Does anybody else HATE their ML?

I have a 2002 ML 320 and am dealing with Lemon law Lawyers trying to get MB to take my piece of crap back. Just wondering if anybody else has similar issues.

What's wrong with it?

it is a poorly manufactured car. I do not fit into the textbook definition of a Lemon Law buyback, but it is a piece of garbage. Trim falls off, lights inside the dash burn out, auto windows go right back down, the rear bumper came half off on its own, passenger seatbelt locks after about 50' of travel, the ride is so rough that i cannot leave a full drink in the drink holders, Radio has gone nuts while driving, etc...

And i thought geting a mercedes would be a pleasurable experience!

it is a poorly manufactured car. I do not fit into the textbook definition of a Lemon Law buyback, but it is a piece of garbage. Trim falls off, lights inside the dash burn out, auto windows go right back down, the rear bumper came half off on its own, passenger seatbelt locks after about 50' of travel, the ride is so rough that i cannot leave a full drink in the drink holders, Radio has gone nuts while driving, etc...

And i thought geting a mercedes would be a pleasurable experience!

"Trim falls off" - Not likely unless it has been previously removed or has been abused by owner

" lights inside the dash burn out" - It happens, light bulbs are light bulbs, they burn out sometimes

"auto windows go right back down" - Possibly the hall sensor in the window motor is bad. Takes only about an hour to replace it.

"the rear bumper came half off on its own" - On it's own? Seriously? That is impossible.

"passenger seatbelt locks after about 50' of travel" - Possibly needs a new seat belt. Or you are pulling it too fast and the inertia switch is locking the seat belt as intended.

"the ride is so rough that i cannot leave a full drink in the drink holders" - Didn't you test drive the car before you bought it? And if you don't want a rough ride, DON'T BUY A TRUCK.

"Radio has gone nuts while driving" - No idea what "gone nuts" means.


Sounds like you're gonna lose your lemon law case, sorry.

Trim has indeed fallen off on its own. ANd the glove box fell off as well. suprised the crap out of my wife. THe center console lid has been replaced twice due to it falling apart. how about the rear seat folding assembly that stopped working so the seat was stuck halfway. i took it in two time for it and they still did not fix it. now i figured it out and fixed it myself.

Lights inside the dash... i know that lights burn out. You even had one burn out on you? i haven't in 20 years of owning cars. Now i have twice. BTW, this is a known MB problem, it even happens in the E class.

Auto window up crap has been replaced and adjusted about 6 times. Works for about 6 weeks then off we go again.

Came half off, not left side off or anything like that, you could move it up and down about 6 inches as the bolts had loosened on it.

Seat belt has been replaced three times. I am not talking about pulling it too hard (although most cars you cannot pull it hard enough to lock it, it needs the braking or skidding inertia to lock it) i am driving, it is fine, then my wife cannot move.

The ride. I have borrowed/rented tahoes/suburbans, other ML's and none of them compare. Mine rides like a military grade vehicle. I traded with a friend who has a suburban for a few days a while back, he still gives me a hard time about it.

How about riding down the road and the radio started turning up of its own accord. the only way to get the volume down was to turn it off.

And i won't even get started on the time i tried to use teleassist and it would not disconnect.

I recognize that it is not a standard case and i do not have high hopes. the lawyer thinks he might be able to get them to take it back. I hope for the best and plan for the worst.

All i did here was ask if anybody else has had troubles with theirs. Mine was obviously a Friday car coming out of the plant in tuscaloosa county there.

i hope you realize that the ML is not a Benz...it's a collaboration of crap...mostly from the US...GM relays...Ford transfer case and (get this!) seat belt connectors! HAHAHA...bet you didn't see that coming...and on top of all of that...the ML is built in Alabama...do you honestly think that anything good could come from there?...i can't wait for the R-class (cough...Pacifica...cough, cough)...as the name sez..."Thats Gawbage"...sorry...

i have rented a pacifica and loved it. But i am not going to a new car for a while after this experience. Maybe a lexus though

the ML is 100% chrysler.

"Trim falls off" - Not likely unless it has been previously removed or has been abused by owner

" lights inside the dash burn out" - It happens, light bulbs are light bulbs, they burn out sometimes

"auto windows go right back down" - Possibly the hall sensor in the window motor is bad. Takes only about an hour to replace it.

"the rear bumper came half off on its own" - On it's own? Seriously? That is impossible.

