2006 Mercedes Benz AMG E55: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2006 Mercedes Benz AMG E55
On the 2006 Mercedes Benz AMG E55, the failure owners report most often is fuel pump failure, and the reports cluster around 60,000 miles. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 72,500 miles. Overall it scores 65 out of 100, high risk for a 2006.
High risk for a 2006 — 265th riskiest of the 343 2006 vehicles we can rate. 37 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What owners report breaking
Owners have reported 7 named failure modes on the 2006 Mercedes Benz AMG E55, and the three most-reported carry 78% of everything filed, so the trouble here is concentrated rather than scattered.
Fuel pump failure leads with 11 reports, about 2.3 per 1,000 vehicles and with the middle half of reports between 42k to 110,000 miles.
Fuel leak or fuel odor follows with 10 reports, usually reported between 67k to 100,000 miles.
Other fuel system problem follows with 8 reports, usually reported between 72k to 85,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into fuel (34), suspension (2) and engine (1).
The mileage the reports cluster at
34 of the reports on the 2006 Mercedes Benz AMG E55 came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 72,500 miles.
Cumulatively, 24% by 50,000 miles, 82% by 100,000 miles and 97% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 60,000 and 70,000 miles, which alone holds 15% of the dated reports.
12% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles.
In the order they tend to show up: fuel pump failure around 62k, fuel leak or fuel odor around 68k and other fuel system problem around 78k.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
What happens when these parts fail
Nothing in the reports on the 2006 Mercedes Benz AMG E55 mentions a crash, a fire or an injury. That is the ordinary case and it is worth stating: most defect complaints are about a car that stopped working, not one that hurt somebody.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 4.43, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: fuel pump failure at $600–$2,600, fuel leak or fuel odor at $300–$2,500, other fuel system problem at $300–$2,200 and fuel tank, filler or EVAP failure at $250–$1,800. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
3% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel pump failure | fuel | 11 | 9 | 42k | 62k | 110k | 2.3 | $600–$2,600 | High |
| Fuel leak or fuel odor | fuel | 10 | 9 | 67k | 68k | 100k | 2.1 | $300–$2,500 | Critical |
| Other fuel system problem | fuel | 8 | 8 | 72k | 78k | 87k | 1.7 | $300–$2,200 | High |
| Fuel tank, filler or EVAP failure | fuel | 5 | 5 | — | 74k | — | 1.1 | $250–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Misfire or rough idle | engine | 1 | 1 | — | 58k | — | 0.2 | $250–$1,600 | Moderate |
| Air suspension failure | suspension | 1 | 1 | — | 5k | — | 0.2 | $900–$4,500 | High |
| Other suspension problem | suspension | 1 | 1 | — | 28k | — | 0.2 | $350–$2,000 | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2006 Mercedes Benz AMG E55 draws about 7.8 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 86th percentile of complaint rates among 2006 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 4,733 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2006 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Fuel pump failure
I came outside to my car and could not get it to start. The car would crank but would not turn on. Had the car towed to the local mercedes dealership (euro motorcars in germantown, md). I was told that the fuel pump was leaking and that the fuel shorted the connector that turns the fuel pump on. I googled the problem online to see if it was a common issue, and it seems as if many people have this issue and mercedes already performed a recall on these cars to take care of this problem. I confirmed with the dealer that the recall was done to my vehicle and it was. *tr
Please reference existing NHTSA complaint #pe12001. My 2006 mercedes e55 has raw fuel puddling under the rear seat area behind the driver's seat. There appears to be a leak from the housing or tank itself in this area. The fuel leak is substantial and the vapors from this leak are overwhelming inside the car. I have taken numerous detailed photographs of this leak. I also have a video clip that appears to capture a hissing sound of pressurization inside the tank forcing fuel vapor into the interior of the car. I would be happy to share any of this information with you to help with your investigation. My understanding is that you have already received several dozen complaints about this exact problem from other mercedes e55 owners, and perhaps from other mercedes models that use the same gas tank / sender units. Due to the amount of fuel that is puddling up in the back of my car, I am afraid to drive it and the raw fuel smell is giving me a headache even when I keep the windows rolled all the way down. I would appreciate your help in applying pressure on mbusa to provide a valid and complete fix for this issue. *tr
Fuel leak or fuel odor
Summary: both fuel sending units leaking from the top of the fuel tank. Fuel was puddling under the rear seats and was dripping on to the ground. My 6 year old son got in the car this morning and complained that it smelled like gas. This a major safety issue as well as an environmental issue. What would happen if the leaking fuel came in contact with a hot exhaust pipe? A recall was issued for this same problem in 2008, however, the recall did not resolve the problem, it only delays it until you are out of warranty and are forced to pay out of pocket for a costly repair. *tr
Please reference existing NHTSA complaint #pe12001. My 2006 mercedes e55 has raw fuel puddling under the rear seat area behind the driver's seat. There appears to be a leak from the housing or tank itself in this area. The fuel leak is substantial and the vapors from this leak are overwhelming inside the car. I have taken numerous detailed photographs of this leak. I also have a video clip that appears to capture a hissing sound of pressurization inside the tank forcing fuel vapor into the interior of the car. I would be happy to share any of this information with you to help with your investigation. My understanding is that you have already received several dozen complaints about this exact problem from other mercedes e55 owners, and perhaps from other mercedes models that use the same gas tank / sender units. Due to the amount of fuel that is puddling up in the back of my car, I am afraid to drive it and the raw fuel smell is giving me a headache even when I keep the windows rolled all the way down. I would appreciate your help in applying pressure on mbusa to provide a valid and complete fix for this issue. *tr
Other fuel system problem
I am getting a strong gas smell from the car when standing outside of the car with it running and long after the car has been shut off. If I park the car in the garage after a drive and then come back to it 30 minutes later my whole garage smells like gas but cannot see any leaking. *tr
Just bought the car, and first time I filled the tank up (never topoff) started noticing a smell of gas, as the week went by smell increased.....followed forums suggestions and found a puddle of gas on top of the sending unit under the rear seat on the drivers side. Car is hard to drive due the smell, and I'm actually getting headaches from it. Own 4 mercedes including this, which is the latest model of all, and never had a safety issue that relates to gasoline on any of the others. *tr
Recalls on the 2006 model year
NHTSA has issued 4 recall campaigns covering the 2006 Mercedes Benz AMG E55, affecting an estimated 6,037 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover visibility:sun/moon roof assembly. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
Recalls also distort complaint counts. Publicity about a campaign reminds owners that complaining is possible, so reports for a recalled component often spike after the recall rather than before it.
