MERCEDES-BENZ CLS550 · model year

2012 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS550

31 NHTSA complaints, 3 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2012MERCEDES-BENZCLS550 carries 31 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 3 crashes, 0 fires, 6 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 2012 CLS550 is fuel/propulsion system with 8 filings, followed by engine (4) and service brakes (3). 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 2012 CLS550. 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.

31
Complaints
3
Crashes
0
Fires
6
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

31 filings

Crashes Reported

3 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM8
ENGINE4
SERVICE BRAKES3
POWER TRAIN3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM3
UNKNOWN OR OTHER3
STEERING2
SUSPENSION2
WHEELS1
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY1
VISIBILITY1

Recent Complaints

20251005SUSPENSION

Mercedes-Benz offers an extended warranty, effectively a 20-year/unlimited mileage coverage, for the rear subframe due to corrosion with perforation, covering specific model years my vehicles make and model are included. I’m having the issues they claim free repair for.

20251003FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

For several months I been smelling different odors from my 2012 CLS550, getting stronger as the weeks go by now smelling like gas, would noticed puddles whenever I parked from rear driver side area towards middle, just got the news from the mechanic that the driver side fuel gas pump is cracked and leaking gas and passenger side is also cracked. Labor + parts $1,660.00..

20250727FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

There is a strong odor of gasoline coming from the drivers side rear. I conducted a Google search on the issue and there are a lot of instances of the same thing. It appears to be the Gas Tank Sending Unit, they have a tendency to crack and leak.

20250319FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

I have Mercedes Benz CLS 550. Whenever I fill up a tank full, I smell gas in the CAR and in my garage. After researching the cause of this issue , I found its a common issue with Mercedes Benz older vehicles where the fuel sender unit cracks and start leaking Gas which is located under the rear seat driver side. Mercedes Benz sent a recall notice for same problem for older vehicles from 2006-2008 to fix this issue. Below are the steps to reproduce the issue 1. Fill the car up. 2. Drive straight home. 3. Park in the driveway. 4. Take rear seat out(pull up on the leading edge of the lower cushion...there are 2 tabs to depress then the seat comes up) 5. 8mm socket and take the drivers side inspection cover off. 6. There will be a fuel lake around that sender.

20250127UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The vehicle sunroof exploded while traveling on the interstate. Stopped and inspected the vehicle to find no impact objects inside the vehicle. Later reviewed online that this was a common problem with this modern Mercedes and the item is already under recall but not my year. I have a 2012 and the recall stops at 2011 although 2012 sunroofs are exploding too

20240830SERVICE BRAKES

Premature rusting on brake and fuel lines which lead to further issues with driveability and saftey. This us caused by the same defects leading to the Premature rust on the subframe that can cause a serious wreck on the interstate.

20240830FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Premature rusting on brake and fuel lines which lead to further issues with driveability and saftey. This us caused by the same defects leading to the Premature rust on the subframe that can cause a serious wreck on the interstate.

20240830SUSPENSION

Premature rusting on brake and fuel lines which lead to further issues with driveability and saftey. This us caused by the same defects leading to the Premature rust on the subframe that can cause a serious wreck on the interstate.

20230912VISIBILITY

The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS550. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, upon adjusting the sun visor, the sun visor detached, compromising driving visibility. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the sun visor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 25,000.

Mileage: 25,000

20230908VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS550. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the sunroof exploded. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 86,000.

Mileage: 86,000

20221215UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The rear subframe rusted from the inside out causing structural failure of the subframe. This lead to twisting of the chassis under hard braking causing difficulty in controlling the vehicle. As you can imagine, controlling a vehicle when needing to abruptly stop is very important. The rear end felt like it was getting loose and it was very difficult to keep the car moving straight. This type of rust isn't typical on a 10 year old car with only 85,000 miles on it. This is a known issue on other Mercedes Benz models, notably the W204/C Class, to the point where it was recalled in Canada and covered under the European corrosion warranty. However, nothing is covered in the US even though this issue is known by Mercedes in other countries. This has been repaired at my expense. There were no warning messages. This vehicle has been dealer-serviced for most, if not all, of its life and this was missed on every single multi-point inspection done to the vehicle. Had I not been cognizant of

20220326UNKNOWN OR OTHER

It has been confirmed by a glass company that the car has an improper seal/bonded windshield. The windshield is the original and the car has never been in an accident. A few years ago, i noticed a rattling that I was unable to identify. This was reported during one of the regular maintenance services but the sound was not replicated (as it would happen more often when cold). Recently, the sound has gotten worse, and I had a water leak so I suspected the windshield. As I have already stated the problem was confirmed, and you can literally push on the windshield from the inside and it lifts up. Needless, to say, this is a safety issue. Having owned several cars, I have never had such a problem and would not have expected it from a high-end vehicle.