"passenger seatbelt locks after about 50' of travel" - Possibly needs a new seat belt. Or you are pulling it too fast and the inertia switch is locking the seat belt as intended.

"the ride is so rough that i cannot leave a full drink in the drink holders" - Didn't you test drive the car before you bought it? And if you don't want a rough ride, DON'T BUY A TRUCK.

"Radio has gone nuts while driving" - No idea what "gone nuts" means.


Sounds like you're gonna lose your lemon law case, sorry.


When he said "lights inside the dash burn out", I agree that lightbulbs burn out. But they should never, EVER burn out in a car that is only 3 years old. On top of that, it SHOULD be built well, being a MERCEDES and all. If the lights burn out, it's not built well. My 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee hasn't had lights burned out. For being such high-end cars, Mercedes sure arent built well.

exactly my point. Unfortunately Mercedes does not agree. ANd for the record, it burnt out TWICE! in three years. And apparently this also happens in the E class as well.

hmmm, MB's are crap for the money, eh? that is absolutley not true. I cannot speak for your ML experince, but I would like to comment on porscheguy's post (while addressing some general issues).

Modern MB's might be considered unreliable due to their electronics, but engine problems are not ususally at the top of the list. The ML has one of the worst reliablility recorders around, and there are bound to be some lemons out there. I would recommend skipping the ML if you ever buy another Mercedes.

Mercedes Benz interiors are VERY nice and luxurious. I owned a 1996 C36 AMG, and the materials were excellent. In addition to the C36, I recently had the privelege to drive a Mercedes C55 amg, and an E500. The interiors on both of these cars are well made, and the materials are of a high quality. The E500's leather felt better than that of my J.Crew leather jacket, and the jacket was $300.

Mercedes is not a bad value for what you get. They may be more expensive, but they are very useful and their longevity is second to none. Newer models may not be as reliable as my C36, but that is why most european car buyers (at least the smart ones) buy a car later in its model cycle. Case and point, Motor Trend and Automobile magazine both had minor issues with the reliablilty of their e-class long term test cars.

Sorry, dude, but that doesnt change the fact that MOST (not all) Mercedes are poorly built cars. For bieng so expensive, you think that Mercedes would put some money into upping the quality of the electronics and engine, instead of making a car or SUV for every single niche out there, and even ones you didnt know existed.

You may be rich enough to keep your AMG running for a long time. But most people dont have the funds to just throw money at problems that can and will arise.

Dont get me wrong, Mercedes have nice interiors and exteriors, but you think that they would at least TRY to improve the quality of their products. If you want a high end luxury sedan or suv, get a Lexus. It'll last MUCH longer, and wont be very problematic.

You may be rich enough to keep your AMG running for a long time. But most people dont have the funds to just throw money at problems that can and will arise.

Word to those without any common sense....If you are on a budget where a 2000.00 repair bill may bother you then a Mercedes Benz(of any kind) is not the car for you.

Word to those without any common sense....If you are on a budget where a 2000.00 repair bill may bother you then a Mercedes Benz(of any kind) is not the car for you.

If you are spending $2000 to repair your Mercedes, then you should relize you are spending $2000 to repair it. And that is much, MUCH more than nickle and dimeing you. It looks like your the one without any common sense.

porscheguy, who has no common sense? i never mentioned anything about spending $2000 on a repair, and i am not implying that a $2000 repair bill is acceptable.

I can only speak from my experince, but I have owned Mercedes twice in my life.

My first was a 1993 190e 2.6, and my second was a 1996 c36 amg. The 190 was a reliable car that didn't require ANY major repairs. The reason why I bought the C36 was that I was in a car accident, and the 190 was totaled.

The C36 didn't have ANY major (by major i mean more than $600) repairs that were caused because of the car itself. The one time the bill was over $600 was when i filled her up w/fuel which was contaminated with water. As a result, the dealership had to replace all 6 fuel injectors, but this was covered under warranty.

$2000 for a repair is NOT reasonable, and if such repairs became a trend I would ovbiously sell the car.

You have your own opinion about mercedes reliablilty, and I also have my own opinion. I base mine off of experience, and, for all i know, you may have also owned a mercedes at some point.

My observations/opinions will remain what they are unless I buy another mercdes and have it breakdown constantly. I will repaeat this again: if one is concerned about mercedes reliability, then they shouldn't buy one until it is at least in the middle of its model cycle.

