2002 Mercedes Benz Cl Class: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 25 complaints
25
Total Complaints
55,213mi
Median Mileage
Suspension
Top Issue
1
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

35,000 25th Percentile
55,213 Median Mileage
77,749 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Suspension
6
Engine And Engine Cooling
4
Electrical System
2
Interior Lighting
2
Instrument Cluster/Panel
2
Control Arm
1
Side/Window
1
Rotor
1
Gasoline
1
Tires
1

Severity Assessment

1
Crashes
2
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE HOME FROM THE DEALERSHIP, A LIGHT ON INSTRUMENT PANEL CAME ON, STATING "UNSAFE TO DRIVE VEHICLE." DEALERSHIP EXAMINED VEHICLE AND DETERMINED THAT "AUTOMATIC BODY CONTROL SYSTEM" FOR SUSPENSION HAD MALFUNCTIONED, THIS CAUSED THE LEFT REAR PORTION OF FRAME TO DROP DOWN.*AK THE DE..."
"WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE HOME FROM THE DEALERSHIP, A LIGHT ON INSTRUMENT PANEL CAME ON, STATING "UNSAFE TO DRIVE VEHICLE." DEALERSHIP EXAMINED VEHICLE AND DETERMINED THAT "AUTOMATIC BODY CONTROL SYSTEM" FOR SUSPENSION HAD MALFUNCTIONED, THIS CAUSED THE LEFT REAR PORTION OF FRAME TO DROP DOWN.*AK THE DE..."
"WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE HOME FROM THE DEALERSHIP, A LIGHT ON INSTRUMENT PANEL CAME ON, STATING "UNSAFE TO DRIVE VEHICLE." DEALERSHIP EXAMINED VEHICLE AND DETERMINED THAT "AUTOMATIC BODY CONTROL SYSTEM" FOR SUSPENSION HAD MALFUNCTIONED, THIS CAUSED THE LEFT REAR PORTION OF FRAME TO DROP DOWN.*AK THE DE..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Suspension 6 complaints
25th: 54,000 mi Median: 56,000 mi 75th: 70,162 mi
Engine And Engine Cooling 4 complaints
25th: 67,029 mi Median: 77,498 mi 75th: 88,250 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

TX: 4 FL: 3 NC: 3 CA: 3 MD: 2 GA: 2 MA: 2 AZ: 1 NJ: 1 IL: 1

Who Files Complaints?

24%
Original Owners
76%
Second+ Owners

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28