1999 Mercedes Benz M Class
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Mercedes Benz › M Class › 1999
These records cover every 1999 Mercedes Benz M Class. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
4 recalls name the 1999 Mercedes Benz M Class. Newest first.
Mercedes-benz IS recalling certain model year 1999-2002 m-class and model year 2000-2003 m-class AMG vehicles. the cruise control system in the affected vehicles allows the driver to disengage the system in a number of ways, including tapping the brake pedal, using the cruise control stalk, or braking the vehicle enough to reach a certain rate of…
Risk and remedy
Risk
Difficulty or delay in disengaging cruise control can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. the safety recall began during october 2011. owners may contact mercedes-benz at 1-800-367-6372.
Mercedes-benz IS recalling 125,228 my 1998-2004 m-class vehicles. the hose clamp used to secure the power steering fluid cooling hose to the power steering fluid cooler may not provide sufficient clamping force for this connection.
Risk and remedy
Risk
The loss of power steering fluid may result in diminished power steering over time and ultimately can damage the power steering pump. this could result in a loss of control and a crash without warning.
Remedy
An earlier recall repair performed on these vehicles may not be sufficient to prevent a future leakage or failure of the power steering hose connection (please see 03v121). since it IS not possible through inspection to identify specific vehicles that may not have been properly repaired, all vehicles repaired prior to november 15, 2003, will be repaired again. the recall IS expected to begin during november 2008. owners may contact mercedes-benz at 1-800-367-6372.
On certain passenger vehicles, the hose clamp used to secure the power steering fluid cooling hose to the power steering fluid cooler may not provide sufficient clamping force for this connection.
Risk and remedy
Risk
The loss of power steering fluid may result in diminished power steering over time and ultimately can damage the power steering pump.
Remedy
Dealers will install a new hose clamp on the power steering hose to the power steering cooler. during clamp replacement, the power steering cooling hose will be inspected and replaced as necessary. owner notification began june 16, 2003. owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact mercedes-benz at 1-800-367-6372.
Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles. The latching mechanism on the seat belt assembly was not assembled correctly. if the plastic cover IS loose during the engagement of the buckle tongue to the latch mechanism, the buckle could unlatch.
Risk and remedy
Risk
In the event of a crash, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the seat belt buckles. if either the driver or front passenger seat belt buckle IS found to be defective, it will be replaced.
Owner complaints
18 complaints1 involved a fire
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Electronic stability control (esc) · Service brakes, hydraulic
Driving on tappan zee bridge near nyc and slowed down to approx 15 mph for toll booth and tried to accelerate out of the tolls. the vehicle was very loud and would not accelerate. it almost sounded like I was driving over rumble strips and I almost crashed trying to pull over as the ez-pass IS…
Driving on tappan zee bridge near nyc and slowed down to approx 15 mph for toll booth and tried to accelerate out of the tolls. the vehicle was very loud and would not accelerate. it almost sounded like I was driving over rumble strips and I almost crashed trying to pull over as the ez-pass IS all the way on the left side of the freeway. after I got out the front passenger rotor/caliper was almost glowing and erupting with smoke, the 3 other brakes looked fine. the smoke did not stop for at least 10-15 minutes and it smelled absolutely terrible even standing 15 feet away from the vehicle. the vehicle had to be flat-bedded to the dealership and they where not able to diagnose the issue, they said it seemed like an electrical problem. after bringing it to another shop they said it was a faulty yaw rate sensor. *tr
- Seat belts · Seat belts › Front › Anchorage
Nhtsa campaign 99v328000. Seat belt buckle recall. seat belt buckle even after the recall inspection and replacement IS defective, the connection in between metal spring and plastic IS unsafe and unsafe, it IS made out of cheap plastic, eventually plastic will fail and seat belt will unlatch. It…
Nhtsa campaign 99v328000. Seat belt buckle recall. seat belt buckle even after the recall inspection and replacement IS defective, the connection in between metal spring and plastic IS unsafe and unsafe, it IS made out of cheap plastic, eventually plastic will fail and seat belt will unlatch. It will cause serious injuries in a crash or hard stop, mercedes IS not offering any warranty or replacement I was kicked out of the dealer when I complained, they said they will call the police on me. *Tr
- Electrical system
My 1999 mercedes ml320 stalled in traffic on the interstate. I had it towed to the dealer who replaced the crankshaft position sensor which showed a marginal problem. We picked up the car and brought to the attention of the manager that the "check engine" was illuminated. He said that was because…
My 1999 mercedes ml320 stalled in traffic on the interstate. I had it towed to the dealer who replaced the crankshaft position sensor which showed a marginal problem. We picked up the car and brought to the attention of the manager that the "check engine" was illuminated. He said that was because there were some plugs misfiring, but that would have no bearing on the car stalling. The next day, the car stalled in traffic and was again towed to the dealer. They can find nothing wrong with the car and say it runs like a top. We refused to take the car until the problem was resolved so it was decided that a technician would drive the car until it stalled again. That has been going on for one week with no stalling. we are at a loss as to how to procede with this issue. We do not feel it IS safe to drive the car because we fear it will stop again in traffic and cause an accident and/or deaths. *Tr
- Tires
Tire almost no tread after 31,000 miles warranty for 65,000 miles. *Tr
