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Mercedes-Benz ML350Model year report

2010 Mercedes-Benz ML350 Problems

Compared with other Mercedes-Benz ML350 years

Typical for this model

38/100 0.8× a typical year · 50 = typical

Based only on NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations. Not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold, and not a reliability rating. How this is calculated

Complaints
101filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
67,000miles, 38 complaints with mileage
Recalls
32 do-not-drive
Trend
StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA crash rating
—overall rating starts with 2011 models
EPA fuel economy
18 mpgcombined, 3.5L 6-cyl RWD · 16 city / 21 hwy

Sources: NHTSA records for the 2010 Mercedes-Benz ML350 (complaints, recalls, investigations), NHTSA crash tests, EPA fuel economy. Report an error

What owners report

Most owner complaints for this model year center on the driver-side airbag inflator recall: owners report long waits for replacement parts and repeated unanswered requests at dealers, rather than an actual deployment failure on the road. Beyond that, owners describe rear seat belts that stop retracting, occasional brake pedal problems tied to a separate brake booster recall, and intermittent no-start or electrical glitches. Complaint mileage spans widely, from under 25,000 to over 200,000 miles.

  1. Air bags

    Driver-side airbag inflator recall with no remedy available

    • 63 complaints (62%)
    • median 87,500 mi at 7.8 yrs old (10 state mileage)
    • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2016–2023

    Owners describe receiving recall notices for the driver-side airbag inflator and then waiting months or years for parts, in many cases being told by the dealer that the remedy is not yet in stock. Several say they were told no timeline was available or that an earlier promised date had passed. A few also describe an intermittent passenger airbag warning light or headrest restraint that deployed uncommanded, though most complaints are about the recall itself rather than a failure. Reported across a wide mileage range from about 47,000 to over 90,000 miles, mostly between 2016 and 2019 and tied to the 2016 recall notice.

    Recall 16V0810002 related service bulletins

    What to check: Ask whether recall 16V081000 has been completed and get written confirmation with the VIN, since parts availability has varied by region and time. Note that an open recall can affect resale and trade-in value.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “Takata recall. This complaint is to inform you that takata / mercedes benz have yet to replace my airbag despite the fact that there has been a recall notice out since may of 2016. I spoke today with the dealer whom I purchased my car from new. I was told they were still waiting on parts.”

    NHTSA complaint #11056940, filed 2017-12, 47,000 miles

    “Takata recall manufacturer has failed to provide replacement parts. Dealership unwilling to pursue manufacturer to deliver the parts. Leaving me and my family at risk of serious injury and death. This is unacceptable”

    NHTSA complaint #11091159, filed 2018-05, 100,000 miles
  2. Seat belts

    Rear seat belts will not retract

    • 10 complaints (10%)
    • median 46,500 mi at 5.3 yrs old (10 state mileage)
    • filed 2014–2018

    Owners report that the rear seat belt on one or both sides stays fully extended and will not retract, leaving that seating position without a usable belt. According to the complaints, dealers diagnosed the belts or retractors as needing replacement and quoted several hundred dollars once the vehicle was out of warranty. In several cases the belt had seen little use before failing. Reported from roughly 22,000 to 70,000 miles, with one instance above 200,000; often noticed after a passenger uses the belt.

    What to check: Pull each rear belt fully out and let it go; it should retract smoothly. Ask whether any rear belt or retractor has been replaced.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “Just bought this car from a family member who takes great care of their cars. The rear drivers side passenger seatbelt does not work. I gently pulled out and it doesn't retract no matter what I tried. Now I can't use with my 3 kids. These rear seat belts were only lightly used from previous owner as this was her commuter car .seems to me this has been a common complaint online yet no recall. Please investigate right away.”

    NHTSA complaint #11053564, filed 2017-12, 213,000 miles

    “The rear seat belts on this vehicle get stuck all the way out and will not retract. The car is out of warranty as of this month and the dealer is quoting around $800 to fix this known issue. Having a broken retractor is not safe as we cannot put two people in the back seat of our car. A terrible design to have a seat belt break when very few passengers ride in the back seat except for my child. Please help and put a recall on this issue.”

