Total Complaints
7 filings
MERCEDES-BENZ CLK500 · model year
7 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2006MERCEDES-BENZCLK500 carries 7 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 2006 CLK500 is fuel/propulsion system with 2 filings, followed by power train (1) and electrical system (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 2006 CLK500. 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
7 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | 1 |
| AIR BAGS | 1 |
SRS LIGHT ON. I TOOK IT FOR CHACK AND HERE IS WHAT THE SCANNER SAYS: PASSENGER AIRBAG IGNITION SQUIB THE RESISTANCE VALUE IN THE IGNITION CIRCUIT IS TOO HIGH
Mileage: 136,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCEDES BENZ CLK500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH ON A RAINY DAY, THE EMERGENCY BRAKES ENGAGED AND THE "EMERGENCY BRAKE ON" WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO PULL THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE REAR BRAKES HAD RUSTED AND THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS FALLING APART AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND SUPPORTED THE DIAGNOSIS OF THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 66,000.
Mileage: 66,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCEDES BENZ CLK500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH ON A RAINY DAY, THE EMERGENCY BRAKES ENGAGED AND THE "EMERGENCY BRAKE ON" WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO PULL THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE REAR BRAKES HAD RUSTED AND THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS FALLING APART AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND SUPPORTED THE DIAGNOSIS OF THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 66,000.
Mileage: 66,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCEDES BENZ CLK 500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE SMELLED GASOLINE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES AND ONLY WHEN THE FUEL TANK WAS FULL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THEY COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 47,000.
Mileage: 47,000
EVERY TIME I START THE VEHICLE, THERE IS A STRONG GAS SCENT. IT IS UNBEARABLE WITH THE FAN INSIDE THE CAR ON. I MUST DRIVE WITH ALL THE WINDOWS OPEN TO BREATHE PROPERLY. *TR
Mileage: 99,000
MY TRANSMISSION INTERMITTENTLY GOES INTO LOW GEAR WHILE DRIVING AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. THE CAR SUDDENLY SLOWS DOWN WITHOUT THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO WARN TRAFFIC BEHIND ME. IF I PULL OVER & TURN THE ENGINE OFF & BACK ON, THE TRANSMISSION WILL SHIFT GEARS NORMALLY FOR A FEW DAYS. THE MERCEDES DEALER SAYS THERE IS NO PROBLEM & NO OTHER CARS DO THIS. NOW THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON & THE TRANSMISSION WON'T CHANGE GEARS AT ALL. NOW THE DEALER SAYS THE TRANSMISSION MUST BE REPLACED FOR $6500. A INDEPENDENT MERCEDES REPAIR SHOP TOLD ME THAT MERCEDES MAKES A NEW TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY / ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT, TO FIX MY PROBLEM, FOR $4500 LESS THEN THE DEALER PRICE. HOWEVER, MERCEDES SENT A POLICY LETTER TO THEIR DEALERS ON 4/15/11 THAT SAYS MERCEDES WILL NOT SELL VALVE BODIES / ECU FOR MY TRANSMISSION TO INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOPS. THE MERCEDES 4/15/11 LETTER REFERS TO A POLICY DOCUMENT TRP POLICY # PAC003 TO JUSTIFY NOT SELLING THE PART TO NON DEALERS. THIS DOCUMENT DEFINES THEIR RULES FOR
Mileage: 60,211
MY TRANSMISSION INTERMITTENTLY GOES INTO LOW GEAR WHILE DRIVING AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. THE CAR SUDDENLY SLOWS DOWN WITHOUT THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO WARN TRAFFIC BEHIND ME. IF I PULL OVER & TURN THE ENGINE OFF & BACK ON, THE TRANSMISSION WILL SHIFT GEARS NORMALLY FOR A FEW DAYS. THE MERCEDES DEALER SAYS THERE IS NO PROBLEM & NO OTHER CARS DO THIS. NOW THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON & THE TRANSMISSION WON'T CHANGE GEARS AT ALL. NOW THE DEALER SAYS THE TRANSMISSION MUST BE REPLACED FOR $6500. A INDEPENDENT MERCEDES REPAIR SHOP TOLD ME THAT MERCEDES MAKES A NEW TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY / ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT, TO FIX MY PROBLEM, FOR $4500 LESS THEN THE DEALER PRICE. HOWEVER, MERCEDES SENT A POLICY LETTER TO THEIR DEALERS ON 4/15/11 THAT SAYS MERCEDES WILL NOT SELL VALVE BODIES / ECU FOR MY TRANSMISSION TO INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOPS. THE MERCEDES 4/15/11 LETTER REFERS TO A POLICY DOCUMENT TRP POLICY # PAC003 TO JUSTIFY NOT SELLING THE PART TO NON DEALERS. THIS DOCUMENT DEFINES THEIR RULES FOR
Mileage: 60,211
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.