# 2006 MERCEDES BENZ ML500 — SEATS
> NHTSA complaint `860576` · 2011-06-07 · Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
## Severity
- **Deaths:** 0
- **Injured:** 0
- **Fire:** Yes
- **Crash:** No
- **Police report:** No
- **Medical attention:** No
- **Vehicle towed:** No
## Vehicle
- **Make:** MERCEDES BENZ
- **Model:** ML500
- **Year:** 2006
- **Manufacturer:** Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
- **Component:** SEATS
- **Miles at failure:** 71,000
- **Speed:** 35 mph
## Narrative
THIS EVENT IS A ONE TIME OCCURRENCE--THANK GOODNESS! WHILE DRIVING DOWN A 4 LANE RESIDENTIAL THOROUGHFARE, THE INTERIOR FILLED WITH SMOKE, I BEGAN COUGHING & GASPING FOR AIR AND THE SEAT BACK BECAME VERY HOT, ALL SEEMINGLY SIMULTANEOUS. INSTANTLY OPENING WINDOWS PROVIDED OXYGEN & CLEARED THE SMOKE AS TURNING OFF THE SEAT HEATER RELIEVED THE HOT SEAT SITUATION. GRATEFULLY, I WAS NOT IN FREEWAY TRAFFIC, COULD PULL TO THE CURB. EXAMINATION ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE DRIVERS SEAT BACK, ABOUT WAIST HIGH, REVEALED A HOLE ABOUT THE SIZE OF A FAT CIGAR BURN. MY SEAT HAD APPEARED ABOUT TO BURST INTO FLAMES!  *TR
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*Source: [NHTSA ODI](https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/downloads/) · AI Analytics · CC0 1.0*