    NHTSA complaint #10561839, filed 2014-01, 29,000 miles
  3. Electrical system

    Intermittent no-start and electrical faults

    • 8 complaints (8%)
    • median 65,000 mi at 7.5 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
    • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2014–2024

    Owners report the key turning with no response and no dashboard lights, sometimes starting after several minutes of retrying, and one complaint describes replacing the ignition switch. Others describe the gear selector not engaging park, drive, or reverse, turn signals failing to operate, or a battery that ignited under the passenger seat after replacement. Some mention COMAND or battery drain issues. Reported from roughly 50,000 to 70,000 miles, with several complaints filed after 100,000 miles.

    3 related service bulletins

    What to check: Start the car several times, including after a short stop, and check that all warning lights and turn signals work. Ask about the ignition switch, battery, and any prior electrical repairs.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “Vehicle won't go into park, drive, neutral, or reverse when I push the button to tell it to. Vehicle's turn signals don't turn on when I move the handle up or down to try and turn them. It handle clicks as if it is turned on but blinkers do not turn on. Almost got hit by another car when this accrued because the blinkers didn't come on and the car didn't see that I was stopping. Very scary and dangerous since I have two small children.”

    NHTSA complaint #10917923, filed 2016-10, 70,000 miles

    “On august 1st 2017 bought brand new battery from Mercedes-Benz of easton. Installed in next couple of weeks without any issue. On sept 12th 2017 around 2.45pm started the car(in the driveway) and went inside to get my mobile. When I came out to te car, saw big smoke inside and immediately switched off the engine. Saw flames coming underneath of passenger seat and immediately poured water. Later observed battery ignited the flames and even top of the battery started melting. …”

    NHTSA complaint #11022929, filed 2017-09, 138,800 miles
  4. Brakes

    Brake pedal needs extra pressure or feels unresponsive

    • 16 complaints (16%)
    • median 75,000 mi at 6.2 yrs old (10 state mileage)
    • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2014–2024

    Owners describe the brake pedal going down without the expected stopping response, sometimes requiring harder pressure or repeated pumps, in a few cases at low speed and in others at highway speed. Some mention ABS and ESP warning lights appearing and sensors being replaced. Several complaints reference the brake booster recall notices, and some describe an independent shop finding no fault. Reported from about 65,000 to 90,000 miles, and in a few cases beyond 100,000 miles.

    Recall 22V315000 · DO NOT DRIVERecall 24V298000 · DO NOT DRIVE1 related service bulletin

    What to check: Ask whether recalls 22V315000 and 24V298000 for the brake booster have been performed, and have a shop inspect the booster housing and check for ABS/ESP fault codes.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “Two issues with my ML350 2010 car - 1) electrical - gas gauge went to zero while driving even when car was three quarters full of gas. After I stopped car and restarted engine, gas gauge went immediately back up to three quarters full. 2) failed brakes - I was driving into a parking spot slowly using brakes and when I was about to come to a full stop, the brakes failed and wouldn't stop the car completely resulting in me driving over a parking meter. …”

    NHTSA complaint #11029894, filed 2017-09, 80,000 miles

    “Before the incident my Mercedes started to pull away from me each time I attempted to press the brakes. At times the when I would press the brakes nothing would happen at all as if I wasn’t pressing them at all. Well on the night of February 18,2022 I was coming around a curb and when I went to press the brakes, my Mercedes began to sway slightly but the brakes never kicked in. …”

    NHTSA complaint #11585228, filed 2024-04

Buying note. Before buying, confirm with the VIN whether the airbag inflator recall, and the brake booster recalls, have been completed, since owners report lengthy parts waits. Also test every rear seat belt and start the vehicle repeatedly to screen for retractor and no-start issues.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.

NHTSA recorded 101 consumer complaints for the 2010 Mercedes-Benz ML350. 38 of the complaints include a mileage, and 29% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 67,000 miles. Of all complaints, 4 involved a crash, 2 a fire, 1 an injury, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns (2 marked do-not-drive) and 86 technical service bulletins for this model year. Compared with the other 7 Mercedes-Benz ML350 model years that have at least 25 complaints and are old enough to compare, this one scores 38 out of 100, where 50 is a typical year for the model (typical for this model). The comparison allows for the era and for how long each year has had to collect complaints, but not for how many vehicles were sold.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Also reported: Suspension (1).

Example complaints

Air bags: “Without warning while in motion, on a country road, an alarm went off stating return to workshop turn signals stopped working, dashboard when blank (no speedometer working), srs alarm and could not put the vehicle in park or neutral.”