- Steering
When trying to turn my vehicle from a parking lot, there was a sudden leakage of power steering fluid and the steering wheel became so hard to turn. The car was not in drivable condition and I towed it to my nearest service station. After diagnosis, power steering hose and clamp were replaced and…
When trying to turn my vehicle from a parking lot, there was a sudden leakage of power steering fluid and the steering wheel became so hard to turn. The car was not in drivable condition and I towed it to my nearest service station. After diagnosis, power steering hose and clamp were replaced and the car IS running good now. later I found that this IS a known issue in 1999 mercedes ML 320 and found recall campaign details of this issue in nhtsa website. But when I called mercedes USA to get a reimbursement for the repair cost, they are refusing to give reimbursement for a strange reason. I am still following this issue with them. *Tr
- Power train · Power train › Driveline
1999 ML 320 began jerking on medium grades. Jerking was reported to knoxville tn. Mercedes benz dealership. They reported the transfer case IS failing. They indicated that to their knowledge there has never been a transfer case failure on an ML 320. I had the transfer case replaced at a cost of $4300.00. *Tr
- Steering
My car stopped steering. I could not turn the steering wheel. it occurred on saturday, december 13,2008. I had my car towed to a meineke shop. they discovered that my hose and clamp had to be replaced. I went to my closest merecedes benz service center in greenwich, ct the next week. they…
My car stopped steering. I could not turn the steering wheel. it occurred on saturday, december 13,2008. I had my car towed to a meineke shop. they discovered that my hose and clamp had to be replaced. I went to my closest merecedes benz service center in greenwich, ct the next week. they completed the repair. I submitted my meineke bill of $50.35 for reimbursement to my salesman, phil boutall. I was told that I would get the refund in a few days. it has now been over 3 months. I have made numerous calls to mr boutall and spoke to him personally as well as left messages. besides empty promises and unreturned voice mails I have not received my reimbursement. *Tr
- Steering
Tl*the contact owns a 1999 mercedes benz ml320. while driving approximately 40 mph on normal road conditions, the power steering failed without warning. immediately, the driver exerted more effort to turn the steering wheel. there was also excessive power steering fluid leaking. the vehicle was…
Tl*the contact owns a 1999 mercedes benz ml320. while driving approximately 40 mph on normal road conditions, the power steering failed without warning. immediately, the driver exerted more effort to turn the steering wheel. there was also excessive power steering fluid leaking. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection and they discovered nhtsa campaign ID number 03v121000 (steering;hydraulic power assist;hose, piping, and connections). the vehicle was repaired for the recall. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on two separate occasions for identical failures, but there were no resolutions. the vehicle IS in the process of being taken to an independent mechanic for a second opinion. the failure mileage was 120,000 and current mileage was 127,000.
- Electrical system › Ignition › Module · Engine and engine cooling
My 1999 ML 320'S engine recently (27 and 29 sept 05) instantaneously stalled without warning while driving-no check engine light, just died in the middle of the road!. good wx, no rain, dry, daytime. It restarted after 5 mins. Traffic went around me. ML IS well maintained,vehicle has 117K miles.…
My 1999 ML 320'S engine recently (27 and 29 sept 05) instantaneously stalled without warning while driving-no check engine light, just died in the middle of the road!. good wx, no rain, dry, daytime. It restarted after 5 mins. Traffic went around me. ML IS well maintained,vehicle has 117K miles. Mechanic could not duplicate (no codes). Fuel pump checked ok. at my request, the mech changed out the crankshaft position sensor (cps) on 30 sept. Cost to repair $251.96. Ml320 has run fine so far (7OCT). I feel that this sudden engine failure (cps) while driving IS a significant safety issue. do you have any information on this type of ML 320 engine failure caused by a failed cps-problem. *Jb
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline › Belts and associated pulleys
I was driving across the verrazano narrows bridge from brooklyn to staten island. Just past the tolls, my harmonic balancer failed, causing the serpentine belt to sizes and stopping the engine. Consequently, I lost steering and braking became very hard. I was more-or-less pointing to an…
I was driving across the verrazano narrows bridge from brooklyn to staten island. Just past the tolls, my harmonic balancer failed, causing the serpentine belt to sizes and stopping the engine. Consequently, I lost steering and braking became very hard. I was more-or-less pointing to an shoulder/embankment between the main highway and the exit immediately past the tolls. I coasted to that embankment and used its slope in part to help stop the vehicle. I was subsequently towed to ray catena mercedes in edison, nj. I was informed by the service advisor there (mr. Hessert) that this failure was part of a "campaign" and that it would be repaired along with any collateral damage "for free" by mercedes. I asked "since when" was this campaign in effect, they stated since april of 2005. I asked why I was not notified of this as I am the registered owner. We both together then called mercedes customer service and were informed that there was no 'notice' and that this was not a formal recall. had this failure happened 40 minutes earlier while I was on the long island expressway, or 10 minutes later when I would have been on the goethals bridge, I would have been at the very least severely injured if not dead not to mention any other vehicles and individuals who would inevitably been involved. I am told that the _defective_ harmonic balancer will be replaced along with the serpentine belt and the "upper oil pan" as that part was damaged during the failure. I will request that these parts be retained.
