AI Damage2001 Mercedes-Benz ML320: common problems
Owners of the 2001 Mercedes-Benz ML320 filed 136 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and electronic stability control. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 136
- involving a crash
- 10
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 35% of all complaints
- 2 Electronic stability control 24% of all complaints
- 3 Steering 18% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 12% of all complaints
- 5 Vehicle speed control 12% of all complaints
- 6 Fuel system 7% of all complaints
- 7 Air bags 6% of all complaints
- 8 Seats 3% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 48 complaints (35% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electronic stability control: 33 complaints (24% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Steering: 25 complaints (18% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 16 complaints (12% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 16 complaints (12% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 136 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 | 48 | 1 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 33 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 25 | 3 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 16 | 2 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 16 | 2 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Air bags | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Seats | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 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.
After a while the car rolled backwards and hit a neighbors car and the garage door opposite my driveway. I reported the incident to mercedes and the dealer said that the defect cannot be covered free by the manufacturer as the car was out of warranty. I paid almost $1000 to get the ignition switch defect fixed.
While driving approximately 60 mph, the steering failed and the contact lost control of the vehicle. He crashed into a tree and the vehicle was completely destroyed. The air bags deployed and the chemicals caused severe burns on his right arm. He has supporting documents.
Safety system failure, including braking assist, seat belts, air bags and tel-aide due to computer chip failure. Caused two accidents after which customer paid to have vehicle reviewed bumper to bumper and the failing chip was replaced.
Mechanical failure believed to be result of accident. The consumer believed the accident was caused by unintended acceleration.
The contact stated that no warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact stated that there were no warning lights. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 132,000.
Air bag off, pedal control sistem is in recall from march 31 2011, smoke pass belong to nissan mendoza auto group sold this car in ca car in recall don't pass smoke, they said yes...pass, please investigation
Ecm is malfunctioning and not controlling fuel injection and giving random misfire on cylinders 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Causing check engine light to come on . Codes 0300, 0302,0303,0304,0305,0306.
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 2,845 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 8% most complained about).
On average one model year of the ML320 has 57 complaints (13 years in the data). This year has 136, above average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Electronic stability control. ABS/ESC sensors, steering angle, codes after suspension repair.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- 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 2001 Mercedes-Benz ML320?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, electronic stability control, steering. Total complaints: 136. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (20%), steering or power steering problems (13%), smoke, burning smell, fire (7%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2001 Mercedes-Benz ML320?
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 2001 Mercedes-Benz ML320 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 2001 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.