NHTSA complaint #11330019, filed 2020-06, 145,410 miles

Electrical system: “As described above. Instead of blowing a fuse , fuse housing melted from fire and heat requiring replacement of the entire housing with all fuses and relays. I brought it up to mercedes benz attention and their response was as the part got replaced at this point it is only an alleged problem. They do not want to accept their own service mechanic 's description of what happened. I am afraid this car has all the potential of bigger fire hazard and potential for accidents and deaths. …”

NHTSA complaint #10578405, filed 2014-04, 54,000 miles

Seat belts: “Rear seatbelts fail to retract. I'm waiting on a call from the dealer's service department as to the cost to replace the rear seat belts. I have never experienced this problem in any other car brand. Very disappointed and concerned about cost to replace as car is out of warranty. However, since my two young kids ride in the back all the time I need functioning seat belts. Have seen some other similar complaints at various online forums. Perhaps an investigation is warranted due to the seriousness of this issue.”

NHTSA complaint #10640175, filed 2014-09, 43,000 miles

Brakes: “Rear seatbelt stopped retracting,passenger side.also had ABS and esp warning indicators come on,was told all sensors should be changed but due to an extended warranty bought through a used car dealer only one sensor was changed.this has happened two times in three years”

NHTSA complaint #10788729, filed 2015-11, 50,000 miles

Mileage when problems were reported

29% of the 38 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 45,000 and 90,000 miles.

0%0–108%10–2521%25–5034%50–7521%75–10013%100–1503%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (38 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 67,000 miles.

Complaints by year filed

Trend: stable. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.

’12’14’1641’18’20’23’26
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2010 Mercedes-Benz ML350. Frontal results are shown driver / passenger; rollover shows the star rating and NHTSA's estimated risk of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

VersionOverallFrontalSideSide poleRollover
ML-Class · sedan 4WD/2WDnot rated5 / 5——4 · 17.9% risk

Ratings before the 2011 model year come from an older, less demanding test and are not comparable with ratings for 2011 and later.

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), nhtsa.gov/ratings.

Fuel economy and running cost

EPA ratings for each 2010 Mercedes-Benz ML350 version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving).

VersionEngineTransmissionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yr
ML350 RWD3.5L 6-cyl7-speed automatic162118$4,550
ML350 4matic 4WD3.5L 6-cyl7-speed automatic152017$4,850

Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.

Recalls and investigations

Recall details for the 2010 Mercedes-Benz ML350 → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 86 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 86 bulletins →

Other model years of the Mercedes-Benz ML350

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
20155218,750552085 · MoreRising
20146839,200452055 · TypicalRising
20135771,000452042 · TypicalRising
20126548,5003—2060 · TypicalRising
201111165,0003—1766 · MoreStable
201010167,0003—1838 · TypicalStable
20099370,0003—1845 · TypicalStable
20086771,0002—1745 · TypicalFalling
20078360,0002—17Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200617268,0002—16Not compared (before 2008)Falling
20052366,7000—15—Rising
20043570,0000—15Not compared (before 2008)Falling
20032551,4000—15Not compared (before 2008)Rising

All Mercedes-Benz ML350 model years · Best and worst years by complaints

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2010 Mercedes-Benz ML350?

Most owner complaints for this model year center on the driver-side airbag inflator recall: owners report long waits for replacement parts and repeated unanswered requests at dealers, rather than an actual deployment failure on the road. The issues reported most often: Driver-side airbag inflator recall with no remedy available; Rear seat belts will not retract; Intermittent no-start and electrical faults.

How many NHTSA complaints does the 2010 Mercedes-Benz ML350 have?

NHTSA recorded 101 consumer complaints for the 2010 Mercedes-Benz ML350 as of Nov 1, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 2010 Mercedes-Benz ML350 is reported most often?

Air bags is named most often, in 67 complaints (66% of the total), followed by electrical system with 10.

Has the 2010 Mercedes-Benz ML350 been recalled?

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year, 2 of them with a do-not-drive advisory. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What gas mileage does the 2010 Mercedes-Benz ML350 get?

The EPA rates the 2010 Mercedes-Benz ML350 (ML350, 3.5L 6-cyl) at 18 mpg combined, 16 city and 21 highway, with an estimated annual fuel cost of $4,550 at 15,000 miles a year. Other engine and drive versions are rated differently.

At what mileage are problems with the 2010 Mercedes-Benz ML350 reported?

Among the 38 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 67,000 miles and the middle half falls between 45,000 and 90,000 miles; 29% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Nov 1, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Crash ratings are from NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.