There are 11 stored owner reports matching the electrical system leading-label group for the 2003 Mercedes-Benz ML-Class in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 11 of 11 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)RANDOM LOSS OF POWER ' (THE ENTIRE PANEL LIGHTS UP) AS THE CAR SUDDENLY AND SLOWLY POWERS OFF WHILE TAKING OFF FROM A DROP, DRIVING, BREAKING, AND TURNING, COMING TO A STOP AND ON THE HIGHWAY. IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS WE HAVE SPENT MORE THAN 3800.00 FOR CAR REPAIR ON THE ML 350. IT SHUTS OFF MORE AND MORE FREQUENTLY. SO MUCH SO WE DO NOT ALLOW OUR DAUGHTER TO DRIVE UNLESS I AM THERE AND NOW NOT EVEN THEN UNTIL WE HAVE HAD IT FIXED FOR THE 4TH TIME (WE THOUGHT) AFTER CRANK SHAFT, SPARK PLUGS AND NOW ELECTRICAL WORK WE ARE AT A TOTAL LOSS. THIS ISSUE IS NOT ISOLATED BUT MERCEDES BENZ HAS HAD OTHER REPORTS OUR AND OTHERS ' NOT REPAIR / OR RECALLED BUT IT SEEMS MAJOR TO OUR FAMILY ' AS MY ONLY VEHICLE AND OTHER OWNER THAT HAVE INVESTED IN THIS MAKE.
WITHIN THE PAST 8 MONTHS I HAVE TAKEN MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP FOUR TIMES WITH THE ISSUE RELATING ENGINE SHUT OFF AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. I WAS TOLD THE CRANKSHAFT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED TWO TIMES AND AS OF TODAY THE PROBLEMS REMAINS. MERCEDES BENZ HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THIS IS PROBLEM IN THIS VEHICLE BUT HAS NOT ADDRESSED IT. I FEAR DRIVING THIS VEHICLE WITH MY CHILDREN IT SHUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY AT ONE POINT AND THEY HAVEN'T ADDRSSED IT. I'VE SPENT $4500 TO REPAIR AND THEY CANNOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM AND I'M NOT CERTAIN THEY KNOW HOW.
DRIVING 45MPH ON HIGHWAY, CAR SHUTS OFF COMPLETELY. TOWED TO CLOSEST GAS STATION, WHO PUT A COMPUTER ON IT TO FIND OUT IT WAS THE CRANK SHAFT SENSOR. AFTER COMPLETELY COOLING IT WILL START AGAIN, BUT IN LESS THAN 10 MIN IT CUTS OFF. *TR
WHILE DRIVING, WENT OVER BUMP IN ROAD, AND TRUCK IMMEDIATELY LOST SPEED. PRESSURE ON GAS PEDAL WEAKEND. THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO ACCELERATION. I PULLED OVER AFTER ALMOST BEING HIT, AND TURNED VEHICLE OFF. RESTARTED AND PULL OVER INTO AUTOZONE TO HAVE THEM HOOK IT UP TO DIAGNOSTIC READER. IT CAME BACK WITH SEVERAL CODES, THAT ALL STATED "THROTTLE PEDAL POSITIONER MALFUNCTION" I HAVE BOUGHT AND REPLACED THIS ITEM 4 TIMES SINCE THIS INCIDENT, AND THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. I AM FORCED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE BECAUSE I HAVE TO GET BACK AND FORTH TO WORK, BUT I'M ALWAYS VERY AFRAID THAT THIS PART IS GOING TO MALFUNCTION WHILE IN A BUSY INTERSECTION OR STREET, AND I ALONG WITH MY KIDS ARE GOING TO BE KILLED. IT HAPPENS AT LEAST TWO TO THREE TIME A WEEK, SOMETIMES MORE. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCEDES-BENZ ML500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, SMOKE EMITTED FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER BUT WAS NEITHER DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 133,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
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. THEN SHE PUT IT OUT WITH A TOWEL SHE WAS SITTING ON, IT TOO WAS BURNT, BUT PREVENTED MY MOMS LEG FROM GETTING BURNED BY THE FIRE. THE FIRE HAS LEFT A BURNED HOLE IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT. I'VE CALLED CUSTOMER SERVICE, WHICH THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF A CASE LIKE MINE, NOR THE DEALERSHIP THAT I HAVE VISITED. THE CUSTOMER SERVICE AGENT DOCUMENTED MY CASE AND FAXED A COPY TO THAT DEALERSHIP. I AM GOING TO MEET THE SERVICE MANAGER WHO IS TO GIVE ME MORE INFORMATION ON WHAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, FIXED, AND HOW MUCH IT IS GOING TO COST. THE CAR IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. *TR
