AI Damage2007 Mercedes-Benz CLS 550: common problems
Owners of the 2007 Mercedes-Benz CLS 550 filed 35 complaints with NHTSA, most often about fuel/propulsion system and fuel system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 35
What fails most often
- 1 Fuel/propulsion system 49% of all complaints
- 2 Fuel system 23% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 11% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 6% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 6% of all complaints
- 6 Suspension 6% of all complaints
- 7 Air bags 3% of all complaints
- 8 Electronic stability control 3% of all complaints
- Fuel/propulsion system: 17 complaints (49% of all).
- Fuel system: 8 complaints (23% of all).
- Powertrain: 4 complaints (11% of all).
- Electrical system: 2 complaints (6% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 2 complaints (6% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 35 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 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 2 | 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.
While driving the vechile lowered and I noticed a puddle while idle
Defective internal speed sensor does not send signal to tcm(transmission control module) causing loss of power while moving. The only way to get car going again is to shut off car and restart hoping it will reset. If this were to happen in construction zone with nowhere to pull over, may be deadly.
Driving highway speeds and suddenly vehicle jerked and losses all power. Engine revs but doesn't move. This can be a very dangerous situation. Transmission went into 'limp' mode and check engine light lit.
After each of my last two fuel filllings, the car is emitting a very strong smell of gasoline from the back seat & trunk compartment. I park my car in my garage and the smell is strong enough that I can smell it in my home. I am extremely fearful that there will be a fire.
I notes a strong gas smell inside and out side the car after I fill it up. I replaced the fuel cap but no help. Fumes fill up my car and my garage every time I fill up now.
Black smoke came from under the hood. I went on into the building to my meeting for an hour. When I came back outside, the fan was still going and still loud. This had never happened in the five years that I had the car. The car would not start. I had to call someone to boost it off to start.
I filled my car up sunday and parked it in the garage, the following morning there was a strong fuel smell that permeated the garage and all around the car. I looked for leaks found none. The smell was coming from under the seat on the drivers side rear.
After further investigation I found gas leaking around the left sending unit / pump. This is a serious design flaw as the sending unit / pump is made of plastic and servers a structural member to suspend the unit in place.
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 6,335 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 17% most complained about).
On average one model year of the CLS 550 has 8 complaints (13 years in the data). This year has 35, above average.
What to check before buying
- Fuel/propulsion system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2007 Mercedes-Benz CLS 550?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: fuel/propulsion system, fuel system, powertrain. Total complaints: 35. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: fuel system, fuel smell (40%), smoke, burning smell, fire (14%), loss of power / limp mode (9%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2007 Mercedes-Benz CLS 550?
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 2007 Mercedes-Benz CLS 550 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 2007 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.