2007 Mercedes-Benz CLS

Typical pattern

4% of complaints about the 2007 Mercedes-Benz CLS came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2007 vehicle — around the middle of the 268 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 6.9 yr in service. The most-reported system is fuel / propulsion (18 complaints), typically at 8.8 yr or about 72,000 miles.

Covers 2 variants: CLS550 (44), CLS500 (6)

Complaints: 50
Median age at failure: 6.9 yr
Median mileage: 61,325 n=42
Crash / fire / tow: 2% of reports
Safety recalls: 0

In owners’ own words

Fuel / propulsion 57,500 mi 6.3 yr in service

STRONG SMELL OF GAS AFTER FILLING UP TANK WHILE PARKED IN GARAGE. SEEMS TO BE COMING FROM REAR DRIVER SIDE OF VEHICLE. PLEASE REFERENCE NHTSA ACTION# PE12001. *TR

Fuel / propulsion 56,836 mi 5.3 yr in service

FILLED THE GAS TANK. I DROVE 2 MILES TO MY HOUSE, AND PARKED THE CAR IN THE GARAGE. FUEL STARTED LEAKING FROM THE FUEL TANK DIRECTLY BEHIND THE LEFT REAR WHEEL. THE FUEL FUMES FILLED MY HOUSE. *TR

Fuel / propulsion 128,000 mi 7.4 yr in service

AFTER FILLING UP MY CAR WITH GAS I NOTICED A VERY STRONG SMELL OF GAS AFTER I TURNED MY CAR OFF. THE GARAGE SMELLED SO BAD I HAD TO OPEN BOTH DOORS. I DID NOT NOTICE ANY LEAKING. I SEE SOME OTHER CARS LIKE MINE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS IS DANGEROUS AND A HEALTH ISSUE. MB SO DO A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE. *TR

Other CLS model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2007 Mercedes-Benz CLS

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

In owners’ own words

Other CLS model years

How to read this