AI DamageMercedes-Benz CLS500: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Mercedes-Benz CLS500 across 4 model years: 67 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
| Year | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) | YouTube repair videos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | 62 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 36% of all complaints
- 2 Fuel/propulsion system 21% of all complaints
- 3 Fuel system 16% of all complaints
- 4 Air bags 9% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 6% of all complaints
- 6 Powertrain 6% of all complaints
- 7 Vehicle speed control 6% of all complaints
- 8 Wheels 6% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 24 complaints (36% of all).
- Fuel/propulsion system: 14 complaints (21% of all).
- Fuel system: 11 complaints (16% of all).
- Air bags: 6 complaints (9% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 4 complaints (6% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 67 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Wheels | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 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 air bags did not deploy. The vehicle sustained front end damage. A police report was filed. The contact sustained a shoulder injury, which did not require medical attention. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. There were no recalls. The vin was unknown. The failure mileage was 150,000.
2006 mercedes benz cls500. Last night while pulling into a parking spot located in a commercial building, the car suddenly accelerated forward and hit the office wall greatly damaging the driver's front side. I had already eased up on the gas pedal hardly pressing the gas as about to stop the car and place it in park.
Pulling into parking space car accelerated and hit tree. Air bags did not inflate and satellite did not notify police. Could not stop vehicle. Myself and 2 other people were injured.
The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the ABS and ESC warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the electronic stability control module. The contact was informed that the part had been discontinued. The vehicle was not repaired.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 mercedes-benz cls500. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 19v918000(visibility) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available.
The contact felt that the vehicle needed an alignment and stated that the tire tread was worn. The contact drove the vehicle to prestige auto mall ([address], akron, [ZIP], [phone]), but was not diagnosed.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Fuel/propulsion system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
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.