Owners filed 9 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the suspension. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Suspension › Front › Springs › Air Suspension System | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Suspension › Front | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Power Train › Automatic Transmission | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electrical System | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Air Bags › Frontal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCEDES BENZ S 500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE KEY WAS ABLE TO BE INSERTED IN THE IGNITION BUT COULD NOT BE TURNED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 120,000.
2000 MERCEDES BENZ SL 500 HAD THE HOOD LINERS REPLACED THREE TIMES IN 5 YEARS.*MR THE FIRST HOOD LINER BECAME BRITTLE AND DISINTEGRATED. THE SECOND HOOD LINER BECAME POWDERY AND LITERALLY FELL APART LESS THAN 2 YEARS AFTER INSTALLATION. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THE HEAD LINER WAS CONSIDERED WEAR AND TEAR. *JB
WHILE DRIVING 40-45 MPH SUSPENSION/AUTOMATIC STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON, VEHICLE BECAME LOWER TO THE GROUND. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHO INFORMED CONSUMER THAT AIR SUSPENSION SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK 9-25-07 PHONE CONVERSTAION: WAS RUN OFF THE ROAD INTO A DITCH. AIR SUSPENSION WORKED FINE BEFORE, AFTER CRASH LIGHT WAS ON AND VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED. [SMCH]
CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVNG THE VEHICLE SHE WAS INVOLVED IN A COLLISION WHICH CAUSE THE AIR BAGS TO DEPLOYED AT 200 MPH CAUSING A LOT OF PHYSICAL THE DAMAGE ON THE CONSUMER. MR
THE 4 ORIGINAL CONTINENTAL TIRES ON THIS MERCEDES ARE WORN OUT WITH THE WEAR BARS SHOWING. THE MILEAGE IS 17262. THIS WAS VERIFIED BY THE LOCAL MERCEDES DEALER, SEARS & 2 OF THE 3 LOCAL CONTINENTAL TIRE DEALERS IN THIS CITY. EVERYONE SAID THIS IS COMMON WITH THESE TIRES & NO ADJUSTMENT FROM THE COMPANY IS AVAILABLE. IT JUST SEEMS TO ME THAT 4 TIRES WORN OUT AT 17,000 MILES IS A JOKE ON THE CONSUMER, & I THOUGHT YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW.*AK (TIRESIZE: P22560H16)
THE BAS AND ESP SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN ISSUING VISUAL WARNINGS FOR MONTHS, CAR HAS BEEN IN MANY TIMES TO REVIEW PROBLEM WITH NO SUCCESSFUL REPAIRS. ON 8/29/01 I APPLIED THE BRAKES ABOUT 1/2 INCH, IN PREPARATION OF STOPPING FORM A 5MPH ROLE IN A PARKING LOT AND THE BRAKES WENT TO THE FLOOR, THE CAR STOPPED INSTANTLY AND THE CAR BEHIND ME RAN IN TO MY CAR CAUSING MINOR DAMAGE.*AK
MAIN INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER INTERMITTENTLY SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING AND REMAINS INOPERABLE. DRIVER LOSES ALL TECHINCAL INFORMATION AND OPERATING STATUS OF VEHICLE. DURING DRIVING AT FREEWAY SPEEDS, AN ACCIDENTAL MOVEMENT OF THE GEARSHIFT LEVER FROM "DRIVE" TO "NEUTRAL" AND BACK TO "DRIVE" RESULTS IN TRANSMISSION NOT ENGAGING IN "DRIVE" UNTIL THE CAR SLOWS TO 20MPH. DRIVER HAS NO CONTROL OVER CAR UNTIL IT REACHES THE 20MPH RANGE AND THE TRANSMISSION THEN ENGAGES IN GEAR. WHEN STOPPED ON A HILL, WITH ENGINE RUNNING, IN "DRIVE" WHEN BRAKES ARE RELEASED TO PROCEED FORWARD, THE CAR ROLLS BACKWARD QUICKLY, WITH TRANMISSION ACTING AS IF IN "NEUTRAL" AND ENGINE STALLS AFTER MOVING BACKWARD ABOUT TEN FEET. DRIVER LOSES ALL CONTROL AND POWER OVER CAR. *AK
WHEN DRIVING THE AUTOMOBILE ABOVE 50 MPH IT SWAYS FROM SIDE TO SIDE AND GOES UP AND DOWN. CONSUMER THINKS SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE SUSPENSION. *AK
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE BETWEEN 55-65 MPH, THE VEHICLE GOES INTO A VIOLENT VIBRATION, THAT COULD CAUSE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE REAR BRAKE DRUM ASSEMBLY IS REACHING EXTREME TEMPERATURE., CAUSING METAL PARTS TO CRYSTALIZE AND THE RUBBER TO BURN. THE WHOLE REAR AXLE BREAKING SYSTEM HAS BEEN REPLACED BY DEALERSHIP. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
9 of 9 complaints, reproduced as filed.
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
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.