i encountered a major issue with the Mercedes ML350, while doing a 3 point turn in a busy suburban Toronto street.The electronic shift module left me stuck in Road way. Causing traffic back up and could not move vehicle.neither forward or reverse.tried pushing and different tactics to move vehicle off road. Had to call CAA-AAA. It was a caos situation,first tow truck could not load vehicle,all wheels were locked in drive and would not shift. Had to wait for special tow Have all four wheels lifted off onto dolly. Tow truck driver said it is a common problem.with MB,BMW and Audi.Vehicles towed to dealer sat at dealer. parts on back order and Not available for repair.Since was in Toronto away from Home. Had to source original equipment supplier to purchase part.Dealer and factory Mercedes could Not source part.back ordered.The dealer agreed to install the factory OEM part they could not source. My concern to all owners including myself in line traffic a basic traffic maneuver stuck in blocking traffic. Cannot moving vehicle jammed in gear that controlled by a shift module.no safe limp mode or emergency shift to neutral to move vehicle safely.
Mercedes Benz ML350 won't shift problems
11 of the 499 owner complaints about the Mercedes Benz ML350 describe stuck in gear or won't shift, most of them for the 2006 model year.
- owner complaints
- 11
- worst model year
- 2006
- typical mileage
- 46,000
By model year
Often reported together
What owners say
The transmission fails to shift into second gear. Gets stuck in limp mode. Won’t accelerate more than 30 miles per hour.
While driving at most any speed,transmission periodically goes into no gear or a single gear (low or a higher gear) and 'limp mode' without warning....sometimes a "check engine" light. Very scary especially in traffic on the freeway. Bought the vehicle earlier this year with 60,000 miles on it...I am 72 and wife is 71...she is afraid to drive it because of the uncertainty of the drive train. I finally took it to mercedes benz as the would not sell my my independent mechanic the parts to repair problem. Mercedes says that I need to have the 722.9 transmission valve body replaced at $3,000 period. I have read of a myriad of similar problems with other owners of cars with this type of transmission....even class action suits. I believe that this is a very dangerous condition that must be resolved and repaired by the manufacturer. I even called mercedes benz of north america and their representative said he knew of no problems with this model of transmission. I also read that they are not changing any parts....just reprogramming the transmission to not go into limp mode and not activating the check engine light.....how can I insure that my vehicle will be repaired correctly and be safe to drive?
My car suddenly lost power in the highway, and didn't want to accelerate,causing car to high RPM rev,going into limp mode and not accelerate, almost causing my family and to have a serious accident.vehicle was diagnosed by a shop which stated my speed sensor conductor plate is defective...upon doing research, I have noticed that this is common dangerous issue on the 06 mercedes ml models..mercedes even has a class action suite against them due to this issue..
There is a systemic problem with the mercedes benz 7g tronic 722.9 transmission control module which causes the vehicle's transmission to, without notice, fail to shift out of 2nd gear which creates a serious safety hazard while driving including entering the freeway and attempting to merge into traffic. The issue is well documented on a number of website on the internet which includes support groups including one advocating and soliciting a class action suit in the state of ca. The federal safety agency needs to look into this manufacturer's defect so as to prevent serious injury including the loss of life. Mb USA is very much aware of the issue which requires the replacement of transmission control module (TCM). Adding insult to injury, mb restricts the sale of the TCM so that the repair can only be made at an authorized mb dealership adding to the consumer's cost to repair the vehicle. The estimate repair cost is $1,500 at the dealership. Cost estimates outside of the dealership, if the item was able to be purchased, is less than half that. I was nearly rear ended by a tractor trailer while entering I-91 in ct just last week when the vehicle unexpectedly went into what mb calls "limp mode" when the check engine light comes on and the vehicle speed is restricted to 30 MPH immediately. This near death experience was quite alarming. I contacted mb USA and they denied any knowledge that the problem was at all due to defective manufacturing. As an individual consumer we have no rights in this matter to eliminate this manufacturers safety defect while mb restricts and monopolizes the repair of a problem that they created. The failure of this part can happen at any time regardless of vehicle miles.
