Complaints by model year
Each bar is one model year. The most recent years are still collecting complaints.
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026
Year by year
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 CLK | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 CLK | 4 | 1 |
| 2007 CLK | 3 | 1 |
| 2006 CLK | 1 | 0 |
| 2005 CLK | 1 | 0 |
| 2004 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | 2 | 0 |
| 2002 | 2 | 0 |
| 2001 | 2 | 0 |
| 2000 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | 3 | 0 |
A model year gets its own page when it has enough data for at least three sections
Most common problems
- Electrical system5
- Exterior lighting4
- Fuel/propulsion system3
- Seats2
- Power train2
- Engine and engine cooling2
- Visibility/wiper1
- Unknown or other1
NHTSA ODI complaints, all model years
Fuel consumption by year
Official Canadian test results for 12 model years, best variant per year. Combined consumption ranges from 10.9–11.8 L/100 km.
| Year | Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | CLK 350 · Subcompact · Premium gasoline | 13.8 | 9.3 | 11.8 |
| 2008 | CLK 350 Convertible · Subcompact · Premium gasoline | 13.8 | 9.3 | 11.8 |
| 2007 | CLK 350 Cabriolet · Subcompact · Premium gasoline | 13.8 | 9.3 | 11.8 |
| 2006 | CLK 350 # · Subcompact · Premium gasoline | 13.7 | 9.1 | 11.7 |
| 2005 | CLK 320 · Subcompact · Premium gasoline | 13.3 | 9.3 | 11.5 |
| 2004 | CLK 320 · Subcompact · Premium gasoline | 13.3 | 9.7 | 11.7 |
| 2003 | CLK 320 Cabriolet · Subcompact · Premium gasoline | 13.5 | 9.6 | 11.8 |
| 2002 | CLK 320 · Subcompact · Premium gasoline | 13.3 | 9.6 | 11.6 |
| 2001 | CLK 320 · Subcompact · Premium gasoline | 12.9 | 8.9 | 11.1 |
| 2000 | CLK 320 · Subcompact · Premium gasoline | 12.9 | 8.9 | 11.1 |
| 1999 | CLK 320 · Subcompact · Premium gasoline | 12.9 | 8.9 | 11.1 |
| 1998 | CLK 320 · Subcompact · Premium gasoline | 12.7 | 8.8 | 10.9 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
In New Zealand
1,108 CLK cars are on the New Zealand register; 36% arrived as used imports.
| Model year | Registered | Sold new in NZ | Used imports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2009 | 34 | 11 | 22 |
| 2008 | 68 | 29 | 38 |
| 2007 | 122 | 63 | 57 |
| 2006 | 162 | 60 | 95 |
| 2005 | 146 | 95 | 45 |
| 2004 | 155 | 128 | 21 |
| 2003 | 158 | 132 | 22 |
| 2002 | 84 | 50 | 31 |
| 2001 | 50 | 33 | 14 |
| 2000 | 66 | 50 | 13 |
| 1999 | 30 | 11 | 18 |
| 1998 | 22 | 8 | 13 |
| 1997 | 10 | 2 | 7 |
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
In Finland
67 CLK cars were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026: 93% petrol, 7% diesel. Mileage is the odometer reading at the last inspection.
| First registered | In use | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 6 | 232,000 km |
| 2003 | 13 | 287,000 km |
| 2002 | 15 | 260,000 km |
| 2001 | 8 | 267,000 km |
| 2000 | 7 | 243,000 km |
| 1999 | 11 | 262,000 km |
| 1998 | 7 | 294,000 km |
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use, 30 Jun 2026 · CC BY 4.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
32,250 CLK cars took their annual MOT test in 2023; 62% passed first time, against 57% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 3,049 | 60% |
| 2008 | 2,796 | 62% |
| 2007 | 4,066 | 60% |
| 2006 | 3,630 | 61% |
| 2005 | 4,521 | 61% |
| 2004 | 4,532 | 60% |
| 2003 | 3,483 | 62% |
| 2002 | 1,924 | 64% |
| 2001 | 1,605 | 68% |
| 2000 | 1,344 | 67% |
| 1999 | 1,023 | 67% |
| 1998 | 277 | 64% |
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 | CLK | All cars, same ages |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 18.8% | 16.6% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 14.2% | 20.5% |
| Brakes | 10.2% | 12.8% |
| Tyres | 8.0% | 6.8% |
| Visibility | 5.2% | 7.3% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 5.0% | 6.8% |
| Steering | 3.0% | 3.8% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 2.7% | 8.5% |
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
21 new Mercedes-Benz CLK cars registered in the EU, Norway and Iceland between 2010 and 2014, from the European Environment Agency's CO₂ monitoring of every new car. In 2014 the largest markets were Spain (7).
| Year | New cars | CO₂ g/km |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 7 | — |
| 2013 | 1 | — |
| 2012 | 1 | — |
| 2011 | 6 | — |
| 2010 | 6 | — |
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 CLK in 4 alerts. European versions can differ from the North American car.
Due to improper adhesive bonding of the glass panel to the sliding roof frame, the panel may detach from the moving vehicle, creating a risk of an accident, injuries. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of mo…
Faulty configurations of the control units (traction systems, signal recording triggering modules, engine control units and headlights) could cause one or more control units to malfunction, which could increase the risk of an accident. The exhaust emissions ex…
The adhesive bond between the glass panel and the sliding-roof frame may not meet the specifications. As a result, the glass panel could become completely detached from the vehicle, posing the risk to the following traffic.
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
1 campaigns cover the CLK.
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.
NHTSA recalls