2003 Mercedes-Benz M-Class

Documented records held locally from official US and Canadian sources. Each record shows its official identifier so it can be confirmed at the source; nothing here is a score or a prediction.

Vehicle coverage

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Coverage held for this vehicle

  • OFFICIAL ACTION 3 US Recalls
  • MANUFACTURER COMMUNICATION 69 Manufacturer Bulletins
  • INVESTIGATION 2 Investigations
  • CONSUMER REPORT 71 Consumer Complaints
  • CANADIAN RECALL 0 Canada Recalls

These are counts of distinct official records held locally. They are not combined into any score, and a record count is not a failure rate. A zero means no record is held here, not that none exists.

US Recalls

NHTSA Recall US

  • 11V208000 2011-03-31

    Recall 11V208000

    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 DECELERATION. MERCEDES-BENZ HAS DETERMINED…

    Recorded model years: 2003

  • 08V465000 2008-09-17

    Recall 08V465000

    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.

    Recorded model years: 2003

  • 03V121000 2003-03-27

    Recall 03V121000

    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.

    Recorded model years: 2003

A further 26 records exist for the Mercedes-Benz M-Class where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

Campaign applicability can depend on build date, equipment and market, and a remedy may already have been completed. Confirm any campaign against the official record using the VIN.

Manufacturer Bulletins

NHTSA Manufacturer Communication US

  • 11035005 2026-07-14

    LI35.30-P-058566

    Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end). The noise is heard once in each instance when changing direction of travel. Note: Sound file in attachment Cause If the complaint is eliminated by experimentally loosening the outboard collar nut (by 1 turn), the problem is due to cracking of the microweld…

    Recorded model years: 2003

  • 11031580 2026-04-16

    LI82.10-P-078301

    Complaint Headlamp, front fog lamp leaky or fogged. Cause Fogging of the headlamps is a natural phenomenon, which can occur under certain climatic conditions. It does not lead to any technical impairment of the headlamp. If a pressure compensation diaphragm is fitted in the housing cover, then the lamp unit is a "closed system". Remedy Headlamp: Remedy 1 Clearing fogged/condensed…

    Recorded model years: 2003

  • 11029959 2026-03-09

    LI82.10-P-078301

    Complaint Headlamp, front fog lamp leaky or fogged Cause Fogging of the headlamps is a natural phenomenon, which can occur under certain climatic conditions. It does not lead to any technical impairment of the headlamp. If a pressure compensation diaphragm is fitted in the housing cover, then the lamp unit is a "closed system". Remedy Headlamp: Remedy 1 Clearing fogged/condensed…

    Recorded model years: 2003

Showing 3 of 69 records held. The full set is available from the official source named above.

A further 295 records exist for the Mercedes-Benz M-Class where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

A manufacturer communication is service guidance issued to dealers. It is not a safety recall, and its existence does not mean this vehicle has the described condition.

Investigations

NHTSA Investigation US

  • RQ08002 2008-03-11

    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 POWER STEERING COOLER HOSE AND CLAMP IN ALL VEHICLES THAT RECEIVED THE ORIGINAL…

    Recorded model years: 2003

  • PE05005 2005-02-02

    ELECTRIC SEAT WARMER OVERHEATS/BURNS

    THIS INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED BASED ON THREE CONSUMER COMPLAINTS OF ELECTRIC SEAT WARMER OVERHEATING IN MY 2003 MERCEDES BENZ ML-320 VEHICLES.CONSUMERS ALLEGED THAT SUCH FAILURES MAY INFLICT BURN INJURIES TO SEAT OCCUPANTS.INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED THAT THE IDENTICAL SEAT WARMER DESIGN WAS INSTALLED IN 65.5 PERCENT OF ALL M-CLASS VEHICLES PRODUCED DURING MY 2000-2005.THE ALLEGED DEFECT RESULTED FROM BREAKAGE OF THE ELECTRICAL…

    Recorded model years: 2003

A further 10 records exist for the Mercedes-Benz M-Class where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

An investigation records that a regulator reviewed a suspected defect. It is not itself a finding of defect and not a recall.

Canada Recalls

Transport Canada Recall CA

No matching records were found in the currently integrated dataset. This does not mean none exist for this vehicle — always check the official source using the VIN.

See all model years Go to the Mercedes-Benz M-Class page

Canadian campaigns are recorded separately from US campaigns and do not imply one another.

Consumer Complaints

NHTSA Complaint US

71 complaint records in the dataset for this vehicle and year.

Outcomes stated in those reports

  • reports mentioning a crash 2
  • reports mentioning a fire 11
  • reported injuries 8

Outcomes as stated by the person who filed the report. They are not verified, not adjudicated, and carry no exposure denominator, so they cannot be turned into a rate.

By system

  • Steering22 (23.4%)Official recall records for this system: 4, covering model years 1998–2008.
  • Seats18 (19.1%)
  • Electrical system13 (13.8%)Official recall records for this system: 3, covering model years 2001–2014.
  • Engine13 (13.8%)
  • Brakes8 (8.5%)Official recall records for this system: 2, covering model years 2006–2011.
  • Fuel system4 (4.3%)Official recall records for this system: 1, covering model years 2012–2015.
  • Speed control & accelerator4 (4.3%)Official recall records for this system: 2, covering model years 1999–2007.
  • Powertrain (transmission & drivetrain)3 (3.2%)Official recall records for this system: 1, covering model years 2015.

Other / uncategorized: 2 classifications (2.1%) were not assigned to a specific system by the source. They are counted but not treated as an issue area.

A single report can name several systems, so these figures overlap and must not be added together — their sum is larger than the report total above.

A further 2,035 complaint records exist for this vehicle where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.

These are owner-submitted allegations, not confirmed defects. Counts are record counts in the dataset. No exposure denominator exists, so no failure rate or reliability score can be derived from them.

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