Mercedes-Benz · CLK-Class · 2005
0
Recalls
33
Complaints
-
Not Rated
The 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class has no recalls and 33 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Most reported issue: electrical system (5 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK500. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the vehicle was purchased. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 127,000. It was later discovered that the mileage on the Title was 147,000.
Transmission slips out of gear while driving when you accelerate.
Tire size: 245/40/17 Had a blowout without any warning, causing me to hit the center console and mirror receiving cuts and bruises. Immediately was pulled to the side of the road. When I got out to see what had happened, the rubber separated from the tire, which knocked off the back end of my car, scraped the entire passenger side of the car, knocking off the door handle and unclear as to what it damaged underneath my car. I have filed a complaint with the company, dealt with a Jesse Han and contacted the CEO Darren Thomas in regards to repairing the damage done. This has gone on since June and they keep giving me the run around. There are multiple problems with Sumitomo tires and the company owes for damages
While driving at 60mph on the a highway, without warning the passenger rear tire had a blowout. I immediately pulled off the road and when looking to see what happened, clearly seen was the rubber from the tire completely separated from the tire, causing major damage to my car. The rubber that came unattached ripped the passenger door handle off, scratched up the entire passenger side of my car, ripped off the passenger rear bumper and underneath damage as well. When taking the tire to try and get replaced, the manager of Walmart told me this was definitely a tire manufacturer defect and I should seek for the manufacturer to cover all damage due to this defect. I have filed a complaint with Sumitomo and I have gotten no response or help with this matter. In the meantime my car is not drivable due to this damage. Because they have taken no responsibility, I am filing a complaint with The Dept. Of Transportation in order to get something done.
LOW BEAM IS OUT, DISCOVERED THAT ON BOTH SIDES ALL THE HEADLIGHT WIRES HAVE LOST ALL THE INSULATION. PICTURES CAN BE TEXTED.
The driver side seat belt. The seat belt won't retract. Yes, the seat belt is available for inspection upon request. The driver side seat belt is useless, because there is no tension in restrain your body from moving. No, the dealer will not fix the issue. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership. No warning lamps, messages, etc... prior to the driver side seat belt failed.
GAS TANK LEAKS, CAR IN MOTON IN THE STREET
WHEN THE GAS TANK IS FULL THERE IS A VERY STRONG GAS SMELL ALL AROUND THE AUTOMOBILE. THE VEHICLE IS PARKED WITH THE IGNITION OFF. THIS SHOULD NOT BE THE CASE. THE CEL WILL COME ON WITH CODE P0456. A SMOKE TEST OF THE FUEL FILLER NECK SHOWED THERE WAS A LEAK. PART NO: W0133-2075480. THIS PART IS THE SAME DESIGN AS WHAT IS ON THE CLS. THIS SAME FUEL SMELL ISSUE IS ON THE E CLASS AND CLS CLASS AND A WARRANTY EXTENSION HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR AN ADDITIONAL 15 YEARS BUT NOTHING FOR THE CLK. THIS IS A DANGEROUS ISSUE WITH HEAT AND FUEL AND IT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY MERCEDES NA . AFTER DISCUSSING WITH MERCEDES THEIR STANCE IS THIS IS A NORMAL WARE ITEM. I DO NOT BUY IT.
MY 2005 MERCEDES CLK320 CAUGHT FIRE DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL SHORT WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. I PULLED OVER, THE ENTIRE CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES AND TOTALED. IT STARTED WITH SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE AC VENTS. WHEN I TURNED THE AC OFF THE SMOKE GOT WORSE AND FIRE PROCEEDED.
