AI Damage2000 Mercedes-Benz S 500: common problems
Owners of the 2000 Mercedes-Benz S 500 filed 55 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system and suspension. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 55
- involving a crash
- 3
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 56% of all complaints
- 2 Suspension 15% of all complaints
- 3 Exterior lighting 11% of all complaints
- 4 Vehicle speed control 9% of all complaints
- 5 Structure 7% of all complaints
- 6 Service brakes 5% of all complaints
- 7 Engine 4% of all complaints
- 8 Engine and cooling 4% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 31 complaints (56% of all).
- Suspension: 8 complaints (15% of all).
- Exterior lighting: 6 complaints (11% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 5 complaints (9% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Structure: 4 complaints (7% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 55 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 31 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
In reference to campaign 06v028000 what is the basis for exclusion of some cars of the same year vs others? Just because the 7 cars that were part of the orginal complaint fall in the narrowly defined vin range does not mean other cars of the same model and year do not have the same problem.
The car was being taken out of the drive way in reverse at 5mph. Suddenly the steering wheel went into a spin and the car accelerated to may be about 10mph and the car went backwards as the steering wheel turned and hit another car parked in neighbor's driveway, damaging both cars.
The brakes were not functioning properly from date of purchase. Manufacturer and dealer claim that "the brake operation is normal". The brakes failed while driving and the car crashed.
The abs was malfunctioning, the wipers were turning on and off, the brake lights and other lights were turning on and off on there own, the car stayed running with the key out of the ignition, the lights would turn on and off with the key out of ignition, the sos light was turning on and off, the airbag light was…
When I went back to the car it was full of smoke. When I inspected the sorce of the fire it waa the blower resistor. The wiring to the blower was burnt at the connector. The plastic around the evaporator box was damaged.
I was pulling out of my driveway and noticed the dashboard lights were completely dark and all of the gauges were not working!! I cant tell how much gas I have nor how fast I am driving! I research today and find that there was a recall on this issue that is now expired. How and why does a recall expire??!!
While driving, the contact heard a knocking noise underneath the passenger side of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle independently knocked while parked. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the air suspension was faulty.
The bottom of all the 4 doors are rusting out. There are other places on the body that the paint is bubbling and starting to rust also. This car has been garage kept every year that I have had it. I bought it in 2000 and have had it ever since. I have had several mercedes previously and never had the paint fail.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 5,078 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 14% most complained about).
On average one model year of the S 500 has 11 complaints (16 years in the data). This year has 55, above average.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
- Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2000 Mercedes-Benz S 500?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: electrical system, suspension, exterior lighting. Total complaints: 55. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: rust, corrosion (7%), windows, sunroof (7%), A/C or heater (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2000 Mercedes-Benz S 500?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2000 Mercedes-Benz S 500 from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2000 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.