2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
65 owner complaints analyzed
3 distinct recall campaigns
48,500 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2012 model year. Data snapshot: . 44 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Engine is the most frequently named component, appearing in 21 of 65 complaints (32.3%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Engine operation | 12 | 18.5% |
| Fuel system concerns | 11 | 16.9% |
| Steering behavior | 8 | 12.3% |
| Braking behavior | 7 | 10.8% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 5 | 7.7% |
| Transmission and shifting | 3 | 4.6% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Engine | 21 |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 12 |
| Electrical System | 11 |
| Exterior Lighting | 9 |
| Steering | 7 |
| Power Train | 6 |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 |
| Lane Departure: Blind Spot Detection | 3 |
Engine: 21; Fuel/Propulsion System: 12; Electrical System: 11; Exterior Lighting: 9; Steering: 7; Power Train: 6; Fuel System, Gasoline: 3; Lane Departure: Blind Spot Detection: 3
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 16 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 7 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 7 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 8 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 6 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 16; 25,000 to 49,999: 7; 50,000 to 74,999: 7; 75,000 to 99,999: 8; 100,000 to 149,999: 6; 150,000 and above: 0
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (16). 21 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 4 |
| 2013 | 8 |
| 2014 | 3 |
| 2015 | 4 |
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 6 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 8 |
| 2024 | 9 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 | 2 |
2012: 4; 2013: 8; 2014: 3; 2015: 4; 2016: 4; 2017: 4; 2018: 4; 2019: 6; 2020: 1; 2021: 3; 2022: 3; 2023: 8; 2024: 9; 2025: 2; 2026: 2
Pattern summary
Engine leads the component reports. Engine operation appears in 12 complaint narratives. Fuel system concerns appears in 11 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 8 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10502622 · 2013-03-13 (March 13, 2013)
I HAD THIS CAR FOR OVER AN YEAR AND STARTED TO HAVE RANDOM STALLING PROBLEM WHEN STOPS AT TRAFFIC LIGHT. IT HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES IN THE PAST YEAR AND CALLED THE MB DEALER. THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND THE PROBLEM DUE TO NO ERROR CODE WAS GENERATED. SO THEY DON'T FIX IT. I GOOGLE ON THE WEBSITE AND SAW A LOT OF POSTING REGARDS OF THIS ISSUE ON THE MBWORLD.ORG I STRONGLY FEEL THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. SUDDEN STALLING CAN CAUSE A CAR ACCIDENTS. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 9,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10502622 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10510348 · 2013-05-02 (May 2, 2013)
THE VEHICLE STALLED AFTER THE FIRST WEEK OF PICKING UP A BRAND NEW VEHICLE AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. DEALER REPLACED HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP, BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO STALL ON MANY DIFFERENT SUBSEQUENT OCCASIONS RANDOMLY. THERE WERE A FEW TIMES THAT THE CAR DIED REPEATEDLY ON CONSECUTIVE DAYS. DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE EXACT PROBLEM SINCE IT OCCURS RANDOMLY, AND MERCEDES WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE ANY RESOLUTION TO REMEDY STALLING ISSUE. DEALER MENTIONED THAT MERCEDES HEADQUARTER AWARE OF THE SYMPTOMS BUT HAS NO FIX IN THE MEAN TIME. ALTHOU…
Owner-reported narrative. 200 miles reported. Look up ODI 10510348 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10693748 · 2015-03-11 (March 11, 2015)
MY ML350 IS OVER OVER 71000, NO WARRANTY. I NOTICED THAT IT HAS BEEN STALLED SEVERAL TIMES TILL INCIDENT. LAST TUESDAY, SUDDENLY CAR ENGINE STOPPED IN THE USPS PARKING LOTS, MIDDLE OF DRIVEWAY, NO MOVING. IT WAS AROUND 6PM, I CALLED ROAD SERVICE AND FIRST GUY CAME WHO DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT MB, AND 2ND GUY SAID IT MIGHT BE OUT OF GAS. I FILLED UP FULL ONE DAY BEFORE, SO TANK WAS NOT EMPTY. 2ND GUY DIDN'T KNOW EXACT REASON, AND NEEDED TO TOW. MY CAR HAS BEEN TOWED TO DEALER LATE NIGHT. NEXT DAY, I CALLED DEALER BUT THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IS A PROBLE…