I'VE STARTED NOTICING A VERY STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE COMING FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE REAR WHEEL WELL AFTER FILLING UP THE CAR. THE GAS FILL DOOR IS ON PASSENGER SIDE. IN DOING SOME RESEARCH ON THE WEB, IT'S COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHER PEOPLE WITH MY MAKE AND MODEL WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. ALSO, A CLASS ACTION SUIT WAS FILED FOR THE S CLASS AND E CLASS MODELS OF MERCEDES THAT WERE HAVING THIS SAME GAS FUMES ISSUE AFTER FILLING UP THE TANK. MERCEDES OFFERED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY OF UP TO 15 ADDITIONAL YEARS FOR THE AFFECTED CARS. THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT IT WAS A CRACK IN THE TOP OF THE FUEL TANK, OR IN SOME CASES A SEAL ON A VENT HOSE THAT WAS THE PROBLEM. I'VE LEARNED THAT MY MODEL OF MERCEDES SHARES THE SAME FUEL TANK AS THE OTHER CARS MENTIONED ABOVE. I REACHED OUT TO MY LOCAL DEALER AND THEY SAID I SHOULD CALL THE HELP CENTER OF MERCEDES BENZ AND SEE IF THEY'D REPAIR MY ISSUE TOO. THEY TOLD ME THAT MY MAKE AND MODEL YEAR WAS NOT COVERED. I EXPRESSED MY CONCERN ABOUT THE STRONG GAS FUMES SMELL AND THE POSSIBILITY OF AN EXPLOSION IN MY GARAGE SHOULD A SPARK OR FLAME IGNITE THE FUMES. THEY DID NOT SEEM TO CARE AND TOLD ME IF I WAS A LOYAL CUSTOMER MAYBE THEY COULD DO MORE. I TOLD THEM THAT I SURE DIDN'T THINK THEIR RESPONSE TO ME WAS ANY WAY TO CREATE LOYALTY. I'M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS BUT SO FAR, MERCEDES HAS BASICALLY TOLD ME THEY WILL NOT HELP. PLEASE HELP!! SINCERELY, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
AT APPROXIMATELY 74,000 MILES THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT ELECTRIC EXTENDER WENT IN AND OUT 6 SIX TIMES UNCONTROLLABLY, THEN IN THE RETRACTED POSITION FAILED ALL TOGETHER, WHILE THE SEAT BELT ITSELF REMAINED IN THE SLACK POSITION AND WOULD NOT RETRACT. THIS MALFUNCTION LEFT THE FRONT DRIVERS SEAT BELT USELESS, A HUGE SAFETY RISK AND VIOLATES COLORADO SEAT BELT LAW. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF DOCUMENTED COMPLAINTS IN MULTIPLE MODEL AND YEARS OF THE SAME ISSUE WITH MERCEDES BENZ SEAT BELTS AS PUBLISHED ONLINE. THE LOCAL MERCEDES BENZ DEALER STATES THIS IS NOT A CONSUMER SERVICEABLE ITEM, AND MERCEDES BENZ SERVICE BULLETIN PASSES OFF THEIR MANUFACTURER DEFECT AS THE CONSUMERS FAULT FOR "SOILING THE SEAT BELT AND NOT KEEPING IT CLEAN" WHICH IS RUBBISH. MERCEDES BENZ DEALER QUOTE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE SEAT BELT SYSTEM FRONT DRIVER SIDE ONLY, $900.00. FRONT PASSENGER SIDE STARTING TO MALFUNCTION, REAR PASSENGER SIDE NOT FULLY RETRACTING WHEN EXITING THE VEHICLE. THE LOCAL DEALER DID NOT OFFER A LOANER CAR AS I HAD TO WAIT TWO WEEKS FOR THEM TO "SCHEDULE ME IN" FOR THE REPAIR, THUS DRIVING AN UNSAFE VEHICLE DURING THE TWO WEEK WAITING PERIOD.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES BENZ CLK500. WHEN THE IGNITION WAS TURNED TO THE ON POSITION, A MESSAGE READING "THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE SRS, SEE A MECHANIC SOON" ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CONTINUOUSLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 46,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES BENZ CLK320. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 70 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED BUT THE BRAKES FAILED TO RESPOND. IN ADDITION, THE ABS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SENSOTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 133,680.