- Engine and engine cooling · Equipment › Electrical · Steering
I have problems with my check engine light from and faulty oxygen sensor, the car was repaired under warranty. Then I had a hose disconnect and lost power steering prior to the recall on the hose cloamp and I paid the towing and repairs myself. now I have had a major mechanical problem and on…
I have problems with my check engine light from and faulty oxygen sensor, the car was repaired under warranty. Then I had a hose disconnect and lost power steering prior to the recall on the hose cloamp and I paid the towing and repairs myself. now I have had a major mechanical problem and on august 5TH, my car lost power steering, air conditioning, the battery light came on and then my car began overheating. Apparently the crankshaft broke and it shredded one of the major belts, which damaged the oil pan and water pump. I immediately pulled over and had the car towed 20 miles to the dealer. the bill IS going to be $3000. I saw a similar complaint on the nhtsa web site. I am concerned that other consumers may have similar problems and may not be able to pull over safely, not to mention the cost of repairs.
- Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Car caught on fire while driving in normal city traffic. Smoke began coming out of the right side of the hood. Pulled over immediately and got out of the vehicle noticing flames coming from underneath the front of the car. By the time the firefighters put out the blaze the front part of the car was…
Car caught on fire while driving in normal city traffic. Smoke began coming out of the right side of the hood. Pulled over immediately and got out of the vehicle noticing flames coming from underneath the front of the car. By the time the firefighters put out the blaze the front part of the car was destroyed. The case was investigated by palm beach county fire rescue. The vehicle was meticulously maintained by owner. Has been serviced regularly following the schedule recommended by manufacturer and used fuel, lubricants etc. Recommended by mercedes benz. Owner bought the car new in 1999 and always took for services, safety recalls and repairs to authorized mercedes benz dealer. At the time of the fire, the car had arround 55,000 miles. note: this complain was repoted via phone also. Case was investicated by palm beach county fire rescue.*ak
- Power train › Driveline › Driveshaft
Drive shaft failure. *la
- Steering › Hydraulic power assist › Hose, piping, and connections
First occurance was leakage 2 months prior, clamp tightened by dealer. 2ND occurence on reported date, started to drive out of parking lot, power steering hose blew off, lost all fluid and power steering assist.
- Steering › Hydraulic power assist › Hose, piping, and connections
Power steering hose clamps. based on published comments by individuals on various internet chat groups for this truck regarding hydraulic fluid leaks and failures of the power steering hose, I check my hoses and found that the lower hose was about to come off. the clamp, which was loose, was retightened.
- Electrical system · Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Emission control · Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump · Power train › Manual transmission · Seat belts
Transmission failed, repaired four times, electrical system, battery failed, replaced, oz sensor failed replace 3 times, fuel system pump and sensor replaced, front passenger restraint system failed
- Visibility › Rearview mirrors/devices › Exterior
Design defect in side rearview mirror. It will not extended far enough up and outwards, causing poor visibility. *Ak *ML
- Seat belts › Front › Buckle assembly
Recall 99v328000/ seat belt latch mechanism. consumer has been waiting for parts for over a month, and manufacturer has not contacted consumer after several attempts of calls. *Ak
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Brake line chafe
Analysis of complaints to odi and mercedes and warranty claim data submitted by mercedes indicates that the alleged defect has occurred at a low rate (36.5 complaints per 100,000 vehicles and 0.29 percent warranty claim rate), with no discernable defect trend indicating that the rate of chafing related brake line…
Analysis of complaints to odi and mercedes and warranty claim data submitted by mercedes indicates that the alleged defect has occurred at a low rate (36.5 complaints per 100,000 vehicles and 0.29 percent warranty claim rate), with no discernable defect trend indicating that the rate of chafing related brake line failures IS increasing.there have been no new complaints since january 2009.when the analysis IS limited to incidents of brake line leakage that resulted in allegations of reduced brake effectiveness, the rate drops even further (22.3 complaints per 100,000 vehicles and 0.04 percent warranty claim rate). Mercedes provided data showing that in the rare instances when chafing did progress to brake line leakage the driver would be immediately alerted to a problem by illumination of the bright yellow esp/bas warning lamp and changes in brake pedal feel.continued operation with a leaking brake line would result in illumination of the bright red brake warning lamp and an audible chime due to low master cylinder reservoir level. Continued operation with the brake warning lamp illuminated would ultimately drain the reservoir for the affected circuit, resulting in loss of the circuit and an approximately 80% increase in stopping distances. Surveys conducted by odi and vrtc indicate that routing anomalies may be more common than the complaint and warranty data suggest for the subject line bundle, with line contact or other routing anomaly noted in 13 of 51 vehicles surveyed by odi and vrtc (25.5%).while evidence of contact between the fuel line and subject brake in a particular vehicle IS not necessarily predictive of eventual line failure/leakage, significant chafing wear was noted in two survey vehicles (3.9%).TO address concerns with line routing and ensure that lines with evident chafing do not progress to a leak condition, mercedes will conduct an owner notification program instructing owners to bring the vehicles to a dealer for a free inspection and repair.lines that do not have a spacer (rubber grommet or omega-clip) between the subject fuel and brake lines will have an omega-clip spacer installed to ensure adequate clearance between the lines.brake lines with chafe marks will be replaced. Accordingly, this investigation has been closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist. The agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles and take further action in the future if warranted. For additional information regarding this engineering analysis refer to the ea08-009 closing report.
- Power steering hose leak
Mercedes-benz USA (mbusa) will notify certain model year (my) 1998 through 2003 m-class owners of the need to bring their vehicles into dealers to address the issue previously campaigned under mbusa recall 2003-040005 (nhtsa recall 03v-121).the mbusa campaign, which odi IS designating recall 08v-465, will replace the…
Mercedes-benz USA (mbusa) will notify certain model year (my) 1998 through 2003 m-class owners of the need to bring their vehicles into dealers to address the issue previously campaigned under mbusa recall 2003-040005 (nhtsa recall 03v-121).the mbusa campaign, which odi IS designating recall 08v-465, will replace the power steering cooler hose and clamp in all vehicles that received the original recall remedy for 03v-121 and which haven't received a subsequent repair to install a revised hose and clamp.approximately one-third of the vehicles that received the original repair procedure and parts returned for subsequent service for leakage from the hose fitting and, in approximately 10 percent of these vehicles, complete separation of the hose from the cooler.a revised service procedure for 03v-121, which involved replacing the old hose and clamp with modified parts, had significantly lower rates of return repairs.mbusa will apply the revised service procedure from 03v-121 to the vehicles covered under 08v-465.accordingly this recall query IS closed.
- Engine crankshaft pulley failure
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this preliminary evaluation to investigate allegations of engine crankshaft pulley harmonic balancer failure that could result in loss of power-steering assist.odi has received a total of 546 non-duplicative reports that allege engine crankshaft pulley harmonic balancer…
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this preliminary evaluation to investigate allegations of engine crankshaft pulley harmonic balancer failure that could result in loss of power-steering assist.odi has received a total of 546 non-duplicative reports that allege engine crankshaft pulley harmonic balancer failure on all mercedes-benz vehicles using the subject component.the subject component failures are progressive in nature and only a small percentage of the complaints and warrant claims involved a failure that had progressed far enough to effect power steering performance (6 of 55 odi complaints reference increased steering effort).there have been no crashes or injuries related to the alleged defect.a safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation IS closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.see summary report attached for further detail.
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10051989Mercedes: see document search button for owner letter. The lower power steering hose and clamp should be replace, under extended warranty, due to power steering leakage from connection to power steering cooler. Models 1998-2003 163.154, (ml320, 430, 55, 500, 350).
- 10016685Esp lamp illuminated.
- 612169Some customers may complain of poor am / electrical interference on am.
- 605370Subject regarding srs control unit programming.
- 603611Conditions regarding the telephone pre-wiring from the radio compartment to the center console was not installed by the factory on telephone kit.
Every Mercedes Benz M Class model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.