One problem related to steering column has been reported for the 2008 Mercedes Benz ML350. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
I had the car serviced by the dealer and asked that they specifically check for any leaks or other abnormalities as I would be out of the 50,000 warranty period. About three weeks later I noticed an oil drop on the floor of my garage. I took the car to the dealer and they said that the seals in the steering were the cause of the leak and needed to be replaced. I argued with them about paying for this repair as the car only had 53000 +_ and this should not fail unless it was a defect design. Eventually they agreed to fix it with mb paying 1/3 and I pay 2/3 some $1200. When I went to pick up the car they told me that in addition to seal failure that the bearing on the firewall that holds the steering column was also defective and had to be replaced. I told them I would not pay for the repair and to go back to mb and tell them this is ludicrous and they will have to pay. The final upshot was that they increased the amount that mb would pay to 2/3 and that mb would also pay for the entire bearing repair. In my opinion this is a design defect as this car has never been off road or otherwise abuse and has been serviced as required by the manufacturer. It is my wife's car and get very little use. I was advised by the dealer that they have had other similar claims. This should be a recall item.