Electrical System
Filed Apr 22, 2013123,233 milesMA
DETERIORATED ENGINE HARNESS WIRING CAUSING FORCED LIMP MODE AND OTHER GREMLINS. *TR
1995 Mercedes Benz 500
Fatalities reported
Owners filed 8 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system. No safety recall has been issued.
What fails
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility › Defroster/Defogger/Hvac System › Rear Window | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Seat Belts › Front › Retractor | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electrical System | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsEngine
Filed Sep 12, 2012TX
I OWN A BEAUTIFUL BLACK 1995 S500 MERCEDES BENZ WITH 142,000 MILES. AS YOU KNOW, THE MERCEDES BENZ CORPORATION KNOWINGLY INSTALLED A BIO-DEGRADABLE ENGINE WIRE HARNESS IN MODELS '91-'96. THESE ENGINE WIRE HARNESSES, WERE PURPOSELY INSTALLED AND DESIGNED TO BREAKDOWN AND DISINTEGRATE. BECAUSE OF THIS FLAWED DECISION, I NOW FACE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN REPAIR COSTS. AFTER RESEARCHING MY VEHICLE'S DIAGNOSIS, I DISCOVERED THAT MERCEDES CORPORATION KNEW THE HORRIFIC, DETRIMENTAL HAZARDS AND IMMENSE FINANCIAL COSTS OWNERS INHERITED DUE TO THE BIO-DEGRADABLE MATERIAL IN THEIR VEHICLES. I FIND IT TO BE CRIMINAL AND SHAMEFUL THAT MERCEDES HAS NEVER TAKEN RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS AND HAVE NEVER NOTIFIED POTENTIAL BUYERS OR OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES OF THE HAZARDS AND EXPENSE. THIS IS NOT A WARRANTY ISSUE. THE ENTIRE CAR IS AT RISK AND SO IS MY LIFE. I AM EXPERIENCING ALL KINDS OF MALFUNCTIONS IN MY VEHICLE. WHEN I WENT INTO MERCEDES TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM, THE WIRE HARNESS AND ACTUATOR WERE GIVEN AS THE CAUSE AND IN NEED OF IMMEDIATE OF REPLACEMENT. NEVER ONCE DID MERCEDES INFORM ME WHY THE HARNESS HAD FAILED. THE WIRES HAVE BECOME UNSTABLE, CAUSING SHORTS, MALFUNCTIONS, SMOKE, AND UNRELIABLE STARTUP. MERCEDES BENZ KNEW IT FROM THE START, AND THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION ALSO KNOWS. CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY MERCEDES BENZ HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO GET AWAY WITH THIS OBVIOUS SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE UNNECESSARY HARM AND DEATH? AFTER RESEARCHING RECA
Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Feb 20, 201079,000 milesCA
ON FEB 18, I DROVE MY MB S500, 1995 WITH MY FAMILY ON ORANGE HIGHWAY 5 AT 70M/H AND SUDDENLY MY CAR ENGINE STOPPED WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE, I WAS ALMOST GET HIT BY THE TRUCK IN MY BACK. I PULLED THE CAR TO THE SIDE AND RESTART THE ENGINE AND IT STILL WORKED BUT WITH A RED SIGNAL "CHECK THE ENGINE". I DROVE TO THE NEARBY MB REPAIR STORE AND IT IS A PROBLEM CALLED " ENGINE WIRE HARNESS" DEFECT. THE PROBLEM ALMOST GET ME AND BROTHER KILLED. I AM STILL TERRIFIED. *TR
Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood
Filed Feb 4, 2008CA
THE ENGINE/FUEL INJECTION WIRING HARNESS OF MY 1995 S500 MERCEDES-BENZ HAS CRACKED INSULATION THROUGHOUT. WIRES ARE EXPOSED. THE CAR IS NOT DRIVABLE AND THE COST IS OVERWHELMING TO REPAIR. I HAVE ALREADY SPENT MUCH IN OTHER UNNECESSARILY REPAIRS. MERC-BENZ SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR SUCH POOR MATERIALS. *TR
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited SlipCrash1 killed
Filed Oct 30, 2000CA
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
Visibility › Defroster/Defogger/Hvac System › Rear Window
Filed Nov 7, 1997SC
REAR DEFROSTER FAILED.
Seat Belts › Front › Retractor
Filed Apr 14, 1997CA
BOTH FRONT SEAT BELTS WILL NOT RETRACT AND WHEN THE SEAT BELT IS ON THEY ARE VERY LOOSE. THE SEAT BELT WILL NOT HOLD CONSUMER IN THE SEAT IF THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER AND THEY REPLACED BOTH BUT STILL HAVNG THE SAME PROBLEM. *AK
Vehicle Speed ControlCrash1 injured
Filed May 22, 1995CA
TURNING INTO PARKING LOT VEHICLE SURGED 80 MPH TWICE, RESULTING IN TWO ACCIDENTS, DRIVER SUFFERED INJURIES IN SECOND ACCIDENT. *AK
8 of 8 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Across model years
Worst on record: 1993Reading this record
1 death reported in complaints filed with NHTSA.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.