Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||||
| 20-P-053398 | 03/12/2012 | 10044181 | Xentry: rattling/thumping noises from the area of the steering on rough roads or when driving over road undulations. no model years given. also included models 168 and 172. *js | 05/17/2012 | |
| TB-46-20-61 | 04/22/2008 | 10025648 | Rattling/thumping noise on rough roads and/or knocking noise when moving steering in both directions on all model 164 and 251 vehicles. model years unknown. *pe | 08/27/2008 | |
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - PUMP | |||||
| 463041 | 04/26/2006 | 10019967 | Flow noises from area of power steering pump and/or foaming of power steering oil in reservoir. on mercedes benz ml and r class models. *ak | 05/17/2006 | |
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION | |||||
| 462046 | 12/04/2008 | SB-46-20-46A | 10020460 | Play in the rack and pinion steering system. models 203, 209, 210, 211, 215, 220, 230. mercedes benz. *kb updated 5/13/09. *pe | 10/23/2006 |
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||||
| TB-46-10-39C | 12/02/2008 | 10028645 | Mercedes: chrome plating peeling on decorative caps on the steering wheel spokes, this is due to less than optimal adhesion between chrome plating and base material. models 164 and 251. model years unknown. *pe | 05/12/2009 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 02/06/2013 | 79000 | 1 | |
| Power steering o ring and hose recall. *tr | |||
| 11/06/2012 | 129000 | 1 | |
| Front passenger side wheel brake on it's own, pulling me off to the left of the road vehicle brake (right side) stayed engaged until vehicle speed was down to about 20 mph. dealer said a bad yaw rate sensor was the problem. *tr | |||
| 11/06/2012 | 129000 | ||
| Front passenger side wheel braked on it's own, pulling me off to the left of the road vehicle brake (right side) stayed engaged until vehicle speed was down to about 20 mph. dealer said a bad yaw rate sensor was the problem | |||
| 02/11/2009 | 62000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2002 mercedes benz (mb) ml320. the power steering fluid was depleting all the time from a leakage between the power steering pump and the hose. i took the vehicle to an mb dealership in georgetown, tx (garlyn shelton mercedes benz dealership). the repair was under recall, but the dealership still charged me $214.16. i told them the repair was for a recall, but they would not let me take my car without payment, so i paid them to have my car back. however, i'd like nhtsa to compel them or mercedes benz to refund me back my $214.16. i wrote to mb headquarters in new jersey and they sill refused to refund me back my money. i have a receipt of the repair that was done on the car and the cost they billed me. i can send you the letter i wrote to mb headquarters and the repair receipt if you contact me. i'll be grateful if you can help me from this ripoff. *tr | |||
| 11/26/2007 | |||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercedes benz ml320. while making a turn at approximately 35 mph, the contact heard a loud noise coming from the steering column. the driver had to exert greater effort to make a left turn. there were no warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. on several occasions, the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to have the power steering fluid reservoir filled because it was extremely low. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing and they repaired the vehicle according to nhtsa campaign id number 03v-121. the power steering cooler hose and one clamp were replaced; however, the failure still persists. recently, the fuel pump hose and clamps were replaced at the contact's expense. the technician recommended that the fuel pump be replaced. the vin and mileages were unknown. | |||
| 09/24/2008 | 113000 | 1 | |
| On wednesday, september 24, 2008, while driving to work my steering wheel became difficult to turn. when i left work, i noticed that most of the steering fluid had leaked out of my vehicle. then on thursday, a co worker contacted me and told me that she saw a recall on the news about the steering on mercedes suv. i immediately contacted the local dealer and was told that they did not have a recall in their system for my auto and it would cost me $110 to have them diagnosis my vehicle. i contacted the 800# that was on the news and was told that someone will get back with me. in the meantime, i am a recent single parent with a 14 year child that i transport in a vehicle that i having a difficult time to steer. *tr | |||
| 09/13/2005 | 1 | 04/10/2005 | |
| Numerous problems with exterior and interior lighting. most importantly the left turn signal continually goes out without notice. sometime the interior left turn lights up and sometimes it doesn't. other times the interior left turn light goes completely out placing me and my children in great danger. also i made a left turn and the steering went out just as i entered the beltway and was unable steer the vehicle. *nm | |||
| 09/16/2003 | 1 | ||
