On October 17, 2023, my vehicle experienced a significant issue—a fire incident—while I was leaving the garage of my house. According to the fire department & my insurance adjuster, it appeared that electrical components started the fire. Separately, on June 22, 2023, I was stuck inside the vehicle as I could not open the doors of the car. The batteries of the car had completely been drained, and the car was just jump-started by my insurance road-side assistant, but I turned off the engine (I was inside the car) forgetting about the fact that the car was not sufficiently being charged. Eventually the car was jump-started again, and I got out of the car safely. And, I had a local MB dealership replace both starter and ancillary batteries. Shouldn't car doors open regardless of the levels of the batteries left? What if the fire on Oct 17 had happened, and I could not escape from the car as I could not open the doors...
The worst 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Engine2
- Electrical1
- Fuel system1
- Transmission1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Engine2
- Electrical1
- Fuel system1
- Transmission1
Recalls 1
Fuel system, gasoline
- What is wrong
- Mercedes-Benz is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 S400, S550, S550 4Matic, S63 AMG, C300, C300 4Matic, E350, GLK350, GLK350 4Matic, CL550 4Matic, and CL63 AMG vehicles manufactured from April 18, 2011, through July 12, 2011. Due to an irregularity stemming from the molding process of the fuel filter flange, the fuel filter flange may crack when operated in high temperatures.
- Risk
- If the fuel filter flange cracks, it will leak fuel which may lead to a fire if an external ignition source is present.
- Remedy
- Mercedes-Benz will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel filter, free of charge. The recall campaign is expected to begin in February 2013. Owners may contact Mercedes-Benz at 1‑800‑367‑6372.
Recall number 12V557000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 61
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Engine
- Repeat workshop visit for vehicle vibration while braking from 60MPH. NOTE: Although the symptom is...
- Clanking noise from the area of the speakers in the doors
- Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end)
- There are several types of complaint about noises or poor windshield wiper wiping performance: A: Wiper...
- Headlamp, front fog lamp leaky or fogged
- Headlamp, front fog lamp leaky or fogged
- Headlamps leaking or fogged
- Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end)
- Transmission control unit Y3/8n4 (fully integrated transmission control unit (VGS)) not listed in quick...
What 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
My back up just stops producing an image. I can restart the car and it might or might not come back on. For the most part the camera is on but I’ve been reading on all the MB forums this is a very common issue, with these W216 and also it’s sister car, the W221. The problem is, these were extremely low production vehicles and I’m sure not many are in existence now. I feel these 130-210k cars, shouldn’t have safety issues like this. I don’t mind paying for aging components but safety components should always be working properly. It concerns me because what if a neighborhood child were to dart out from behind and I hit them? The incident could have been prevented.
My 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 4MATIC with 63,335 miles. it has a strong gas smell in the inside. There was a recall pertaining to, "Due to the irregularity stemming from the molding process of the fuel filter flange, the filter may crack when operated in high temperatures." I live in California and it has been very hot here. when I put my VIN into the recall system it states no recall. I also have a 2010 S550 that had the same problem last year and it also showed no recalls for this problem. If there are no recalls for all models of this vehicle for this problem there should be.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 mercedes benz cl550. After parking the vehicle, it caught fire. The fire initiated in the engine compartment and the contact was able to extinguish the fire. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician was unable to determine what caused the fire. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 39,000.
I was driving on the highway when the speed just dropped from 80 MPH to 40 MPH and brake lights, of course, did not turn on. Because of that, the driver behind me was not warned and almost crashed behind me. It was not only this incident but this happened numerous times and the problem was still not fixed.
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Questions about the 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550
Is the 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 reliable?
Owners have filed 5 complaints about the 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550, 2.5 times a typical CL550 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550?
Engine and cooling, with 2 complaints. Next is electrical (1).
How many recalls does the 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 have?
1 recall, covering fuel system, gasoline.
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