Safety issues being observed on ml 350 2007 observations (my wife & I have both experienced): automatic transmission , experiencing limp mode creating a safety issues which cannot be foreseen, can happen any time the problem occurs when you least expect it and unpredictable, it will be driving fine and then all of a sudden it will start losing power in traffic & drag down. Also, the vehicle will start shifting by itself from one gear to another & the speed of the cars starts to crawl, like "limp mode" the idle speed starts to rev up, car is not increasing the speed as one would expect once normally when pressing on the gas pedal. One has to pull over if they can or stuck in the street one is driving which I experienced and tried to pull over & had issues. I basically had to turn the engine off in the middle of the road while driving and hoped the car would start back again, I had to repeat this several times as I experienced the drag down and gears going down. Very scary incidents with children & wife in the car when I was coming back from an occasion (I.e. Driving back home). Told by dealer on 10/11/16: code 0717 & 0718 & not covered under warranty 4 years/50k potentially related issue: code 064 incident had occured several times now in the last few weeks
We are having some serious issues with our mercedes benz ml350, 2007. The safety hazard concerns us deeply. Based upon our research, we have discovered that this is a common problem. Others are facing the same issues with this vehicle. This problem occurs when you least expect it. It will be driving fine and then all of a sudden, it will lose all power in the traffic where you are totally helpless and unable to pull over. This is very dangerous because the vehicle slows down unexpectedly which can cause a major accident. Example: when you are crossing a highway; you think the vehicle will drive normal. But then all of a sudden it drags. Therefore, you will have to crawl. Each time we have to restart the vehicle. It appears that the vehicle resets itself when the engine is turned off. Then the vehicle proceeds as normal. Another example: it won't shift from second gear to third, and you can only crawl 10-40 MPH. It refuses to shift any more. Other drivers around us on the road become extremely impatient and start screaming and using violent gestures. Another time, I was coming off a highway merging to the access road. The vehicle slowed down. I pressed on the gas, the engine revved up but the car slowed down to about 35mph and a 18 wheeler behind us almost hit us by swerving to avoid a major accident. I had to crawl on the access road with fast moving traffic. There are other reports with the 2007 mercedes benz ml350 power train (transmission) to have these issues. The reports I have read indicated that the mercedes benz corporation is not willing to own up to the fact that this vehicle is very dangerous and can cause serious implications. I plead for your help to please look into this matter so that others with the same problem with this car can be spared. We are appealing for your help.
Started my 2007 mercedes benz ml 350 with only 46,000 miles driven and pulled onto major street in jacksonville, fl. Car would not shift from first gear - could not get it to go over 20 MPH. Cars whizzing by me. Surprised I didn't get hit. Took the car to mercedes dealer. First problem on estimate is: "replace transmission electrical plate (faulty transmission electrical plate)". Mb admits 722.9 transmission is faulty. However, they will only accept responsibility to repair vehicles in warranty. My vehicle is out of warranty by # of years, not mileage. A car should not need transmission work at 46,000 miles. Went online to research and this is a problem of many cars with 722.9 transmission. My cost to fix will be $1100 for the transmission electrical plate. In addition, received a call after 3 days in shop that they will also need to replace the torque converter. The dealer is coping the cost to replace the torque converter. Car is still in the shop. I am reporting because this is a safety issue. If the gears will not change when you pull into traffic, how long will it be before someone is seriously injured. Another complaint listed online was that the car jumps out of gear on expressway. I think there should be a recall on all cars with this transmission. The dealer is working with me and has provided a loaner car. However, I think mercedes benz should be repairing this problem on all cars that have the problem, whether in warranty or out, at their cost.
March 2011, I was heading home. I was talking on the hands free phone system, and immediately I felt a jerk and heard a noise. I looked at the control panel and the vehicle panel read "n" neutral instead of "d" drive. The vehicle automatically switched into neural on the freeway at 70mph!!!! At this point I am in the fast lane and hysterical. I pressed the gas and nothing happened. The speed decreased to 40mph and cars are now racing past and behind me. Luckily, a police officer spotted me and physically hit my car and moved it over to the side while I was in it. I explained what occurred as he yelled "are you crazy you could have been killed what happened". I asked him for a police report and he immediately had to depart. The next day, I immediately reported the incident to the dealer. The diagnosis was my control panel needed to be reset, an apology was given and test drives occurred. I was asked did I touch any buttons and replied no. They recreated the scene and conducted a test drive. The car did not shift into neutral even when it was tampered with while driving. On 8 may 2012, the incident occurred again! My car switched into neutral twice in 1 day! The second time I was at a stop sign. Today is 15 may 2012, and my car is with the dealer now. I am afraid of driving my ml350 2008 model. Much worse, the dealer alludes to asking me have I touched anything. If this is the case, then a safety message should be posted, warning if you "touch" a button your car will switch to neutral while driving. I have a 4 month old daughter and bought the vehicle for safety. I explained to the dealer I should not have to wait till I am hurt or injured for something to be done. He stated "nothing is coming up on the diagnostics the system is very smart'. The dealer even denied there are any recalls for the ml 350 2008. I've hired an attorney.
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 mercedes benz ml350. While the vehicle was parked she attempted to shift the vehicle into reverse but the gear shifter would only shift into drive or neutral. She attempted to shift the vehicle back into park but the vehicle would not shift into park and a message on the dashboard informed her that she could not shift the vehicle into park while it was in motion. After approximately 10 minutes the automatic braking system engaged and she was able to shift the vehicle into park. The vehicle was then shut off and towed to an authorized dealer where the computer system was reprogrammed and the wheel bearings were replaced. She was informed the failure within the wheel bearings resulted in the computer system thinking the vehicle was in motion. The failure recurred once more and the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure but the wheel bearings were again repaired. The failure and current mileages were 41,000. Updated 01/06/11 *bf updated 01/24/11
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Mercedes Benz ML350 won't shift
Which Mercedes Benz ML350 years have stuck in gear or won't shift problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2006 (5 complaints), 2007 (5 complaints) and 2008 (1 complaints).
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