AI Damage2003 Mercedes-Benz ML320: common problems
Owners of the 2003 Mercedes-Benz ML320 filed 22 complaints with NHTSA, most often about seats and steering. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 22
- involving a crash
- 1
What fails most often
- 1 Seats 27% of all complaints
- 2 Steering 27% of all complaints
- 3 Service brakes 18% of all complaints
- 4 Vehicle speed control 18% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 9% of all complaints
- 6 Electronic stability control 9% of all complaints
- 7 Powertrain 9% of all complaints
- 8 Air bags 5% of all complaints
- Seats: 6 complaints (27% of all).
- Steering: 6 complaints (27% of all).
- Service brakes: 4 complaints (18% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 4 complaints (18% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 2 complaints (9% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 22 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seats | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 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.
Consumer applied the brake pedal but the brakes failed. This caused consumer's vehicle to collide with the vehicle in front. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. The cause had not been determined.
Loss of power steering fluid, it appears to be from the hose connection to the radiator during driving and while stationery. This issue was previously recalled, I believe twice. Dealer requested $125 diagnostic charge.
My wife drove the vehicle to work one day and when she was pulling out of the parking lot onto a busy street, the yellow triangle with exclamation point started to flash and engaged the brakes.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes-benz ml320. The contact stated that the vehicle accelerated independently and the rpms revved without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer multiple times, but the failure was unable to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired.
Bas light turns on while driving on the freeway and the car shuts off on freeway while driving. The gas pedal didn't work so I pulled over. I feel like its a dangerous to drive and putting other driver in danger so I stopped driving it.
While driving, went over bump in road, and truck immediately lost speed. Pressure on gas pedal weakend. There was absolutely no acceleration. I pulled over after almost being hit, and turned vehicle off. Restarted and pull over into autozone to have them hook it up to diagnostic reader.
For power steering pump recall and they wanted to charge me approx. $6,000.00 for this service which should be free. I've tried to contact mercedes and motor works with no response the clamps that connect the power steering hoses come off quite often resulting in loss of control, I guess I shouldn't expect much for a…
I have a 2003 mercedes ml 320 that has power steering fluid problems. This is due to a recall issued by mb for faulty hosing, piping and connections. I had loss of steering capability while driving which lead me to steer off the road during rainy conditions.
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 7,906 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 22% most complained about).
On average one model year of the ML320 has 57 complaints (13 years in the data). This year has 22, below average.
What to check before buying
- Seats. Occupant sensor, power adjustment, seat mounts.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2003 Mercedes-Benz ML320?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: seats, steering, service brakes. Total complaints: 22. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: steering or power steering problems (23%), airbag warning light (5%), brake failure (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2003 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 2003 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 2003 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 2026-11-06.