A big repair bill is never wanted on any automobile. I threw a 2k price because after being a service manager for years on these cars trust me...it's not uncommon. All I'm saying is that I see people buy a Mercedes who really should not be buying a expensive elaborate car like that. Some people try to live outside of their means. Why I don't know, if it's ego by being the person on the block with the nicest car, or if they just want a nice car for their family. It doesn't matter, a Mercedes is not built for people on a small budget. Repairs are more, parts are more, the price of owning a MB is more, it's just a fact....at least it was until about ten years ago.

Back in the day a Mercedes was built for a lifetime. A few decades ago, you bought one, then it would be the last car you would have to buy. Of course back then people kept cars at least 5-10 years before trading them. Now MB has caught on to the trend. That trend(for most people) is to always want a new car. Doesn't matter if their old one is in perfect shape, they want to keep up with the Johnsons. They want the newest gadgets, the sleekest designs, so what if they can't afford it, the monthly payment is low! So MB is just staying alive and they are lowering the costs of their machines to remain competitive, after all nobody keeps a new car 10 years anymore. However, lowering the costs of their peoducts means in order to keep profits up, quality goes down. Mercedes job is not to make the best cars...it's to make money. Making the best cars used to mean that money would come, but not anymore, making disposable/cheaper cars does.

Mercedes is still a fine automobile, but nothing like it used to be. It is still a bit more pricey with the exception of the entry level cars(base c class, a class, and even the M class)...but these are still more to own. 30k is no entry level car! a entry level MB yes, but not an entry level car.

Here is what happens: someone buys a M-class, they don't take care of it because they know they are trading it in a few years. They trade it, someone else buys it, has problems, and that person bad mouths Mercedes. Or my favorite, they buy a used sl-600 on e-bay for 10k less than book then I have to tell them they need 7k in repairs. Mercedes does not have bad cars..only bad owners.

talonlover, that was an excellent post. I hadn't considered that view in relation to Mercedes reliability, but if it comes from the mouth a Mercedes technician I belive it.

I also agree with you about current Mercedes models not having the same longevity as those built 15+ years ago.

Very good. That is almost exactly the point I am trying to make. The quality is not the best, and they need to stay competitive. And yes, 30K is NOT an entry level car.

My girlfriend and I have a 1999 ML 430. The V-8 before it went to the 500. It has been the biggest piece of crap I have ever seen in my life!! Whenever we take it through the car wash, something falls off. One time the turn signal on the fender fell out (thats before they were putting them on the mirrors) The last time the L fell off the back so we were driving a m 430. Mercedes Charged us for all the letters when we took it in for repairs because you can't buy just the L. The lights inside the dash have also gone out. The power windows need fixed about every 6 months. (we can almost mark our calanders by it). At 99,000 miles the transmission went out and we have never taken it off road or towed anything. Thank god for extended warranties because the repair bill for that was a whopping $9,000 dollars. luckily we didn't have to pay a dime or I think I would have torched the piece of crap. We have put more money in repairs in that car in 1 year than in all 6 years I've had my Ford Explorer. I will never own another ML again.

^^^
It's ashame. Too bad you'll never get to experience the new ML. It's a great vehicle. :)

^^^
It's ashame. Too bad you'll never get to experience the new ML. It's a great vehicle. :)

I still like Mercedes vehicles and they have the ability to turn my head when I'm driving more than any other car however for the price I dont expect emblems and turn signals to be falling off. That kind of stuff I would expect out of a Hyndai or a kia. Maybe in the future, i'll just stick to the ones manufactured and assembled over seas which I think are all of them except or the ML. Is this still correct?

i'll just stick to the ones manufactured and assembled over seas which I think are all of them except or the ML. Is this still correct?

At the moment, yes, that is still correct. But the facility in Alabama will soon be assembling the new R-class (based off the ML chassis) and the newest version of the G-wagen.

I was recently sent to training for the new ML. The instructors at the class visited the Alabama assembly plant and said it has been completely reworked with quality being their #1 concern. So far the new ML launch has been going great. Only time will tell if they hold up for years to come.

Hi there

Regarding the new ML like u said its a great car yet we have had two here that allready have had there engine SW replaced due to it cutting out while driving ( 1000 km on the clock)

for the rest no problems yet and great to drive.


