There are 3 owner-reported body & structure complaints for the 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML-Classin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and lost forward propulsion. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle. The contact drove the vehicle for a short distance and the failure reoccurred. The vehicle lost motive power and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed of water entering the spare tire wheel well in the trunk of the vehicle. The contact was advised that the spare tire wheel well, was filled with water. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for assistance. Per the dealer's records, the work associated with NHTSA campaign #22V955000 and MBUSA recall #2023010002 had been completed in March 2023. However, that recall failed to address the source of the issue where water was improperly entering the spare tire wheel well. The dealer did not maintain any records as to the status of the fuel pump or signs of water entry when the recall was completed. The manufacturer refused to cover this repair under the associated recall. The failure mileage was approximately 141,000.
I have own this vehicle on July 2023. I have recently noticed the exterior paint is peeling off quickly all over the body.
WE BOUGHT THIS NEW VEHICLE AND HAS BEEN USED VERY CAREFULLY AS WELL. NO ACCIDENTS ON THIS VEHICLE AT ALL. WE NOTICED THAT THE FRONT BUMPER CHROME WAS PEELING OFF. IT IS COMING OFF IN FLAKES AS THOUGH THE CHROME DID NOT ADHERE TO THE MATERIAL AT ALL. TOOK IT TO DEALERSHIP AND REQUESTED FOR A REPLACEMENT AS IT IS STILL COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. I RESEARCHED AND FOUND OUT OURS WAS NOT AN ISOLATED EVENT AND THIS HAS BEEN ISSUE FOR MANY OTHERS AS WELL. HOWEVER, THE DEALERSHIP REFUSED REPLACEMENT STATING THAT THIS HAPPENED DUE TO DAMAGE. I LOOK AT THE BUMPER AND CANNOT EVEN SEE A SMALL DENT. THE FRONT BUMPERS ARE NEEDED TO WITHSTAND CRASH OF LOWER MAGNITUDE AND RETAIN THE BUMPER QUALITY. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. MERCEDES NEEDS TO HONOR THE BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY AND TAKE OF THIS DEFECT BY RECALLING ALL OF THE VEHICLES. *TR
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.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026