was purchased. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 127,000. It was later discovered that the mileage on the Title was 147,000.
The driver side seat belt. The seat belt won't retract. Yes, the seat belt is available for inspection upon request. The driver side seat belt is useless, because there is no tension in restrain your body from moving. No, the dealer will not fix the issue. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership.
Tire size: 245/40/17 Had a blowout without any warning, causing me to hit the center console and mirror receiving cuts and bruises. Immediately was pulled to the side of the road.
While driving at 60mph on the a highway, without warning the passenger rear tire had a blowout. I immediately pulled off the road and when looking to see what happened, clearly seen was the rubber from the tire completely separated from the tire, causing major damage to my car.
Low beam is out, discovered that on both sides all the headlight wires have lost all the insulation. Pictures can be texted.
The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the sun roof rattled and air was heard escaping through the closed sun roof. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 19v918000 (visibility) however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Fuel/propulsion system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
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 2026-11-05.