AI Damage2007 Mercedes-Benz ML350: common problems
Owners of the 2007 Mercedes-Benz ML350 filed 83 complaints with NHTSA, most often about seats and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 83
- involving a crash
- 7
What fails most often
- 1 Seats 36% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 23% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 20% of all complaints
- 4 Steering 10% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 8% of all complaints
- 6 Structure 7% of all complaints
- 7 Engine 6% of all complaints
- 8 Service brakes 6% of all complaints
- Seats: 30 complaints (36% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 19 complaints (23% of all).
- Powertrain: 17 complaints (20% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Steering: 8 complaints (10% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 7 complaints (8% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 83 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 | 30 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 17 | 3 | 0 |
| Steering | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Air bags | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 2 | 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.
The air bags failed to deploy. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot and deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The contact then stated that she received NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V315000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic).
On drive position, vehicle jerked forward when gas pedal was applied. This happened twice at same situation about same time.then at the freeway, in stop and go traffic vehicle brakes failed and hit a big-rig truck. No warning light that came on.
Passenger noticed car was in park, unbuckled her seat belt to engage emergency brake, too late. Right hand, shoulder and back injured. Car towed to m-b of wilsonville. They said it was totaled. Regional manager saw car. No response after repeated calls. No action taken on car. Called corporate: [phone]. Very gracious.
The vehicle rolled forward across the street and crashed into a pole. The pole broke and the vehicle was damaged, but there were no personal injuries. The road was dry at the time of the failure.
While driving 50mph, she smelled smoke inside the vehicle, saw flames coming from the passenger seat, the smoke distracted her and caused her to lose control on the vehicle and crash into the median. The left side of the vehicle was damaged. The contact was able to exit the vehicle without injury.
Pulled into a driveway during a house hunting trip, placed the car in park with the gear change button on the right side of the steering wheel, opened the door, exited the auto, walked up the stairs to the house and knocked on the door.
There were no warning lights illuminated prior to the incident. The police was present, and a report was taken. There was one person injured from another vehicle involved in the accident who was evacuated in an ambulance. The vehicle was towed to the dealership.
I bought a 2007 Mercedes-Benz ML350 4Matic in late 2023 from auction with a salvage title and I can't take it to inspection center to get plates, because a lot of things such as signal lights, seats power, key fob, radio, wipers, and rear gate to work because the rear SAM module is damage by rain water, which I found…
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 3,991 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 11% most complained about).
On average one model year of the ML350 has 68 complaints (14 years in the data). This year has 83, above average.
What to check before buying
- Seats. Occupant sensor, power adjustment, seat mounts.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2007 Mercedes-Benz ML350?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: seats, electrical system, powertrain. Total complaints: 83. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (34%), A/C or heater (16%), warning lights, check engine (10%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2007 Mercedes-Benz ML350?
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 ML350 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 2026-11-06.