Mercedes Benz 500
Owners filed 96 complaints across 12 model years of the Mercedes Benz 500. The 1993 drew the most (23).
Which Mercedes Benz 500 years should you avoid?
Not enough of the record to single a year out. Fewer than 4 Mercedes Benz 500 model years have at least 25 complaints and are old enough to judge, so any ranking would be noise. The table below has every year as filed.
How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →
Every Mercedes Benz 500 model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 11 | 0 | — | 1 | Fuel System, Gasoline › Storage › Tank Assembly | Routine | |
| 2000 | 9 | 0 | — | 2 | Suspension | Routine | |
| 1999 | 7 | 0 | — | — | Equipment › Appliance › Air Conditioner | Routine | |
| 1998 | 2 | 0 | — | — | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 1997 | 8 | 0 | — | — | Equipment › Appliance › Air Conditioner | Routine | |
| 1996 | 6 | 0 | — | — | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Routine | |
| 1995 | 8 | 0 | — | 2 | Electrical System | Fatalities reported | |
| 1994 | 6 | 1 | — | — | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 1993 | 23 | 1 | 1 | — | Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood | Fatalities reported | |
| 1992 | 15 | 1 | 1 | — | Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood | Fatalities reported | |
| 1991 | 0 | 1 | — | — | — | Routine | |
| 1990 | 1 | 2 | — | — | Steering › Hydraulic Power Assist › Pump | Routine |
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, October 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.