Owner-reported narrative. 71,958 miles reported. Look up ODI 10693748 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10523508 · 2013-07-07 (July 7, 2013)
I AM GOING TO UHAUL TO RENT TRAILER. UHAUL IS AROUND 8 MILES FROM MY HOUSE.AFTER 7 MILES OF DRIVING ON THE ROAD SUDDENLY SHOWING ERROR MESSAGE " POWER STEERING MALFUNCTION REFER TO OPERATOR'S MANUAL" AT THAT TIME STEERING WAS SUPER SUPER SUPER HARD TO TURN. IMMEDIATELY I TURNED ON THE HAZARDOUS LIGHTS. APPLIED FULL AMOUNT OF POWER WITH MY 2 HANDS TURNED STEERING WHEEL TO RIGHT TO EXIT THE ROAD. SLOWLY IT MOVED AND CHANGED LANES AND TOOK VEHICLE TO OFF THE ROAD IT TOOK AROUND 5 MINUTES TO OFF THE ROAD. I REFERRED, MANUAL NOTHING MENTIONED IN MA…
Owner-reported narrative. 7,845 miles reported. Look up ODI 10523508 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10542743 · 2013-09-09 (September 9, 2013)
WHILE TRAVELING AT 55MPH THE STEERING SUDDENLY FELT VERY STIFF AND HARD TO MOVE. HAD TO APPLY BRAKES WHEN IT SEEMED I COULDN'T NEGOTIATE A CURVE IN THE ROAD. THE STEERING RETURNED TO NORMAL SHORTLY AFTER APPLYING THE BRAKES. THE STEERING PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN IN A LOCAL SHOPPING CENTER PARKING LOT AT SLOW SPEED. RETURNED THE CAR TO THE DEALER SERVICE CENTER. THEY PERFORMED A SOFTWARE UPDATE AND STATED THEY COULDN'T FIND ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE STEERING. WITHIN 3 DAYS THE PROBLEM REAPPEARED AT SLOW SPEED WHILE STEERING THROUGH BARRIERS ENTE…
Owner-reported narrative. 18,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10542743 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10500510 · 2013-02-26 (February 26, 2013)
DRIVER DROVE 2012 MERCEDES BENZ ML350 TO CONDOMINIUM AND PARKED VEHICLE IN PARKING SPACE, PLACED VEHICLE IN "PARK" AND TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE USING THE "KEYLESS GO" BUTTON. DRIVER OPENED THE DOOR, EXITED THE VEHICLE AND LOCKED IT. THE AREA WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WAS FLAT WITH ONLY ENOUGH GRADE TO CAUSE WATER TO RUN OFF OF THE PAVERS. A SHORT TIME LATER, I LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AND SAW THAT THE 2012 MERCEDES BENZ ML350 HAD ROLLED AWAY BACKWARDS APPROXIMATELY 30 FEET INTO BUSHES AND SHRUBS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CIRCULAR DRIVE OF THE CON…
Owner-reported narrative. 14,017 miles reported. Look up ODI 10500510 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10501076 · 2013-03-02 (March 2, 2013)
MY WIFE WAS DRIVING MY ML350 ON THE FREEWAY WITH MY 7 YEAR OLD SON IN THE BACK. SHE SAID THE VEHICLE STARTED TO SHAKE IN AN UNUSUAL WAY SO SHE DECIDED TO GET OFF AT THE NEAREST EXIT AND WHEN SHE APPLIED THE BRAKES ON THE OFF RAMP THE CAR'S ENGINE STOPPED. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, DASH READ INOPERABLE YET ALL THE ELECTRICAL WAS STILL ON. SHE TRIED TO TURN THE KEY AND RESTART IT BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT START. BEFORE THIS INCIDENT WE HAD NOT EXPERIENCED ANY PROBLEMS. THIS IS A 2012 MODEL WITH JUST OVER 21,000 MILES AND WAS JUST SERVICED TWO WEEKS …
Owner-reported narrative. 21,200 miles reported. Look up ODI 10501076 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10897188 · 2016-08-19 (August 19, 2016)
MY VEHICLE CAME WITH ERROR MESSAGE "FRONT LEFT SRS MALFUNCTION SERVICE REQUIRED". DEALER CLAIMS THAT THE AIR BAG MIGHT NOT DEPLOY. LEFT IT FOR SERVICE. EL CABLE, CABLE CONNECTORS AND LOCKING MECHANISM WERE REPLACED. LOOKS LIKE THE ELECTRICAL CABLES WERE DAMAGED/DEFECTIVE IN THE MECHANISM. BEING A CAR WITH NO MORE THAN 4 YEARS AND UNDER 43000 MILES, IT IS CLEAR THAT THE PARTS REPLACED WERE DUE TO MANUFACTURING DEFECTS. FURTHER THIS PROBLEM HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH REGULAR VEHICLE MAINTENANCE. I DO NOT KNOW THE IMPACT WHICH IT WOULD CAUSE IF NOT SE…
Owner-reported narrative. 43,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10897188 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11196639 · 2019-04-16 (April 16, 2019)
THIS CAR'S TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AT 70,000 MILES (2015), WHICH IS WAY TOO EARLY. DRIVING WHEN THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO ACT UP WAS VERY DANGEROUS AND POTENTIALLY AS IT LOST POWER COULD HAVE CAUSED COLLISION. I REPLACED TRANSMISSION FOR $14,000 AND THEN THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT FOR A SECOND TIME (2019). CAUSING THE SAME SAFETY CONCERNS AS IT LOST POWER. THIS TIME I WAS NOT STUPID ENOUGH TO FIX IT AND WILL NOT BE BUYING A MERCEDES EVER AGAIN.
Owner-reported narrative. 70,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11196639 at NHTSA ↗