Cyber GS

Well after two years of problems with my 2011 ML350 MBUSA finally agreed to a substitution of collateral and took me out of the 2011 and put me into a 2012 ML350 last week.

Most of the problems were documented on this site on the links below and others.

https://mbworld.org/forums/m-class-w164/391150-problems-2011-ml350-2.html#post5220922
https://mbworld.org/forums/m-class-w164/458034-2011-ml350-steering-noise.html
https://mbworld.org/forums/m-class-w164/451670-2011-ml350-squeaking-drivers-seat.html

Over the last 5 months the problems were getting worse and worse.

They had to re-secure the steering collar which had somehow become loose and was causing a loud clunking noise. Then they replaced the steering coupling when the noise came back and there was terrible vibration in the steering wheel, which felt like the front suspension was going to fall off.

Then the steering collar bearing needed to be replaced at the base of the shaft. Then a different bearing near the firewall needed to be replaced. After all of this there was still a vibration in the steering column.

While the above steering issues were being addressed the transmission was also being addressed. The automatic downshift from 2nd to 1st or 3rd to 2nd was terrible. It was like the trans was searching for gears and couldn’t decide which to choose. This was becoming a major safety concern because at times it was dangerous trying to merge into traffic while entering a highway, the ML just wouldn't move.

But the icing on the cake happened while approaching an EZ Pass Express toll booth on the highway. I slowed down to 20 mph (a complete stop wasn't required) while approaching the toll booth. While trying to exit the toll booth I pressed the accelerator and there was a pause as if the transmission was trying to decide which gear to select.

By the time the ML finally decided to move traffic behind me had come dangerously close to hitting us. This had repeated itself so may times it was scary. At that point my wife no longer wanted to drive the ML and I couldn’t blame her.

In addition to the issues above, which caused the ML to be in Mercedes possession for a total of 40 days from the beginning of Oct to beginning of Dec. Below are a few of the other issues I have been dealing with just since June of this year.

The Command Center will take up to a minute to come on and has blacked out while driving causing me to have to re-pair cell phones. The backup camera will occasionally take up to 55 seconds to come on, my wife has timed it. The radio volume will increase by itself (not due to Speed). This happened several times even after the software update.

After software update, the radio reception was horrible.

The headlights still have a mind of their own and will continually come on for no apparent reason.

Continued creaking and cracking from the front windshield that has been present since a month after delivery.

Continued clunking noise in the cargo area. After many attempts to fix by MB were unsuccessful I fixed this by putting a small piece of cloth between the latch on the left rear seat back and the mounting point on the cargo panel. This acted like insulation and stopped the noise. The MB rep (not dealer) didn’t believe me and when he removed the cloth the clunking came back. He couldn’t believe it and the look on his face was priceless.

What I Iearned throughout all of this is that it is critical to have a good relationship with your dealer. My service advisor has been great as well as the GM of the dealership. The GM really went to bat for me with MBUSA when they were being difficult and trying to blow me off hoping I would go away.

The hardest part of it all was keeping my cool. Believe me, there were plenty of times that I just bit my tongue so not to lose my mind and go crazy on the dealer and MB.

I know now that if I would have been rude and threatening, especially to the dealer they wouldn’t have been so quick to help me. And then I would have had to go the legal route which would have just complicated and delayed everything.

Hopefully I will have better luck with the 2012.

eeferber

good for you!

It's really unbelievable that you had so many problems in so many areas...maybe the worst I've ever read about for any vehicle.

Glad the dealership did right by you. Pity to the next owner who unknowingly buys your dearly departed '11.

Cyber GS

It really was unbelieveable... Even my service department never experienced so many problems in different areas of a vehicle. Yes, they have dealt with defective vehicles and buybacks in the past but nothing like this.

It was always something, one thing gets fixed and the next thing you know something else unrelated is not working properly. Lucky for me the problems were almost always duplicated.

When I asked my dealer what was going to happen with the ML he said that his dealership would not be selling it. He told me that he had already told MB that he would not even consider keeping it on his lot. He said MB may auction it off but he wasn't sure.

As happy as I am that I am done with it, I really hope someone else doesnt get stuck with it.

kewlaidjams

I had a similar noise issue with recent 2011 ML63 purchased a month or so ago. The annoying rattle sound from the rear driver area whenever I would put the car in reverse. I tried removing everthing from the cargo area but noise was still there. Finally had the wife drive while I sat in the back. No noise so figured it had to be the seat latch.

Grau E350

Cyber GS,

I'm very glad you had some luck with getting out of your ML. I sold mine several months due to its defects.

Cyber GS

Thanks.

Hopefully the 2012 will treat me a lot better than the 2011 did. And depending how realiable the 12 is will determine if I purchase another MB product in the future.

MA-E320

WoW, I know exactly what you went through. I had a '09 CPO ML320 Bluetec that proved to be horrible. I owned it for 6 months and issues were piling up week after week. Dealer was pretty nice with me and they (not MBUSA) bought it back from me. Instead of a '12 ML, I jumped in a '11 E350. Gotta love that Sindelfingen built quality!!

Cyber GS

Funny, I was also considering an E350 sport but the wife loves her SUV's. She's been driving them since 1999 and prefers them to cars.

And since she drives the ML 90% of the time she won that discussion. You know the saying... "Happy Wife, Happy Life".

jrgator

we just turned 100k on our '09 ML320. Love it on the road. Quiet, comfortable, economical (diesel) and seems very safe (wife's vehicle). However, too much time in the shop and the run flat situation was stupid.