AI DamageMercedes-Benz S: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Mercedes-Benz S across 4 model years: 4 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
| Year | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) | YouTube repair videos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 50% of all complaints
- 2 Equipment 25% of all complaints
- 3 Exterior lighting 25% of all complaints
- 4 Latches, locks, linkages 25% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 2 complaints (50% of all).
- Equipment: 1 complaints (25% of all).
- Exterior lighting: 1 complaints (25% of all).
- Latches, locks, linkages: 1 complaints (25% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 4 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 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 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.
Upon driving it to a friends house, I crank it up and I immediately began to make a whining sound, I tried to turn the car off and it kept running even with the key out. I then began to smell an electrical fire which produced lots of smoke. The car then shut off.
2001 mercedes s500 instrument panel goes dark while on interstate at highway speed. No turn signal indicator ,speed, lights, temp or gas gauge. Discover recall notice in 2006 but vin numbers not included.. Also found out that mercedes would replace cluster if failed within 10 years of in service date.
I was online watching yellow sprinter and white sprinter? ( not ford transit) for fraudulent crash test discription. While vehicle must be early sprinter? Http://www.youtube.com/watch?
We tow a 2009 smart passion cab behind our rv, as allowed by smart and in writing within its owners manual. Twice now, we have lost the hood (or as smart refers to it, the service flap) while towing. The hood completely disengages from its location and basically flaps around until the car is pulled over to a stop.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
- Latches, locks, linkages. Door, hood and tailgate latches, especially near the impact.
Other models of this make
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.