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. NO SHIELDING OR PREVENTION OF DAMAGE TO THE CABLE WAS ENGINEERED INTO THE FACTORY INSTALLATION OF THIS CABLE. THE BATTERY WAS THE ORIGINAL INSTALLATION AND NO MAINTENANCE ACTIVITY HAD OCCURRED IN THAT AREA OF THE CAR SINCE IT WAS MANUFACTURED. I HAVE SEVERAL PHOTO OF THE CABLE THAT SHOWS THIS CONDITION. I WAS CHARGED $2,483.65 BY JACKIE COOPER IMPORTS OF TULSA, LLC ( THE TULSA MERCEDES-BENZ DEALER) TO REPLACE THE CABLE. I ALSO WAS CHARGED APPROXIMATELY $125.00 FOR THE TOWING OF THE CAR (SUV) TO THE DEALER FOR THESE REPAIRS. FOR A WORLD CLASS SAFETY AWARD WINNER CAR, TO BE ENGINEERED WITH THE ELECTRICAL HARNESS CABLE NEXT TO A BATTERY WITHOUT PROTECTION FROM ACID FUMES IS TOTALLY UNPROFESSIONAL. I'M WORK IN THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY AND WE WOULD NEVER ALLOW THIS INSTALLATION TO BE APPROVED. PLEASE RESPOND TO THIS REQUEST SO I CAN FORWARD THE PHOTOS AND COPIES OF THE REPAIR ORDERS. I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT A RECALL NOTICE BE IMPLEMENTED ON THIS VEHICLE TO AVOID POTENTIAL DEATHS, INJURIES, AND LOSS OF PROPERTY TO THE PUBLIC. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCEDES-BENZ ML55. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH HE ENGAGED THE SEAT HEATER. THE FRONT AND REAR SEATS BECAME EXTREMELY HOT. HE WAS UNABLE TO TURN THE HEATER OFF. HE PULLED OVER AND NOTICED SMOKE AND SPARKS. HE POURED WATER OVER THE SEATS AND THE SPARKS STOPPED. THE SEAT HEATER DID NOT GO OFF UNTIL THE KEY WAS REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE COILS MALFUNCTIONED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 28,000. THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER REPLACED SEAT AND ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS BUT WILL NOT PROVIDE CONSUMER WITH ANY DOCUMENTATION OR INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THE DEFECT AND REPAIR. UPDATED 09/18/07 *TR
- NO PRECURSORS OR APPARENT DAMAGE - DRIVERS SEAT HEATER FAILED RESULTING IN STRONG BURNING SMELL, AND SUPERFICIAL BURN TO LEFT UPPER LEG OF DRIVER
ON THE HIGHWAY DRIVING 65 MY 2003 ML500 MERCEDES - BENZ COMPUTER SHUT DOWN AFTER HITTING A SMALL BUMP. IT WAS VERY DANGEROUS AND WAS SCARED FOR MY LIFE THERE ENGINE TURNED OFF AND WAS LUCKILY ABLE TO STOP AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND START THE CAR AGAIN. THIS HAPPENED A COUPLE OF WEEKS BEFORE BUT IT STOPED FOR JUST A SECOND OR TWO. THIS ISN;T AN LD CAR WITH ABOUT 25K MILES ON IT. FOR A 55 THOUSAND DOLLARS CAR TO DO THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE.*AK
I PURCHASED A NEW 2003 ML 350 DURING THE MEMORIAL DAY SALE FROM OUR LOCAL MERCEDES DEALER IN IOWA CITY, IA. THE SUV SHUTS OFF AUTOMATICALLY. INITIALLY, THE DEALER REPLACED THE BATTERY. THE SUV HAS BEEN INTO THE DEALER THREE ADDITIONAL TIMES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. EACH TIME, THE DAY AFTER I RECEIVED THE ML350 BACK, THE PROBLEM OCCURS AGAIN. TWO INCIDENTS OCCURRED WHERE THE SUV WOULD NOT START IN MY GARAGE (WHICH PRESENTED NO HAZARD). TWO INCIDENTS OCCURRED WHERE I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THIS IS AN EXTREME SAFETY HAZARD - PARTICULARLY IF YOU TRAVELING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. THE DATE LISTED BELOW IS THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT. *LA
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Aug 31, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.