There are 2 stored owner reports matching the powertrain & transmission 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 2 of 2 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)2003 MERCEDES BENZ ML320 DEFECTS WITH TRANSMISSION AND COMPUTER UNIT. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE VEHICLE HAS BROKEN DOWN TWICE BECAUSE OF THESE DEFECTS AND THINKS THIS VEHICLE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A LEMON. *KB
THE TRANSMISSION OF THE SUV "JAMMED" WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, AND MY WIFE WHO WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE ALMOST GOT INTO A ACCIDENT. THE SUV WAS PREVIOUSLY MAKING SUDDEN JUMPS WHILE AUTOMATICALLY SHIFTING THE GEARS. THE PROBLEM WAS REPORTED TO THE DEALER, BUT DEALER DID NOT DIAGNOSE THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM CORRECTLY. NOW THE VEHICLE IS WITH THE DEALER AND THE SERVICE MANAGER TELLS ME THAT THERE WAS METAL DEBRIS IN THE TRASMISSION WHICH, ACCORDING TO THE SERVICE MANAGER, COULD BE DUE TO FAILURE OF THE CLUTCH.
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.