| This vehicle has numerous defects, and has been in for service countless amounts of times. mb promised to replace the vehicle if their factory representative could verify my complaints. they absolutely found numerous, redundant defects and now only want to fix the vehicle, rather that replace the vehicle. what a bunch of liars. the vehicle has issues with the steering system, the wheel rubs and the power steering fades out, the radio and cd changer malfunction constantly, fumes from the ventilation system, and when you hit a bump, the car almost goes out of control, even the esp light comes on. *jb | |||
| 06/05/2003 | 1 | ||
| While driving, the steering wheel locked up, which caused the consumer to veer off to the shoulder and into an embankment. *jb | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS | |||
| 02/15/2010 | 85000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercedes ml320. while driving at speeds of less than 50 mph, the steering locked without warning causing the wheel to become tremendously hard to turn. she almost lost control of the vehicle, however she was able to eventually maneuver the vehicle off of he highway safely. the dealer was contacted and she was advised that there was an open recall campaign on the vehicle (nhtsa campaign id number: 03v121000; steering, hydraulic power assist hose, piping, and connections) and advised coming in for repairs. no repairs were made to date. the failure and current mileages were approximately 85,000. | |||
| 08/16/2007 | 1 | ||
| 2002 mercedes benz ml320. safety recall for power steering pump. consumer states that she had the repair done prior to the recall notice. *nj the consumer encountered problems with the power steering pump back in 2007, but didn't receive the recall until 2009. *jb | |||
| 01/21/2009 | 70000 | 2 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercedes benz ml320. the contact received a recall notice and took the vehicle to the dealer for repair. the dealer stated that the o-ring between the power steering pump and reservoir failed. as a result, the recall repairs would be ineffective without also replacing the o-ring. the dealer further stated that the o-ring would not be covered by the recall; therefore, the contact would have to pay an estimated cost of $162 for this repair. the nhtsa campaign id number was unknown. the failure and current mileages were less than 70,000. updated 03/23/09. *lj updated 03/23/09. *jb | |||
| 01/15/2008 | 64141 | 1 | 10/15/2002 |
| Lower power steering hose clamp had released and allowed the power steering fluid to discharge to the ground. this loss of fluid disabled the power steering rendering the car almost impossible to control without strong steering input. my wife had to call for me to drive the car home. the hose failed upon startup, thus preventing an accident. the unit was repaired at no cost under bulletin #t-b.46.30/13a. this bulletin extended the warranty to 100,000 miles for this part. however, this type of failure mode could result in loss of control and a crash. *tr | |||
| 02/16/2002 | 27000 | 1 | 06/06/2001 |
| While driving our 2001 mercedes benx ml320, my wife expierenced sudden loss of steering and was thrown off the road. | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - PUMP | |||
| 11/15/2007 | 71000 | 1 | 01/28/2004 |
| Power steering pump is defective in the 2002 ml 320. *tr | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 08/14/2006 | 2 | ||
| 2002 mercedes-benz ml320. consumer is having some warranty repair problems with mercedes-benz. he also states that mercedes-benz is refusing to pay for any recall repairs. *kb the consumer stated noises and lack of power from the vehicle were reported to the dealer. an independent repair shop found dirty solid metal residue in the transmission fluid, there were missing parts in the planetary gear. the cause of damage was faulty assembly of the pins/plugs in the gears, which resulted in the parts becoming loose and breaking the teeth, which caused excessive noise and loss of power, ultimately the transmission was replaced. the power steering was leaking, the brake and engine lights illuminated several times, the catalytic converter was replaced, the door locks had to be repaired, the battery was replaced and the sway bar link bushing were replaced as well. *jb updated 06/01/10.*jb updated 06/04/10.*jb | |||
| 11/28/2003 | 1 | ||
| The power steering on the ml320 does not always respond to abrupt changes of direction in low speed maneuvers. on numerous occasions, i have steered to the left or right at low speed (<10mph) and then quickly tried to steer in the opposite direction. the power steering requires a great deal of force to change the initial steer direction and it is extremely difficult to change direction. this could easily result in an accident. i don't believe this behaviour is unique to my particular vehicle but is instead a common trait of all mls.*ak | |||
| 04/23/2003 | 19475 | 09/02/2001 | |
| My power steering went out after making a slow, 180 degree turn when exiting a car wash--i was turning into the street when i noticed it. i was told the vehicle had been recalled to replace the power steering part. i never received a recall notice (that i can remember) and i have had the car in for service and this was not pointed out. the situation could have cause an accident if there had been traffic coming in either lane. i had three kids in the car with me. *nlm | |||