Mercedes-Benz CL Class Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 24 consumer complaints across the 2 model years of the Mercedes-Benz CL Class (2002–2003) that have at least 5 complaints. 2002 has the most, with 19. Across all years, the part named most often is suspension (7 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All CL Class model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 5 | 12,000 | 2 | 1 | — | Not enough data |
| 2002 | 19 | 55,650 | 2 | 1 | — | Stable |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Suspension7 25%
- Engine cooling5 18%
- Electrical system4 14%
- Seat belts3 11%
- Air bags3 11%
- Seats2 7.1%
- Interior lighting2 7.1%
- Brakes2 7.1%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2002: “2002 mercedes benz cl500 the right front of the vehicle began to sag & the instrument panel illumination cluster suddenly went completely dark without any warning whatsoever. This has been occurring intermittently, the dealership always charges us each occurrence to fix it. . Now I find both problems are in safety campaign numbers 04v228000 and 06v028000 these are recalls. What can I do to get these problems fixed correctly this time without the dealership trying to use us as a cash horse & getting ripped off as it is happening again. …”
NHTSA complaint #10279825, filed 2009-08, 41,000 miles2003: “I have a 2003 mercedes benz cl55 amg. The abc or active body control system failed and with very little warning, the fluid started to leak , smoke was everywhere and I nearly caused a collision because of the thick smoke and poor visibility. I had to pull over immediately and have the cl55 towed to my mechanic my mechanic, who specializes in high end mercedes benz told me that this is a very common issue with the mercedes cl 55,65,600 models from 2003-2006. Mercedes knew about this particular problem and redesigned the later models. The original sticker price of the cl model is about $120,000. …”
NHTSA complaint #10350476, filed 2010-08, 81,200 milesOther Mercedes-Benz models
3,965 complaintsMercedes-Benz E350
2,215 complaintsMercedes-Benz E320
1,164 complaintsMercedes-Benz ML350
952 complaintsMercedes-Benz GLK350
901 complaintsMercedes-Benz ML320
740 complaintsMercedes-Benz C250
725 complaintsMercedes-Benz GLC 300
658 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology