U.S. public vehicle records

Mercedes Benz CLS problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

5 owner complaints analyzed

1 distinct recall campaigns

65,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2006 to 2011 model years. Data updated: 2026-10-01 (October 1, 2026). 5 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.

This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Fuel System, Gasoline is the most frequently named component, appearing in 3 of 5 complaints (60.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Steering behavior	2	40.0%
Fuel system concerns	2	40.0%
Braking behavior	1	20.0%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Fuel System, Gasoline

Air Bags:Frontal

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Fuel System, Gasoline: 3; Air Bags:Frontal: 1; Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 1

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 2; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 1; 75,000 to 99,999: 1; 100,000 to 149,999: 1; 150,000 and above: 0

Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (2). 0 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2008

2011

2013

2014

2008: 1; 2011: 1; 2013: 2; 2014: 1

Pattern summary

Fuel System, Gasoline leads the component reports. Steering behavior appears in 2 complaint narratives. Fuel system concerns appears in 2 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10242877 · 2008-09-18 (September 18, 2008)

AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY WITH CRASH IN 2009 CLK 550 MERCEDES. IMPACT WAS AT 50 MILES PER HOUR AND STRUCK THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE BUMPER. THE BUMPER WAS ON THE GROUND AND THE ALUMINUM FRAME BENT. RESTRAINED BY SEAT BELT, MY DAUGHTER'S HEAD STRUCK THE STEERING WHEEL AND SUFFER FROM WHIPLASH. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS VEHICLE IS A CLK 550 NOT A CLS - THERE WAS NOT AN OPTION TO PICK THE VEHICLE. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 2,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10242877 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10418100 · 2011-08-09 (August 9, 2011)

MY NEW 2011 MERCEDES C300 2500 MILES IN. THE FRONT ROTORS WARPED. THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES WHEN YOU APPLY BRAKES. THIS ISSUE WAS CONFIRMED BY FLETCHER JONES MERCEDES BENZ OF NEWPORT BEACH CALIFORNIA. MERCEDES CORPORATE AND FLETCHER JONES MERCEDES DENIED BY REQUEST TO REPLACE. THEY WILL NOT COVER IT. THIS IS MY SECOND NEW MERCEDES IN 3 YEARS AND LIKELY MY LAST. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 1,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10418100 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10541932 · 2013-09-04 (September 4, 2013)

CAR WAS SMELLING OF GAS ON SEPT 2, 2013. I TOOK IT TO MIKE SMITH MERCEDES ON SEPT 3, 2013 TALKED TO SERVICE REP, HE SAID IT MAY BE THE FUEL PUMP SENDING UNIT. HE SAID IT WAS GOING TO TAKE ALL DAY FOR THEM TO GET TO IT AND THAT IT PROBABLY WOULD COST SEVERAL THOUSAND TO FIX. I THEN TOOK IT TO MERCEDES SERVICE, LP IN BEAUMONT TX. THEY FOUND THAT IT WAS LEAKING GAS TREMENDOUSLY UNDER MY BACK SEAT. THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM TODAY SEPT 4, 2013. THIS DEFECTIVE FUEL SYSTEM COULD HAVE KILLED MYSELF MY YOUNG 5 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND WIFE. I CALLED CORPORAT…

Owner-reported narrative. 93,300 miles reported. Look up ODI 10541932 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10592870 · 2014-05-20 (May 20, 2014)

FUEL LEAK AT TOP OF SENDING UNIT UNDERNEATH LEFT REAR SEAT. FUEL SMELL IN CAR. I REMOVED SEAT AND COVER AND DISCOVERED FUEL POOLING. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 105,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10592870 at NHTSA ↗

Compare model years

Recalls by model year

All campaigns in the snapshot affecting each model year, including recalls announced years later.

From yearThrough year

Recall campaigns

Shared campaigns appear once in each affected model year.

2006

2008

2009

2011

2006: 0; 2008: 1; 2009: 0; 2011: 0

First model yearSecond model year

Year-by-year records

Mercedes Benz CLS model-year comparison
Model year	Complaints	Recalls	Change in recalls
2006	3	0	Not available
2008	0	1	Not available
2009	1	0	-1
2011	1	0	Not available

Explore the data

Vehicle analysis explorer

Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.

Data completeness

5 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.

100.0%Usable mileage5 / 5 records

100.0%Valid incident date5 / 5 records

100.0%Valid filing date5 / 5 records

100.0%Ordered incident and filing dates5 / 5 records

Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.

Problems by model year

Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.

From model yearThrough model year

Component complaint heatmap
Component	2006	2008	2009	2011
Fuel System, Gasoline	3100.0% ODI 10541932 · 93,300 mi CAR WAS SMELLING OF GAS ON SEPT 2, 2013. I TOOK IT TO MIKE SMITH MERCEDES ON SEPT 3, 2013 TALKED TO SERVICE REP, HE SAID IT MAY BE THE FUEL PUMP SENDING UNIT. HE SAID IT WAS GOING TO TAKE ALL DAY FOR THEM TO GET TO IT AND THAT IT PROBABLY WOULD COST SEVERAL THOUSAND TO FIX. I THEN TOOK IT TO MERCEDES SERVICE, LP IN BEAUMONT TX. THEY FOUND THAT IT WAS LEAKING GAS TREMENDOUSLY UNDER MY BACK SEAT. THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM TODAY SEPT 4, 2013. THIS DEFECTIVE FUEL SYSTEM COULD HAVE KILLED MYSELF MY YOUNG 5 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND WIFE. I CALLED CORPORAT… Look up ODI 10541932 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Air Bags:Frontal	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	1100.0% ODI 10242877 · 2,500 mi AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY WITH CRASH IN 2009 CLK 550 MERCEDES. IMPACT WAS AT 50 MILES PER HOUR AND STRUCK THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE BUMPER. THE BUMPER WAS ON THE GROUND AND THE ALUMINUM FRAME BENT. RESTRAINED BY SEAT BELT, MY DAUGHTER'S HEAD STRUCK THE STEERING WHEEL AND SUFFER FROM WHIPLASH. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS VEHICLE IS A CLK 550 NOT A CLS - THERE WAS NOT AN OPTION TO PICK THE VEHICLE. *TR Look up ODI 10242877 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	1100.0% ODI 10418100 · 1,500 mi MY NEW 2011 MERCEDES C300 2500 MILES IN. THE FRONT ROTORS WARPED. THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES WHEN YOU APPLY BRAKES. THIS ISSUE WAS CONFIRMED BY FLETCHER JONES MERCEDES BENZ OF NEWPORT BEACH CALIFORNIA. MERCEDES CORPORATE AND FLETCHER JONES MERCEDES DENIED BY REQUEST TO REPLACE. THEY WILL NOT COVER IT. THIS IS MY SECOND NEW MERCEDES IN 3 YEARS AND LIKELY MY LAST. *TR Look up ODI 10418100 at NHTSA ↗

Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.

Failure mileage by component

Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.

Component failure mileage distribution
Component	Mileage range (25th–75th percentile)	Median	Usable records	Examples
Fuel System, Gasoline	Too few reports for a range	93,300 mi	3 (sparse)	ODI 10541932 · 93,300 mi CAR WAS SMELLING OF GAS ON SEPT 2, 2013. I TOOK IT TO MIKE SMITH MERCEDES ON SEPT 3, 2013 TALKED TO SERVICE REP, HE SAID IT MAY BE THE FUEL PUMP SENDING UNIT. HE SAID IT WAS GOING TO TAKE ALL DAY FOR THEM TO GET TO IT AND THAT IT PROBABLY WOULD COST SEVERAL THOUSAND TO FIX. I THEN TOOK IT TO MERCEDES SERVICE, LP IN BEAUMONT TX. THEY FOUND THAT IT WAS LEAKING GAS TREMENDOUSLY UNDER MY BACK SEAT. THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM TODAY SEPT 4, 2013. THIS DEFECTIVE FUEL SYSTEM COULD HAVE KILLED MYSELF MY YOUNG 5 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND WIFE. I CALLED CORPORAT… Look up ODI 10541932 at NHTSA ↗ ODI 10543331 · 65,000 mi CLS 55, POST RECALL ON THE FUEL SENDING UNIT. HAVE TAKEN MY CLS INTO THE DEALER FOR OTHER THINGS AND ADVISED THEM THAT I NOTICED A FUEL SMELL IN THE CAR. THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING, SO ON MY WAY I GO. NOW A YEAR LATER, I REALLY NOTICE THE FUEL SMELL WHEN I FILL UP, I PARKED IN THE PARKING GARAGE WHERE I WORK AND WHEN I CAME OUT THERE WAS A PUDDLE OF FUEL UNDER THE CAR ON THE DRIVERS SIDE (CAR WAS PARKED ON A SLOPED GARAGE AT POSSIBLY 20 DEGREE) AND STRONG ODOR OF FUEL IN THE GARAGE. I CALLED MB AND THEY SAID THAT IT'S NOT REALLY THE… Look up ODI 10543331 at NHTSA ↗ ODI 10592870 · 105,000 mi FUEL LEAK AT TOP OF SENDING UNIT UNDERNEATH LEFT REAR SEAT. FUEL SMELL IN CAR. I REMOVED SEAT AND COVER AND DISCOVERED FUEL POOLING. *TR Look up ODI 10592870 at NHTSA ↗
Air Bags:Frontal	Too few reports for a range	2,500 mi	1 (sparse)	ODI 10242877 · 2,500 mi AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY WITH CRASH IN 2009 CLK 550 MERCEDES. IMPACT WAS AT 50 MILES PER HOUR AND STRUCK THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE BUMPER. THE BUMPER WAS ON THE GROUND AND THE ALUMINUM FRAME BENT. RESTRAINED BY SEAT BELT, MY DAUGHTER'S HEAD STRUCK THE STEERING WHEEL AND SUFFER FROM WHIPLASH. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS VEHICLE IS A CLK 550 NOT A CLS - THERE WAS NOT AN OPTION TO PICK THE VEHICLE. *TR Look up ODI 10242877 at NHTSA ↗
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	Too few reports for a range	1,500 mi	1 (sparse)	ODI 10418100 · 1,500 mi MY NEW 2011 MERCEDES C300 2500 MILES IN. THE FRONT ROTORS WARPED. THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES WHEN YOU APPLY BRAKES. THIS ISSUE WAS CONFIRMED BY FLETCHER JONES MERCEDES BENZ OF NEWPORT BEACH CALIFORNIA. MERCEDES CORPORATE AND FLETCHER JONES MERCEDES DENIED BY REQUEST TO REPLACE. THEY WILL NOT COVER IT. THIS IS MY SECOND NEW MERCEDES IN 3 YEARS AND LIKELY MY LAST. *TR Look up ODI 10418100 at NHTSA ↗

Complaint and recall timeline

Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.

ComponentPeriod

Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.

Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples

Monthly complaint and recall timeline
Month	Campaigns announced	Examples
2024-11	None	No examples available for this selection.
2024-12	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-01	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-02	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-03	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-04	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-05	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-06	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-07	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-08	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-09	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-10	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-11	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-12	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-01	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-02	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-03	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-04	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-05	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-06	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-07	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-08	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-09	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-10 (partial)	None	No examples available for this selection.

Emerging complaint spikes

Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.

This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.

No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.

Equal-age model-year comparison

Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.

Observation windowFirst model yearSecond model year

2009: 0 complaints · 2011: 1 complaints

Equal observation windows
Model year	Through age 0	Through age 1	Through age 2
2009	0	0	0
2011	1	1	1

Date coverage across each selected cohort

Date basis for all complaints in selected model years
Year	Incident dates used	Filing date fallbacks	Excluded dates
2009	0	0	1
2011	1	0	0

Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.

Components reported together

Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.

Component co-occurrence matrix
Component	Fuel System, Gasoline	Air Bags:Frontal	Service Brakes, Hydraulic
Fuel System, Gasoline	—	0	0
Air Bags:Frontal	0	—	0
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	0	0	—

Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.

Recurring narrative patterns

Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.

Search patterns

1 patterns with matching reports.

Fuel smell or leak mentions

2 mentions · 40.0% of complaints

Median mileage: 99,150 mi (2 usable records).

ODI 10541932 · 93,300 mi

Look up ODI 10541932 at NHTSA ↗

ODI 10592870 · 105,000 mi

FUEL LEAK AT TOP OF SENDING UNIT UNDERNEATH LEFT REAR SEAT. FUEL SMELL IN CAR. I REMOVED SEAT AND COVER AND DISCOVERED FUEL POOLING. *TR

Look up ODI 10592870 at NHTSA ↗

Matching rule

\b(fuel leak\w*|gas leak\w*|gas(?:oline)? smell|smell\w* (?:of )?(?:fuel|gas))\b