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
33,456 vehicles 2024-11-19- Defect
- Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2001-2011 C-Class, CLK, E-Class, and CLS vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models and model years. The glass sunroof panel may not be properly secured and can detach.
- Consequence
- A detached sunroof panel can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the sunroof panel as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 10, 2025. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. This recall is an expansion of previous NHTSA recall number 22V-954. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2024120001/2/3.
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
131,653 vehicles 2022-12-23- Defect
- Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2001-2011 C-Class, CLK, E-Class, and CLS vehicles. Please refer to MBUSA's recall report for specific vehicle model details. The glass sunroof panel may not be properly secured and may detach.
- Consequence
- A detached sunroof panel may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the sunroof panel as necessary free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 3, 2023. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. This recall expands NHTSA recall number 19V-918. MBUSA's numbers for this recall are 2023010004, 2023010005, and 2023010006.
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
11,356 vehicles 2021-03-19- Defect
- Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2006-2007 C350, C230, C280, CLK350, E320CDI, E350 Wagon, E350, 2006 C55 AMG, CLK500, CLS500, CLS55 AMG, E500 Wagon, E500, E55 AMG, 2007 CLK550, CLS550, CLS63 AMG, E550, E63 AMG, and E63 Wagon AMG vehicles. The bonding between the glass panel and the sliding roof frame may deteriorate, possibly causing the glass panel to detach from the vehicle.
- Consequence
- A detached glass panel can separate from the vehicle and become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the glass panel bonding and replace the sliding roof, as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 7, 2021. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. This recall is an expansion of recall number 19V-918. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2021040012.
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
747,928 vehicles 2019-12-20- Defect
- Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2001-2011 vehicles. The bonding between the glass panel and the sliding roof frame may deteriorate, possibly resulting in the glass panel detaching from the vehicle. For a full list of the affected models visit: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2019/RMISC-19V918-4126.pdf
- Consequence
- A detached glass panel can separate from the vehicle and become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the glass panel bonding and replace the sliding roof, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began July 10, 2020. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2020040011.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
How it ranks in the 2006 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
Better and worse years of the same car
High risk for a 2006 — 265th riskiest of the 343 2006 vehicles we can rate. Every score on this site is a rank inside its own model year, which is what makes a 2004 and a 2019 comparable at all.
Across the 4 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2004 comes out best at 64 and 2005 worst at 67, with 2006 itself at 65.
No other year of this model scores meaningfully better than 2006, so if this generation is what you want, the year is not the lever.
Within the 2003–2006 generation specifically, 2004 is the strongest year at 64 and 2005 the weakest at 67.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2003-2006 generation, 2004 Mercedes Benz AMG E55 scores best at 64 and 2005 Mercedes Benz AMG E55 worst at 67.
Where to spend the inspection money
The mileages below are where the first quarter of reports for each mode had already been filed, which makes them the point at which a fault is worth looking for rather than the point at which it happens: fuel pump failure from about 42k, fuel leak or fuel odor from about 67k and other fuel system problem from about 72k.
On a 2006 Mercedes Benz AMG E55 with more miles than that on it, the useful question to put to a seller or a mechanic is whether fuel pump failure has been dealt with, and if so with what parts and at whose expense. A car that has already had the repair is in a different position from one that has not.
None of this is a diagnosis. It is a list of what other owners of the same model year reported, ordered by when they reported it, which is a good place to point an inspection and a poor place to stop.
The limits of complaint data
37 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 37 reports, 34 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 92% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
Named failure modes come from matching phrases in the complaint text, so a badly worded complaint can land in the wrong bucket. The effect washes out across hundreds of reports and does not wash out across five.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2006 Mercedes Benz AMG E55?
The most-reported failures are fuel pump failure (11 reports, median 60,000 miles), fuel leak or fuel odor (10 reports, median 70,000 miles) and other fuel system problem (8 reports, median 80,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
At what mileage do 2006 Mercedes Benz AMG E55 problems start?
Fuel pump failure is the earliest failure mode to show up, with a median reported mileage of 60,000 miles and a quarter of reports before 40,000 miles. Across all failure modes on this year, the median report sits at 72,500 miles.
Is the 2006 Mercedes Benz AMG E55 reliable?
It scores 65 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 265th riskiest of the 343 2006 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2006 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Mercedes Benz AMG E55 is best?
Within the 2003–2006 generation, 2004 scores best at 64 out of 100 and 2005 worst at 67. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed