Mercedes Benz ML350 fire or smoke problems

Filed Dec 30, 2022 · Electrical · 140,000 miles · AR · fire

The contact owned a 2009 Mercedes-Benz ML350. The contact stated while driving 45-50 MPH with his wife in the front passenger seat and his children in the rear seats, his wife smelled a strong burning odor and saw smoke coming from underneath the front passenger seat. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact immediately veered to the side of the road. Both the contact and his family exited the vehicle and ran away from the vehicle. The contact stated that approximately 30 seconds after exiting the vehicle, the vehicle caught on fire and exploded several times, causing a nearby tree to catch on fire. The contact was able to extinguish the fire with the assistance of the fire department. A fire department report was filed. A police report was filed. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard where it was awaiting to be totaled. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

Filed Oct 18, 2022 · Electrical · 167,000 miles · AZ · fire

The contact's wife owned a 2007 Mercedes-Benz ML350. The contact stated that while they were out of town, the vehicle was parked in their driveway. The contact stated that a neighbor contacted them and made them aware that the vehicle had caught on fire. A bystander contacted the fire department and the fire was extinguished. The fire department informed the contact that the fire had originated from an electrical failure in the rear of the vehicle. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was deemed totaled. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 167,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Jan 14, 2022 · Electrical, Seats · 95,000 miles · NY

The contact owns a 2007 Mercedes-Benz ML350. The contact stated that while driving the front driver seat caught on fire while the seat heater was on. The contact stated that the back part of the seat was smoking and he stopped the vehicle, exited, and noticed the back of his jacket and seat had a hole. The contact stated that he was not injured. The contact did not see flames. The contact stated that he put his hand on the hole to stop the smoke. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The contact stated that the failure cause was not diagnosed as he only received an estimate to replace the seat and heating system. The vehicle was currently at the dealer for repairs. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, no assistance was offered. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000. Consumer has stated warranty has expired. Heated seat coil and electric wires/assembly was the cause of fire.

Filed Jul 19, 2021 · Lights · 85,000 miles · OH · fire

The contact owned a 2009 Mercedes-Benz ML350. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, she detected a smoke odor inside the vehicle and pulled over. The contact saw that there was smoke coming from the trunk before the vehicle caught on fire. The SRS and battery warning lights were illuminated. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. A fire report was not filed. No medical attention was received. The vehicle was towed to a towing lot and deemed totaled by the insurance company. The dealer and another dealer Mercedes-Benz of Bedford (18122 Rockside Rd, Bedford, OH 44146) were made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that the Vin was not under recall. The contact attempted to contact the manufacturer but was unable to speak to a representative. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 09V076000 (Exterior Lightning). The failure mileage was 85,000.

Filed Jul 19, 2021 · Lights · OH · fire

THIS COMPLAINT IS BEING MARKED FOR DELETION BECAUSE IT IS AN INADVERTENT DUPLICATE OF ODI# 11425551*DJR The contact owned a 2009 Mercedes-Benz ML 350. The contact stated while at the stop light, the warning message "SRX Malfunction, Service Required" appeared and the battery warning light illuminated. The contact stated as she smelled a burning odor, she veered to the side of the road and exited the vehicle. The contact noticed smoke coming out of the windows of the vehicle. The contact stated fire had started in the trunk of the vehicle and she was able to extinguish it with the assistance of the fire department. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot, where it was totaled. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the recall for the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 09V076000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

Filed Jun 30, 2020 · Electrical · 80,105 miles · TX

While driving down the highway I smelled what smelled like wires burning then my windshield wipers turned on by itself and wiped at a very fast pace, then the horn started blowing (on its own) very loudly, I pulled over at a tire shop and I noticed smoke coming from the rear passenger door panel. The fire department was called and they disconnected the battery. When I spoke to a mechanic I was told that there was a recall on the wiring harness and that was more than likely the problem.

Filed Feb 19, 2020 · Seats · 167,000 miles · MN · fire · 1 injury

After starting up the car and turning on the seat heaters we noticed a strong burning smell. We had just entered a slip road and my wife (who was driving) felt a burning in her lower left side. Next thing... She was on fire! Her winter coat bust into flames and after pulling over I grabbed her out of the drivers seat and rolled her in the snow to extinguish the fire, we were amazed that the seat had a large burn hole through the leather and that there wasn't any safety shut off for the seat heater initiated by the vehicle. After a detailed description to the service manager at the local mercedes dealership of what had happened,we were told that a $2578 repair would fix the problem... We were amazed at how uncaring they were and that there wasn't a recall active for this defective wiring problem. We were relieved that this didn't cause any fatalities to us or any other people that could have been affected if we would have been on a freeway at a higher speed.

Filed Nov 21, 2019 · Electrical, Seats · 5 miles · CA

Today, and while driving on a freeway, my car and I almost burned when I turned on the driver seat heater. I started feeling an excessive heat on the left back side. I stoped on the right of the freeway to discover that the seat leather was burned with heating wire, with smoke coming out from the seat. My shirt was damaged with the burn. Searching the web, I found many people complaining about the same issue.

Filed May 7, 2018 · Electrical · 160,000 miles · NY · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 mercedes benz ml350. The contact stated that the rear passenger side brake light illuminated and remained lit even when the vehicle was turned off. The vehicle was unoccupied and parked in the driveway of the residence when a neighbor informed the contact that the vehicle was on fire. The fire department was contacted and extinguished the fire. The fire department stated that the cause of the fire was due to an electrical failure. The police was also present, but no report was filed. There were no injuries. The dealer was not notified. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.

Filed Apr 23, 2017 · Seats · 86,620 miles · VA · fire

On april 22, 2017 I pressed the driver side seat warmer button and a few minutes later began to feel burning and smelling smoke. Determined my seat was on fire and depressed the button again and stopped the fire. I was on a city street and able to pull over. I have contacted mbusa.