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2013 Mercedes-Benz ML350: complaints, problems and recalls

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

56 owner complaints analyzed

4 distinct recall campaigns

71,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2013 model year. Data snapshot: . 33 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Engine is the most frequently named component, appearing in 12 of 56 complaints (21.4%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
TopicMatching reportsShare of complaints
Braking behavior916.1%
Steering behavior712.5%
Transmission and shifting47.1%
Electrical and battery issues47.1%
Fuel system concerns47.1%
Engine operation23.6%

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.

Engine
12
Electrical System
11
Unknown Or Other
10
Fuel/Propulsion System
7
Power Train
5
Vehicle Speed Control
5
Service Brakes
4
Steering
4
Component breakdown data
CategoryCount
Engine12
Electrical System11
Unknown Or Other10
Fuel/Propulsion System7
Power Train5
Vehicle Speed Control5
Service Brakes4
Steering4

Engine: 12; Electrical System: 11; Unknown Or Other: 10; Fuel/Propulsion System: 7; Power Train: 5; Vehicle Speed Control: 5; Service Brakes: 4; Steering: 4

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000
4
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
1
Reported problems by failure mileage data
CategoryCount
Under 25,0004
25,000 to 49,9997
50,000 to 74,9997
75,000 to 99,9998
100,000 to 149,9996
150,000 and above1

Under 25,000: 4; 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: 1

75,000 to 99,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (8). 23 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.

2013
2
2014
5
2015
1
2016
2
2017
5
2018
6
2019
6
2020
2
2021
2
2022
4
2023
6
2024
8
2025
4
2026
3
Complaints over time data
CategoryCount
20132
20145
20151
20162
20175
20186
20196
20202
20212
20224
20236
20248
20254
20263

2013: 2; 2014: 5; 2015: 1; 2016: 2; 2017: 5; 2018: 6; 2019: 6; 2020: 2; 2021: 2; 2022: 4; 2023: 6; 2024: 8; 2025: 4; 2026: 3

Pattern summary

Engine leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 9 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 7 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 4 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.

Examples from the source records

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10502971 · 2013-03-14 (March 14, 2013)

2013 MERCEDES BENZ ML 350. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED HE PUSHED THE BUTTON FOR THE TRANSMISSION, BUT IT WOULD NOT GO INTO PARK, AND REMAINED IN DRIVE. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THE ENTIRE STOCK PART ON THE VEHICLE HAD FAILED.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10502971 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10548040 · 2013-10-16 (October 16, 2013)

2013 MERCEDES BENZ ML350: DURING THE FIRST OCCURRENCE, UPON ACCELERATION FROM A STOP POINT, THE VEHICLE HESITATED LURCHING TO THEN GAIN SPEED AS INTENDED BY THE DRIVER. SECOND AND THIRD OCCURRENCES WERE IDENTICAL AND OCCURRED WHILE LEAVING THE HOUSE WITH NO TRAFFIC ANYWHERE ON SIGHT. VEHICLE WAS SENT FOR REPAIRS AND DEALERSHIP SAID A SOFTWARE UPDATE SHOULD HAVE FIXED THE PROBLEM. ON 10/15/13, WHILE TRYING TO REENTER AN EXPRESSWAY FROM THE EMERGENCY LANE, THE CAR HESITATED WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE FROM AN INCOMING VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE LURCHED …

Owner-reported narrative. 24,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10548040 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10560197 · 2014-01-16 (January 16, 2014)

ON 1/11/14 AT APPROXIMATELY 5:45 P.M. AMIDST A VERY HEAVY DOWNPOUR WITH THE WIPERS IN USE, I WAS TRAVELING EASTWARD ON I-95 AT ABOUT 60 MPH APPROACHING NEW HAVEN, WITH MY WIFE AND SON AS PASSENGERS, WHEN I HEARD A NOISE AND IMMEDIATELY SAW THAT MY WIPERS HAD INTERLOCKED AND STOPPED FUNCTIONING, LEAVING ME WITH ALMOST ZERO VISIBILITY. I SLOWED DOWN, PUT ON FLASHERS, AND WAS ABLE SAFELY TO REACH THE NEXT EXIT AND COME TO A STOP ON A LOCAL STREET. THE PASSENGER SIDE WIPER MECHANISM HAD COME APART. I DISENGAGED THE BLADE SO THAT THE DRIVER SIDE WIP…

