2003 Mercedes-Benz ML350 problems
Owners have filed 31 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Mercedes-Benz ML350. Steering is the most reported problem area, at 35% of complaints. Next are seats (23%) and engine (19%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 31 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Steering 36% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 5
- Injuries and deaths
- 2 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 50,000 miles 24 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 2 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 7 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 5 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 3 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 5 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 24 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 50,000 miles. For steering specifically, the median reported mileage is about 61,000 miles (10 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 5 complaints mention a fire; 2 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 86% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2003 ranks 12th most-complained-about out of 13 model years of the Mercedes-Benz ML350 with enough data (17 complaints in that window).
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
2003 mercedes ml 350 seat caught on fire. When the consumer turned on the heat seating device that is when the seats caught on fire.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 mercedes benz ml350. While driving at an unknown speed, the contact smelled a burning odor. He noticed that the driver's seat was burning. If it had not been for his wallet in his backpocket, his pants would have caught fire. The electrical wires burned through his leather seats. The contact searched the internet, but found no recalls pertaining to this failure. The vehicle has not yet been taken to the dealer. The failure mileage was 51,400.
My family owns a 2003 mercedes benz ml 350. A few weeks ago, my mom noticed a burn mark on the driver's seat. We believed one of the mechanics burnt it with a tool during the car's service. So this burn mark was ignored. On dec. 13, 2008 around 8:20 am, my mom, who was driving the car, smelled smoke and saw smoke and a small fire from the side of her seat. She could not have pulled over quickly because of traffic. She turned off the seat warmer.
My m-350 had no power. The harness cable (163-540-28-32) located behind and against the battery had completely been destroyed by the battery acid environment. The cable supplies the operational power to the electrical functions of the auto. If I had been driving when this complete failure occurred I could have been killed or could have killed someone else. All systems in the car were totally non-functional.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes-benz ml350. While driving 35 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver when turned to the left. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced the same symptoms as listed in NHTSA campaign number: 08v465000 (steering). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the power steering failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 175,000.