Total Complaints
8 filings
MERCEDES-BENZ CL550 · model year
8 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2008MERCEDES-BENZCL550 carries 8 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2008 CL550 is seat belts with 2 filings, followed by power train (2) and service brakes, hydraulic (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 15 investigation files overlapping the 2008 CL550. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
8 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SEAT BELTS | 2 |
| POWER TRAIN | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 1 |
The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes-Benz CL550. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, as she attempted to buckle the driver's seat belt, the belt was not able to be locked into the buckle. The contact attempted several times to latch the seat belt however, the contact stated that it felt like there was an obstruction in the buckle. The contact checked but saw no blockage. The contact stated that the seat belt warning light was not illuminated while seated in the driver seat with the vehicle turned on. The contact was unable to latch the seat belt. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the seat belt buckle and wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.
Mileage: 68,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CL550. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE MAKING A U-TURN GOING 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE JERKED AND FAILED TO ACCELERATE ONCE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE ABS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER, TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE OPERATED AS DESIGNED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO MERCEDES-BENZ OF PEMBROKE PINES (14199 PINES BOULEVARD, PEMBROKE PINES, FL 33027, (954) 644-5035) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT UNDER RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 112,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
Mileage: 112,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CL550. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH OVER A SPEED BUMP, A LOUD NOISE WAS HEARD UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE FRONT GRILL ASSEMBLY WAS DETACHED AND THE PLASTIC PIECE FRACTURED INTO PIECES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO STEVEN MERCEDES BENZ DEALER OF SAN JOSE, CA WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE FAILURE WAS NOT A KNOWN ISSUE AND NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL OR WARRANTY COVERAGE. THE FAILURE WAS NOT REMEDIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 96,000.
Mileage: 96,000
TRANSMISSION COOLER WHICH IS IN RADIATOR CRACKED AND ALLOWED TRANSMISSION FLUID TO ENTER MOTOR COOLING SYSTEM AND COOLANT TO ENTER TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY RUINING THE TRANSMISSION ALL COMPONENTS AND COMPUTER TALKED TO MERCEDES THEY WOULD DO OOHING ABOUT TOTAL COST TO REPAIR $5000.00
Mileage: 59,000
TRANSMISSION COOLER WHICH IS IN RADIATOR CRACKED AND ALLOWED TRANSMISSION FLUID TO ENTER MOTOR COOLING SYSTEM AND COOLANT TO ENTER TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY RUINING THE TRANSMISSION ALL COMPONENTS AND COMPUTER TALKED TO MERCEDES THEY WOULD DO OOHING ABOUT TOTAL COST TO REPAIR $5000.00
Mileage: 59,000
STRONG ODOR OF GAS AFTER FILL THE TANK UP. THE ODOR WAS OUTSIDE, AND IT EVENTUALLY DISAPPEARED WHEN THE LEVEL OF GAS IS LOWER. THERE WAS ALSO GAS LEAKING UNDERNEATH (DRIVER'S REAR SIDE). I WAS TOLD TO REPLACE THE FUEL GASKET, AFTER DOING THAT, THE ODOR IS NOW INSIDE THE CAR, CONSTANT FUEL ODOR, IT NEVER DISAPPEAR. DRIVING THE CAR IS IMPOSSIBLE, AND GAS LEAKING UNDERNEATH CONTINUES, SAME SPOT. *TR
Mileage: 79,000
I AM WRITING TO INFORM YOU OF A VERY TROUBLING INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED RECENTLY. I OWN A 2008 MERCEDES BENZ CL550 WITH 31,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. ON JUNE 16, 2014, THE SEATBELT ON MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT RELEASE FROM THE SEAT, LEAVING ME UNABLE TO BUCKLE MY SEAT. ON TOP OF THE OBVIOUS SAFETY HAZARD, ILLEGALITY OF DRIVING WITHOUT A SEAT BELT, CONSTANT DINGING FROM THE VEHICLE TO REMIND ME THAT I WAS NOT BUCKLED, WHICH DID NOT ALLOW ME TO SPEAK WITH MY CLIENTS BY PHONE IN THE VEHICLE, I HAD TO DEAL WITH VERY POOR HANDLING OF THIS MATTER BY MBUSA. I IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT THE CAR INTO FLETCHER JONES MERCEDES BENZ IN NEWPORT BEACH AND HAD MY SERVICE ADVISOR TAKE THE CAR IN TO CHECK OUT THE SEAT BELT MALFUNCTION AND CALLED ME TO TELL ME IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND THAT MERCEDES BENZ USA (MBUSA) WOULD BE COVERING 75% OF THE COST OF THE PART AS A GESTURE OF 'GOODWILL', LEAVING ME WITH ABOUT $400 OF COSTS FOR LABOR AND 25% OF THE PART. WHILE I WAS APPRECIATIVE OF THIS GESTURE, I WAS NOT HA
Mileage: 31,000
MY 2008 MERCEDES BENZ CL550 IS HAVING A PROBLEM WITH BRAKE. THERE IS A THUG-THUG SOUND WHEN I PRESS DOWN ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. IT GOES AWAY ~2 SECONDS AFTER THE GEAR IS PUT INTO PARKING OR NEUTRAL POSITION. MERCEDES BENZ KNOWS ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THERE IS ANOTHER CAR, A S CLASS, THAT IS HAVING A SAME PROBLEM. S CLASS IS 4 DOOR VERSION OF CL CLASS. MB TOLD ME THAT THEY ARE WORKING ON A NEW PART OVER 3 MONTHS AGO AND NOW THEY ARE TELLING ME THAT THEY ARE WORKING ON A SOFTWARE TO FIX A PRESSURE PROBLEM IN A VALVE. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE DETAILS BUT IT SURE SOUNDS LIKE AN ENGINEERING ISSUE MEANING A DEFECT. MB SAID THE ISSUE IS LIMITED TO A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF VEHICLES BUT I AM NOT SURE IF THAT IS THE CASE. NOISE WAS NOT READILY NOTICEABLE BUT GOT LOUDER SO PEOPLE MIGHT NOT NOTICE IT UNTIL LATER. I AM VERY CONCERNED BECAUSE MY BRAKE PEDAL ALSO FEELS MUCH SOFTER AND WEAKER (NEED TO PRESS DOWN FURTHER). I HAD THIS PROBLEM FOR ~4 MONTHS. *TR
Mileage: 4,000
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.