Owner-reported narrative. 26,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10560197 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10567307 · 2014-03-04 (March 4, 2014)

ON 1/11/14 AT APPROXIMATELY 5:45 P.M. AMIDST A VERY HEAVY DOWNPOUR WITH THE WIPERS IN USE, I WAS TRAVELING EASTWARD ON I-95 AT ABOUT 60 MPH APPROACHING NEW HAVEN, WITH MY WIFE AND SON AS PASSENGERS, WHEN I HEARD A LOUD NOISE AND IMMEDIATELY SAW THAT MY WIPERS HAD INTERLOCKED AND STOPPED FUNCTIONING, LEAVING ME WITH ALMOST NO VISIBILITY. I SLOWED DOWN, PUT ON FLASHERS, AND WAS ABLE SAFELY TO REACH THE NEXT EXIT AND COME TO A STOP ON A LOCAL STREET. THE PASSENGER SIDE WIPER MECHANISM HAD COME APART. I DISENGAGED THE BLADE SO THAT THE DRIVER SIDE …

Owner-reported narrative. 25,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10567307 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10568339 · 2014-03-11 (March 11, 2014)

THE CRUISE CONTROL LEVER IS LOCATED ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE STEERING COLUMN, JUST BELOW THE LEVER FOR THE TURN SIGNAL MECHANISM. I ACCIDENTALLY PULLED ON THE CRUISE LEVER INSTEAD OF THE TURN SIGNAL CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO UNEXPECTEDLY SPEED UP. THIS IS SUCH AN OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW, IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL SOMEONE HAS AN ACCIDENT.

Owner-reported narrative. 100 miles reported. Look up ODI 10568339 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10615319 · 2014-07-22 (July 22, 2014)

TWO BENT WHEELS ON RIGHT SIDE OF VEHICLE. IT IS UNKNOWN WHEN THE DAMAGE MAY HAVE OCCURRED OR IF THE WHEELS WERE IN FACT INCORRECT WHEN INSTALLED ON THE VEHICLE DURING MANUFACTURE. INSPECTION BY THE MERCEDES-BENZ DEALER ON MAY 30 THOUGHT I HIT A LARGE POTHOLE IN ROAD. I HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF HITTING A POTHOLE. I HAVE DRIVEN OVER THE NORMAL LESS THAN PERFECT "ROUGH " HIGHWAY ROADS IN THE US ONLY; NO OFF-ROAD. I BELIEVE THE WHEELS ARE DEFECTIVE. EITHER POOR METALLURGICAL SPECIFICATIONS BY MERCEDES-BENZ, A SUBSTANDARD MANUFACTURE OF THE CORRECT SPEC…

Owner-reported narrative. 30,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10615319 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10668108 · 2014-12-24 (December 24, 2014)

GOING NORTH ON I-95 IN MASS AT 65 MPH IN A DRIVING RAIN THE CAR SUDDENLY LOST ABILITY TO ACCELERATE. THE RPM AND SPEEDOMETER BOTH WENT TO 0, AND THE NOTHING HAPPENED WHEN PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR. ALL OTHER SYSTEMS (INCLUDING BRAKE, LIGHTS, RADIO, WIPERS, ETC) APPEARED TO WORK FINE. WAS ABLE TO GET TO SHOULDER, PUT CAR IN PARK, AND RESTART CAR. EVERYTHING WAS FINE AFTERWARDS, BUT OBVIOUSLY A DANGEROUS CONDITION IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN. WILL TAKE TO DEALER FOR INVESTIGATION. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 14,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10668108 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10730723 · 2015-06-26 (June 26, 2015)

SEAT BELT WAS LOCKED IN POSITION (UNABLE TO EXTEND) ON A LEAST SIX OCCASION IN THE PAST TWO YEARS. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE LOCKED SEAT BELT ISSUE. THEY SUGGESTED, I DRIVE DIRECTLY TO THE DEALERSHIP NEXT TIME THIS OCCURS. UNTIL NOW THE ISSUE HAS NOT OCCURRED AT A TIME THE DEALERSHIP WAS AVAILABLE.

