Year by year
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 CL | 0 | 2 |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | 1 | 0 |
| 2001 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | 1 | 0 |
A model year gets its own page when it has enough data for at least three sections
Most common problems
- Tires1
- Electrical system1
NHTSA ODI complaints, all model years
Fuel consumption by year
Official Canadian test results for 15 model years, best variant per year. Combined consumption ranges from 13.1–14.7 L/100 km.
| Year | Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | CL 550 4MATIC · Compact · Premium gasoline | 15.4 | 10.4 | 13.2 |
| 2013 | CL 550 4MATIC · Compact · Premium gasoline | 15.4 | 10.4 | 13.2 |
| 2012 | CL 550 4MATIC · Compact · Premium gasoline | 15.4 | 10.4 | 13.2 |
| 2011 | CL 550 4MATIC · Compact · Premium gasoline | 15.3 | 10.3 | 13.1 |
| 2010 | CL 550 4MATIC · Compact · Premium gasoline | 16.7 | 11.2 | 14.2 |
| 2009 | CL 550 4MATIC · Compact · Premium gasoline | 16.7 | 11.2 | 14.2 |
| 2008 | CL 550 · Compact · Premium gasoline | 16.8 | 11.1 | 14.2 |
| 2007 | CL 550 · Compact · Premium gasoline | 17.1 | 11.4 | 14.6 |
| 2006 | CL 500 # · Compact · Premium gasoline | 16.4 | 10.7 | 13.8 |
| 2005 | CL 500 · Compact · Premium gasoline | 16.4 | 10.7 | 13.8 |
| 2004 | CL 500 · Compact · Premium gasoline | 16.4 | 10.7 | 13.8 |
| 2002 | CL 500 · Compact · Premium gasoline | 16.3 | 11.1 | 13.9 |
| 2001 | CL 500 · Compact · Premium gasoline | 16.2 | 11.1 | 13.9 |
| 1999 | CL 500 · Compact · Premium gasoline | 17.3 | 11.5 | 14.7 |
| 1998 | CL 600 · Compact · Premium gasoline | 17.3 | 11.5 | 14.7 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
In New Zealand
149 CL cars are on the New Zealand register; 13% arrived as used imports.
| Model year | Registered | Sold new in NZ | Used imports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2012 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 2011 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2010 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 2009 | 9 | 7 | 0 |
| 2008 | 16 | 11 | 4 |
| 2007 | 29 | 19 | 7 |
| 2005 | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| 2004 | 6 | 5 | 0 |
| 2003 | 14 | 14 | 0 |
| 2002 | 12 | 9 | 1 |
| 2001 | 26 | 24 | 1 |
| 2000 | 18 | 13 | 4 |
| 1999 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1998 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
761 CL cars took their annual MOT test in 2023; 78% passed first time, against 59% for all cars of the same ages. Older cars fail more often, so compare a year with the same year of other cars.
| First registered | Tests | Passed first time |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 113 | 78% |
| 2008 | 112 | 75% |
| 2007 | 234 | 82% |
| 2003 | 132 | 77% |
| 2002 | 170 | 76% |
Why they fail
Share of all first tests that ended in a fail because of each part of the car (one test can fail on several).
| Area | CL | All cars, same ages |
|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 14.3% | 11.8% |
| Suspension | 13.7% | 15.7% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 12.9% | 19.5% |
| Tyres | 9.9% | 6.9% |
| Visibility | 6.3% | 6.9% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 6.3% | 6.1% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 3.7% | 2.4% |
| Road Wheels | 3.3% | 0.5% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests of cars only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
New registrations in Europe
36 new Mercedes-Benz CL cars registered in the EU, Norway and Iceland between 2011 and 2016, from the European Environment Agency's CO₂ monitoring of every new car. In 2016 the largest markets were Spain (1).
| Year | New cars | CO₂ g/km |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | — |
| 2013 | 14 | — |
| 2011 | 21 | — |
Averages are weighted by registrations; CO₂ is the type-approval value (NEDC until the WLTP switch). European Environment Agency, CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars · re-use permitted with acknowledgement
EU safety alerts
Safety Gate, the European Union's rapid alert system, names the CL in 1 alert. European versions can differ from the North American car.
Following the update of the control unit coding, the coding parameters of the control unit could be defective. This could give rise to various unplanned reactions in the vehicle: the wrong airbag could be triggered in the event of an accident, the airbag contr…
Safety Gate (European Commission) · CC0
Recalls
2 campaigns cover the CL.
MERCEDES-BENZ IS RECALLING MY 2006-2008 M-CLASS, R-CLASS, MY 2005-2009 SLK-CLASS, MY 2005-2008 C-CLASS, MY 2003-2004 AND 2006-2008 CLK-CLASS, MY 2003-2008 E-CLASS, MY 2004 AND 2008 CL-CLASS, MY 2008 CLS-CLASS, MY 2004 AND 2007-2008 S-CLASS, MY 2003 G-CLASS, AND MY 2003-2004, 2006 AND 2009 SL-CLASS VEHICLES. A SOFTWARE CALIBRATION NUMBER (SCN) CODING RECEIVED ON THE AFFECTED VEHICLES DURING A RECENT WORKSHOP VISIT WAS INCORRECT. DEPENDING ON THE MODEL YEAR AND MODEL AFFECTED, THE RESULTS OF AN INCORRECT SCN CODING CAN AFFECT A NUMBER OF VEHICLE SAFETY AND EMISSION FUNCTIONS INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF FUNCTIONS: (1) THE FUEL GAUGE READINGS MAY BE INCORRECT; (2) A STUCK FUEL-LEVEL SENSOR MAY NOT BE DISPLAYED IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER; (3) THE OBD SYSTEM MAY CAUSE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE INCORRECTLY; AND, (4) THE SPEEDOMETER MAY BE OUT OF TOLERANCE.
MERCEDES-BENZ IS RECALLING 3,283 MY 2008 S-CLASS AND CL-CLASS PASSENGER VEHICLES. A MALFUNCTION MAY OCCUR ON THE SIGNAL ACQUISITION AND ACTUATION MODULE-FRONT (SAM-F) TRANSISTORS. THE SAM-F IS A DOUBLE TRANSISTOR THAT HELPS CONTROL VEHICLE FUNCTIONS AND THE LIGHTING OF THE CENTER CONSOLE. INCORRECT STORAGE OF THE TRANSISTORS LED THE TRANSISTORS TO BE EXPOSED TO EXCESS HUMIDITY.
NHTSA recalls