SEAT BELT EXTENDED WITHOUT TENSION AND CONTINUED TO RELEASE. SO THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT WAS OF NO FUNCTIONAL USE. BROUGHT TO MERCEDES SERVICE, REPLACED ENTIRE SEAT-BELT AND RETRACTION SYSTEM. WAS TOLD THE WHEEL THAT RETRACTS THE BELT IS DEFECTIVE. SEEMS LIKE A REAL SAFETY ISSUE, MAYBE WHEN SOMEONE NEEDS THERE BELT, THIS WILL OCCUR, AND THE RESULT WILL NOT BE A SERVICE CALL, THIS SHOULD BE FIXED BY MERCEDES... *TR
SRS LIGHT ON DIAGNOSIS FAULTY FRONT SEAT SENSOR AND CONTROL UNIT. SRS THEREFORE NO LONGER WORKING. THIS IS THE THIRD ONE OF THESE I HAVE HAD THAT HAS HAD THIS FAULT ALL ON MERCEDES. EXTREME SAFETY ISSUE THAT IS REPETITIVE AND CONTINUOUS. ISSUE NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO IMMEDIATELY! *TR
SRS LIGHT APPEARED AND WE TOOK VEHICLE INTO DEALERSHIP AND WERE TOLD THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG WAS DEFECTIVE AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. WE HAD THE REPAIR DONE ON 10/03/14. WE THOUGHT THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS SAFETY ISSUE SINCE THE VEHICLE IS LESS THAN 10 YEARS OLD. THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS NOT AND THE REPAIR CHARGES WERE PAID BY US. WONDERING IF THIS VEHICLE SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE NATIONAL RECALL FOR DEFECTIVE AIRBAGS. *TR
PULLED INTO THE DRIVEWAY ONE EVENING AND NOTICED A STRONG FUEL SMELL. USING A FLASHLIGHT, FOUND A DRIP COMING FROM UNDER THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR OF THE CAR. THE NEXT MORNING A LARGE GAS STAIN WAS APPARENT UNDER THE CAR, BUT THE DRIP HAD STOPPED. STARTED THE CAR AND THE GAS LEAK BEGAN AGAIN. DROPPED THE PANELS UNDER THE CAR AND THE LEAK IS COMING FROM THE TANK. THE VEHICLE IS NOW AT A DEALERSHIP AND THEY CLAIM THE TANK IS CRACKED. *TR
RIGHT FRONT XENON HEADLAMP BALLAST FAILED CAUSING HEADLAMP TO NOT ILLUMINATE, AFTER THIS PART WAS REPLACED SHORTLY AFTER THE XENON IGNITER FAILED THUS CAUSING HEADLAMP TO NOT ILLUMINATE AGAIN. A COUPLE OF MONTHS LATER NOW THE LEFT HEADLAMP HAS FAILED. THE BALLAST HAS NOW FAILED ON THIS LIGHT AS WELL. THE HEADLAMPS ARE SO UNRELIABLE IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AT NIGHT. *TR
THE SRS LIGHT CAME ON ONCE BEFORE LIKE 6 MONTHS BACK, AND THE MECHANIC CLEARED THE CODE. THIS LIGHT CAME BACK ON SEPT 5, 2012. THE MERCEDES DEALER TOLD ME THAT THERE ARE 2 FAULT CODES: 1. 900B - PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE 2. 9243 - PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG IGNITION SQUIB THIS CAR HAS ONLY CLOSE TO 37,000 MILES. AND THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE WITH AIRBAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY IN ACCIDENTS. THIS CAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN ANY ACCIDENTS AND IS IN PRISTINE CONDITION. I VERY STRONGLY FEEL THIS IS POOR WORKMANSHIP BY MERCEDES AND THEY SHOULD HAVE A RECALL TO FIX THIS AS THIS RELATES TO SAFETY. *TR
DRIVING AT 35 MPH CAR BEGAN TO STALL AND LOSE POWER, CAR EVENTUALLY GAINED POWER AND ACCELERATION, ONCE DRIVING SLOWER THE CAR LOST POWER AGAIN AND CUT COMPLETELY OFF AFTER ALL LIGHTS ON DASH BOARD CAME ON. SELLING DEALER STATED THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM WHICH WAS A SENSOR BUT THE CAR IS NOW LOSING POWER AGAIN ONE MONTH LATER. THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR LIGHTING ALWAYS FLICKER UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE. *TR
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class has 0 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 33 owner-reported complaints for the 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class.
NHTSA has not published a safety rating for the 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class are electrical system (5 reports), tires (5 reports), air bags (4 reports).
NHTSA does not currently list any recalls on record for the 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class. To verify the status of your specific vehicle, check nhtsa.gov/recalls with your VIN.
Look up recalls and complaints for any year, make, and model.
This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.