What breaks most · 2006 to 2012 model years
Mercedes-Benz R350 problems by year
Owners have filed 235 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Mercedes-Benz R350 across model years 2006 to 2012. Three years stand out: 2006 for suspension complaints, 2007 for suspension complaints and 2008 for suspension complaints. The quietest years are 2010 and 2009.
- Years to check closely: 2006, 2007, 2008
- Fewest complaints: 2010, 2009
- Complaints on file
- 2352006 to 2012, all trims
- Worst year
- 200699 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 415 fires · 9 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 77kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 18Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99 | 2 | 2 | Suspension (26) | |
| 47 | 1 | 2 | Suspension (16) | |
| 35 | 0 | 2 | Suspension (12) | |
| 15 | 0 | 3 | Air bags (8) | |
| 13 | 0 | 3 | Air bags (7) | |
| 18 | 1 | 3 | Air bags (12) | |
| 8 | 0 | 3 | Air bags (5) |
What fails on the 2006 Mercedes-Benz R350
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 26% |
26 | 0 | Shop suspension parts for the 2006 Mercedes-Benz R350 |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 17% |
17 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2006 Mercedes-Benz R350 |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 16% |
16 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2006 Mercedes-Benz R350 |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 14% |
14 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2006 Mercedes-Benz R350 |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 13% |
13 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Seats | 9% |
9 | 0 | — |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 7% |
7 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2006 Mercedes-Benz R350 |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 5% |
5 | 0 | Shop steering parts for the 2006 Mercedes-Benz R350 |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Rear air suspension has required replacement 3times in the last twenty four months. Both sides in rear of vehicle have been replaced. Now looking at 4th replacement. I continue to see incidents on website but mercedes is doing nothing about problem.
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When i woke up my car was leaning to one side (the right side)...couple of times the red light (stop car too low comes on) and i have to stop in a safe area of course, but this is scary when you have your young kids with you... The malfunction light comes on when driving over 45 miles away from home.
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I see i have recalls for the back hatch door and some suspension recalls electrical also air rising system for a 2008 are 350 mercedes i call the syracuse new york dealer and they said it is not up for recalls but this is how i found out it was up for recalls.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Mercedes-Benz R350 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2006, 2007, 2008 carry the most filings on the Mercedes-Benz R350. The 2006 alone has 99 complaints, led by suspension.
What is the most common Mercedes-Benz R350 problem?
On the 2006 model year, the most-reported component is suspension with 26 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Mercedes-Benz R350 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Mercedes-Benz R350 complaints that include mileage is about 77,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.