Owner-reported narrative. 5,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10730723 at NHTSA ↗

Recall history

4 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.

17V177000 · Electrical System:Software | Air Bags:Frontal:Sensor/Control Module-Inactive

Reported: 2017-03-14 (March 14, 2017)

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2016 AMG GT-S, GLC300, CLA250 and GLE300d 4Matic vehicles, 2013 C250, E350 BlueTec and G63 AMG vehicles, 2008-2014 C300 vehicles, 2013-2014 C300 4Matic and ML350 4Matic vehicles, 2009 C350 vehicles, 2014 CLS550, E350 4Matic, E350 Coupe 4Matic, E350 Wagon 4Matic, GLK350 and SL550 vehicles, 2012 CLS550 4Matic vehicles, 2012-2016 E350 vehicles, 2016-2017 GL450 4Matic vehicles, 2012-2014 ML350 4Matic BlueTec vehicles, 2015 S550, S550 4Matic and C300 4Matic Sedan vehicles, 2015-2016 C300 Sedan vehicles, and 2017 SL63 AMG vehicles. Various control units on these vehicles may have been updated with incorrect software, potentially affecting the correct deployment of the air bags in the event of a crash.

Consequence: If the air bags do not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, there would be an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will update software in the affected control units, free of charge. The recall began April 21, 2017. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
18V272000 · Suspension:Front

Reported: 2018-04-27 (April 27, 2018)

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2012-2014 ML350 Bluetec 4Matic and ML550 4Matic, 2012-2015 ML63 AMG 4Matic and ML350 4Matic, 2013-2016 GL350 Bluetec 4Matic, GL550 4Matic and GL63 AMG 4Matic, 2017 GLS350d 4Matic, GLS450 4Matic, GLS550 4Matic and GLS63 AMG 4Matic, 2015 ML400 4Matic, 2016 GLE400 4Matic, GLE350 4Matic, GLE63 AMG 4Matic, GLE63S AMG 4Matic, GLE450 4Matic Coupe and GLE63S AMG 4Matic Coupe, 2015-2016 GL450 4Matic and 2013-2014 GL450 4Matic vehicles equipped with the Active Curve System (ACS). In certain driving conditions, if the oil level in the ACS reservoir is below the minimum level, the oil may foam and leak out of the vent holes in the reservoir cap.

Consequence: The leaking oil in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will correct the oil level as necessary and replace the reservoir sealing cap to prevent oil foam from leaking out, free of charge. The recall began August 30, 2018. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2018070015.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
19V787000 · Communication

Reported: 2019-11-01 (November 1, 2019)

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2013-2017 vehicles due to a software fault that may cause the date and time for the emergency call system (eCall) to differ from the actual date and time, potentially relaying an inaccurate vehicle location. For a full list of the affected models visit: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2019/RMISC-19V787-4620.pdf

Consequence: An inaccurate vehicle location may delay emergency responders, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: MBUSA has initiated an Over the Air (OTA) remote update. MBUSA will also notify owners, and dealers will check software for a successful OTA or update the communication module software as needed, free of charge. The recall began December 23, 2019. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2019120008.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
22V955000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery:Fuel Pump:Control/Drive Module | Fuel System, Diesel:Delivery:Fuel Pump:Control/Drive Module

Reported: 2022-12-23 (December 23, 2022)

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2012-2014 ML550, 2012-2015 ML350, AMG ML63, 2015 ML250, ML400, 2016 GLE450, GLE300, 2016-2018 GLE350, GLE550, 2016-2019 GLE400, 2017-2019 AMG GLE43, and 2016-2020 AMG GLE63 vehicles. Water might accumulate in the spare tire wheel well and damage the fuel pump control unit, which could cause an engine stall while driving.

Consequence: An engine stall while driving increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will install a water drain plug, inspect for water intrusion, and replace the fuel pump control unit as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 15, 2023. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's numbers for this recall are 2023010002 and 2023010003.

NHTSA campaign record ↗