20220302FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

UNKNOWN EVERY TIME THE CAR IS REFUELED THERE IS A VERY STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE IN AND AROUND THE VEHICLE. IF YOU CHECK CARCOMPLIANTS. COM THE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS DEFECT.. IN THE ARTICLE @ CAR COMPLAINTS .COM THE NHSTA CLAIMS IT KNOWS ABOUT THE PROBLEM BUT SINCE MERCEDES BENZ HAS COMPLETELY IGNORED THE THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION AND NEITHER OF YOU HAVE NOT FOLLOWED THRU WITH MERCEDES BENZ'S OFFER TO EXTENDED A WARRANTY TO 15 YEARS FOR ALL THESE CARS , IE E CLASS, CLS550 AND OTHERS, MB DENIES THIS IS A PROPLEM ,THE NHTSA IS PART OF THE ISSUE SINCE THEY HAVE NOT ENFORCED THE PROMISE BY Mercedes BENZ TO RECALL AND EXTEND THIS ALL CURRENT OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES , since they refuse to acknowledge this issue my next step is a major class action against MB and NHSTA FOR NEGLINCE IN FOLLOWING UP ON MB PROMISES WHICH WERE MADE IN RETURN FOR THE NHSTA NOT ENFORCING A RECALL OF THESE VEHICLES.

20201216ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

CAM LINK SENSOR LEAKS OIL ONTO ENGINE HARNESS, FRYING ALL ELECTRIC COMPONENTS, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STUTTER WHILE OPERATING

Mileage: 69,000

20201216ENGINE

CAM LINK SENSOR LEAKS OIL ONTO ENGINE HARNESS, FRYING ALL ELECTRIC COMPONENTS, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STUTTER WHILE OPERATING

Mileage: 69,000

20200922FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

FUEL LEAK INTO REAR DRIVER SIDE BACK SEAT FROM BELOW. GAS LEAKED INTO PASSENGER CABIN DUE TO A SEAL THAT BROKE FROM GAS TANK. DANGEROUS SMELL AND FIRE HAZARD. LEAK HAPPENS ALL THE TIME, WHEN PARKED AND ESPECIALLY WHEN DRIVING. MBUSA AND DEALERSHIPS NOT ACCEPTING THE DEFECT AND DESIGN FLAW THAT CAUSES GAS TO SPUTTER INTO PASSENGER CABIN WHEN DRIVING.

20200409ENGINE

ENGINE STARTED MISFIRING AND WOULD GO INTO LIMP MODE SO I BROUGHT IT TO DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSTIC AND WAS TOLD OIL WAS LEAKING FROM THE CAMSHAFT SENSORS INTO THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS AND ECU. ALL OF WHICH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF OVER $6033.00 AND THE CAR HAS ONLY AROUND 50K MILES ON IT. SEVERAL PREVIOUS YEAR MERCEDES FROM 2011 AND EARLIER HAVE A RECALL ON THE CAMSHAFT SENSORS DUE TO OIL LEAKING FROM THEM INTO ENGINE WIRING HARNESS AND ECU HOWEVER MY YEAR CAR WHICH IS 2012 HAS NO RECALL ON THESE PARTS EVEN THOUGH THEY USE THE EXACT SAME CAMSHAFT SENSORS AND HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE PREVIOUS YEARS WHICH IS OIL LEAKING FROM THEM AND DESTROYING EXPENSIVE PARTS THAT NEED TO BE REPLACED. *TR

Mileage: 54,000

20200409POWER TRAIN

ENGINE STARTED MISFIRING AND WOULD GO INTO LIMP MODE SO I BROUGHT IT TO DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSTIC AND WAS TOLD OIL WAS LEAKING FROM THE CAMSHAFT SENSORS INTO THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS AND ECU. ALL OF WHICH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF OVER $6033.00 AND THE CAR HAS ONLY AROUND 50K MILES ON IT. SEVERAL PREVIOUS YEAR MERCEDES FROM 2011 AND EARLIER HAVE A RECALL ON THE CAMSHAFT SENSORS DUE TO OIL LEAKING FROM THEM INTO ENGINE WIRING HARNESS AND ECU HOWEVER MY YEAR CAR WHICH IS 2012 HAS NO RECALL ON THESE PARTS EVEN THOUGH THEY USE THE EXACT SAME CAMSHAFT SENSORS AND HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE PREVIOUS YEARS WHICH IS OIL LEAKING FROM THEM AND DESTROYING EXPENSIVE PARTS THAT NEED TO BE REPLACED. *TR

Mileage: 54,000

20200307ENGINE

WHEN STARTED AND FOR SOME PERIOD AFTER WARM UP THE ENGINE FUEL INJECTORS RATTLE. THE DEALER MECHANIC CLAIMS THAT THIS IS THE RESULT OF THE SPLIT RAIL SYSTEM INSTALLED ON THE ENGINE. THIS MAKES THE MOTOR APPEAR TO BE KNOCKING AS THE NOISE IS LOUD. I HAVE REPORTED IT SEVERAL TIMES SINCE 2017.

Mileage: 1,000

20190706FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

FUEL LEAK FROM UNKNOWN PART OF THE TANK

Compare 2012MERCEDES-BENZCLS550 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS550 have?
The 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS550 has 31 NHTSA complaints, 3 crashes, 0 fires, 6 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS550?
The most-complained component for the 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS550 is FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM with 8 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE and SERVICE BRAKES.
Is the 2012 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS550 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

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.