IllustrationFRONT SEATS GETS VERY HOT WHENEVER WE TURN ON THE SEAT WARMER OPTION. THIS STARTED TO HAPPEN AT LEAST FROM 5 TO 6 MONTHS. WE ARE SCARED IT MIGHT BURN OUR BACKS. THANKS
2004 Mercedes Benz ML350
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2004 Mercedes Benz ML350 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 51.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all ML350 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
30–25K
225–50K
1050–75K
475–100K
6100–150K
3150K+
28 reports with mileage · 7 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Steering. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
3 crash reports3 fire reports3 injury reports
Seats complaints
4 reportsMAY 2010 I HAVE PROBLEM IN MY 2004 ML350. MY WIFE TURNED ON THE DRIVERS SIDE SEAT HEATER TO THE HIGH SETTING. WITHIN A SHORT TIME THE HEATER HAD BURNED THROUGH THE LEATHER SEAT. THE SEAT CAUGHT FIRE IN A SMALL SPOT ( LIKE A CIGARETTE BURN) WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING AND ALMOST CAUSED HER TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT. THIS ISSUE IS REPEAT…
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MAY 2010 I HAVE PROBLEM IN MY 2004 ML350. MY WIFE TURNED ON THE DRIVERS SIDE SEAT HEATER TO THE HIGH SETTING. WITHIN A SHORT TIME THE HEATER HAD BURNED THROUGH THE LEATHER SEAT. THE SEAT CAUGHT FIRE IN A SMALL SPOT ( LIKE A CIGARETTE BURN) WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING AND ALMOST CAUSED HER TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT. THIS ISSUE IS REPEATED SEVERAL TIMES IN ONLINE SEARCHES I DID FOR THE 03 AND 04 ML350. I SPOKE TO A BENZ ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE MECHANIC AND HE SAID HE HAS SEEN THIS HAPPEN BEFORE AND THAT IT IS A SHORT IN THE SEAT WIRING. HE SAID HE WOULD LOOK INTO IT BUT I HAVE NOT HEARD BACK FROM HIM. I AM GOING TO CALL THE DEALER TODAY. *TR
THE DRIVER SEAT HEATER OVER-HEATED AND CAUSED A MINOR BURN WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER AGREED TO PAY FOR HALF THE COST OF REPLACEMENT BUT WOULD NOT GIVE THE DEFECTIVE PART BACK TO ME EVEN WHEN I SPECIFICALLY ASKED FOR IT. WHILE SEARCHING FOR MORE INFORMATION, I CAME ACROSS OTHER INCIDENTS WITH THIS CAR WITH THE…
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THE DRIVER SEAT HEATER OVER-HEATED AND CAUSED A MINOR BURN WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER AGREED TO PAY FOR HALF THE COST OF REPLACEMENT BUT WOULD NOT GIVE THE DEFECTIVE PART BACK TO ME EVEN WHEN I SPECIFICALLY ASKED FOR IT. WHILE SEARCHING FOR MORE INFORMATION, I CAME ACROSS OTHER INCIDENTS WITH THIS CAR WITH THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. *TR
I HAVE A 2004 MERCEDES ML350 SUV AND I TURNED ON THE SEAT HEATER AND IT GOT SO HOT THAT I HAD TO TURN IT OFF. THE LEFT SIDE OF THE SEAT BURNED SO HOT THAT I HAD TO MOVE MY BODY AND WEIGHT TO MY RIGHT SIDE BECAUSE IT FELT LIKE YOU WERE SITTING ON COALS - EVEN THROUGH THE LEATHER INTERIOR. I DID NOT USE IT AGAIN BECAUSE THE WEATHE…
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I HAVE A 2004 MERCEDES ML350 SUV AND I TURNED ON THE SEAT HEATER AND IT GOT SO HOT THAT I HAD TO TURN IT OFF. THE LEFT SIDE OF THE SEAT BURNED SO HOT THAT I HAD TO MOVE MY BODY AND WEIGHT TO MY RIGHT SIDE BECAUSE IT FELT LIKE YOU WERE SITTING ON COALS - EVEN THROUGH THE LEATHER INTERIOR. I DID NOT USE IT AGAIN BECAUSE THE WEATHER WAS NOT THAT COLD. THE NEXT PERSON TO USE IT WAS MY MOTHER. SHE WAS DRIVING MY CAR AND I WAS NEXT TO HER AND SHE TURNED ON HER SEAT HEATER AND AFTER A FEW MINUTES SHE SCREAMED BECAUSE THE HEAT OF THE SEAT HEATER WAS SO PIERCING. I TURNED OFF THE HEATER IMMEDIATELY AND SHE LOOKED AND SAW SMOKE AND SMELLED SMOKE AS WELL. THIS IS A HUGE HAZARD THAT I HAVE HEARD OTHER ML'S HAVE HAD AS WELL AND THE MANUFACTURER OF THE SEAT HEATER SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE, AS SHOULD MERCEDES!!! SHE SWERVED OFF THE ROAD AND ALMOST HIT A CAR BECAUSE OF THE INTENSITY OF HEAT. *TR
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.