At the moment, yes, that is still correct. But the facility in Alabama will soon be assembling the new R-class (based off the ML chassis) and the newest version of the G-wagen.

I was recently sent to training for the new ML. The instructors at the class visited the Alabama assembly plant and said it has been completely reworked with quality being their #1 concern. So far the new ML launch has been going great. Only time will tell if they hold up for years to come.

As i was the one who started this thread, i want to clarify something.

While i still do like the look of many of the MB vehicles, and i recognize that they are a well respected brand and make many fine cars, my issue was that i grew to hate mine (still do) due to the way that MB dealt with it. I was told (basically ) to go to hell, and they would just keep fixing it and then when the warranty expired, i could pay for these stupid repairs. SO here i am with a car that i am afraid to drive lest something go wrong. it literally sits in the garage collecting dust while i drive (and enjoy) my new saturn.

The car is not the issue, it is the attitude of the car company.

OH yeah... and Talon lover, it was a new freakin car! The problems were from the get go.

So do not lay your BS of "Mercedes does not have bad cars..only bad owners." That is such a load of crap

Then get rid of your piece of crap and stop bitching about it. I have had lemons too but instead of crying to some car board I got rid of it and got on with my life.

That is what i was attempting to do when i first started this thread. looking for others with similar issues. Unfortunately (for me) MB will not take it back.

Sucks for me. THere was no firther whining other than answering the initial questions.

That is what i was attempting to do when i first started this thread. looking for others with similar issues. Unfortunately (for me) MB will not take it back.

Sucks for me. THere was no firther whining other than answering the initial questions.
DIZ---Same experience here......Oh they will tell you "this has NEVER happened before (like the console with me) but it has and found another forum to verify all problems I had.....always piddly ones....but take up time and they give you some junky NEO/GEO/METRO tuna can as a rental....oh yeah that was what I paid 40K to get!! I figured out my car was in the shop an average of once every six weeks for the first 50,000 miles!!! all the things you talked about and more.....but always small, and never quite enough to reach lemon status....

YOUR FEELINGS ARE JUSTIFIED!!!! DON'T LET ANY OF THE MB BOZOS TELL YOU OTHERWISE!!!

Found you because just saw the trim on the back corner (a type of glass piece that wraps the corner next to the back hatch/window) has a horizontal crack and the dealer wants $250 for the part, not including installing it....!!! Couldn't find one online so its off to the auto dismantling yard, or just buy a tube of silicone....I so don't care about the car anymore....and I will not line the dealers pockets anymore....!!!!

p.s. have the extended warranty.....trim not covered, of course....nickel and dime, nickel and dime, baby....it all adds up.....

Your dealer is ripping you, that part I know well. I have replaced several of them because of people backing into stuff. It costs about 70.00 and you can put it on yourself. It sticks on with high strength tape, the hard part is getting the old one off.

Your dealer is ripping you, that part I know well. I have replaced several of them because of people backing into stuff. It costs about 70.00 and you can put it on yourself. It sticks on with high strength tape, the hard part is getting the old one off.

Thanks for the info....still looking for the part.....but, what would be the downside of just filling the crack with some silicone? I don't really care about the look, just to fill, and avoid water, and the elements from getting in there...?

p.s.---the crack 'just happened'......with no incident by myself or others...the car was dirty, and you could tell if anything had hit it or bumped it....it just showed up!!

I really don't think it serves any purpose other that cosmetic. It only covers up painted metal, so if you put a little silicone in the crack and leveled off the excess I can't see why that wouldn't work.

Word to those without any common sense....If you are on a budget where a 2000.00 repair bill may bother you then a Mercedes Benz(of any kind) is not the car for you.
I couldn't agree more... had the same dilema with my Jag :)

My Dad likes his a lot. But he has had similar problems with the rear plastic wrap around piece, as well. The first one just fell off. Yes, for no reason other than poor craftsmanship. The second one's finish disintegrated. The third one is doing the same thing. How about the owners manual pocket in the driver's door that dropped into the door panel about and inch and a half. I suppose that was because of the door being slammed too hard, right? I know that this is not the case.

Look, face it, every car has problems. No matter how much you spend.

Some people in this posting exchange are blaming owners for everything. Yes, there are some bad owners, but not every problem is caused by owner abuse. Deal with the fact that some cars are not put together well, regardless of manufacturer. It all about how the company deals with people/customers. Much of the variation in this area comes from how the individual dealers conduct themselves.