2003 Mercedes-Benz S 500

Routine

Owners filed 10 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the seat belts. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Seat Belts3
000
Electrical System2
000
Suspension1
000
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip1
000
Seat Belts › Front › Retractor1
000
Power Train1
000
Equipment › Appliance › Air Conditioner1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Seat Belts
Filed May 26, 2020CA

DURING HOT WEATHER THE SEAT BELT GETS STUCK AND YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO USE THE SEAT BELT AT ALL. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD NOT HAPPEN. THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE CAR IS PARKED UNDER HOT WEATHER. THIS IS IN THE DRIVERS SIDE. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR THE LAST 1 YEAR.*DT CONSUMER STATED SEAT BELT GETS JAMMED WHEN TEMPERATURE GOES OVER 90 DEGREES AND IS UNABLE TO USE SEAT BELTS AS WELL AS PARK THE CAR OUTSIDE FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME. CONSUMER HAS REPLACED THE SEAT BELTS BUT MALFUNCTIONING.*JB

Seat Belts
Filed Nov 26, 201863,250 milesCA

THE PASSENGER FRONT SEAT BELT WILL NOT RETRACT. ALSO, THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING MAKING IT VERY HARD TO SEE SPEED/FUEL/GEAR SELECTION. THESE ARE BOTH SAFETY CONCERNS THAT SHOULD BE RECALLED. WE CAN SEND YOU A PICTURE OF THE DEAD DASH IF NEEDED. ALSO VIDEO OF A STUCK SEAT BELT. THANKS, KURT.

Suspension
Filed Dec 11, 2015147,000 milesSC

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCEDES BENZ S500. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MAKING A RIGHT OR LEFT TURN, AN ABNORMAL NOISE WAS HEARD ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE WAS PERSISTENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 147,000.

Electrical System
Filed Sep 30, 2015162,000 milesNJ

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCEDES BENZ S500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH, THE SPEEDOMETER LIGHTS FLASHED AND THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL BURNING ODOR COMING FROM THE FRONT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED HE WAS MECHANIC AND THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 162,000.

Seat Belts
Filed Sep 20, 2014100,000 milesCA

THE SEAT BELTS WILL PERIODICALLY NOT EXTEND. *TR

Seat Belts › Front › Retractor
Filed Aug 11, 201428,000 milesCA

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCEDES BENZ S500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED TO RETRACT. DURING WARMER OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES, THE FAILURE WOULD WORSEN. THE FAILURE OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,000.

Electrical System
Filed Oct 11, 201355,000 milesVA

SPECIAL ACQUISITION MODULE (SAM) MY CAR WOULD NOT START THE MERCEDES ROADSIDE CAME OUT AND STARTED THE CAR AND I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSTIC. UPON REVIEW THE DEALER STATED THE SAM MODULE PLASTIC COVER HAD WATER DROPS ON IT. THEY ALSO STATED THE MALE AND FEMALE CONNECTORS TO THE MODULE WAS CORRODED, AND I WOULD NEED A NEW SPECIAL ACQUISITION MODULE (SAM) AT THE COST OF $1590.00. THEY ASK IF I HAD LEFT THE WINDOWS DOWN, BUT I HAD NOT THE INSIDE OF THE CAR HAS NEVER BEEN WET, BUT I DID NOTICE EVERYTIME I WENT TO THE CAR WASH THE INFORMATION SYSTEM WAS SHOWING ALERTS I DIDN'T RECOGNIZE. MY CONCERN IS EVEN WITH A NEW MODULE IF THE OLD ONE GOT WET AND IT IS CLEAR THE WATER IS COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE CAR WHAT WILL KEEP THE NEW MODULE (SAM) FROM GETTING WET. SOMETHING IS ALLOWING THE (SAM) MODULE TO GET WET FROM UNDER THE CAR. *TR

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip
Filed Oct 3, 200412,905 milesCA

WHILE APPROACHING A STOP LIGHT, THE CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THEY FAILED, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SLOWLY CONTINUE INTO THE CENTER OF THE INTERSECTION. THE OWNER LATER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS OCCURRED WITH ALL BRANDS OF CARS NOT JUST MERCEDES AND THAT A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE OF BRAKE FAILURES IS ACCEPTABLE IN THE AUTO INDUSTRY SO LONG AS THAT PERCENTAGE DOES NOT GET TOO HIGH. *JB CONSUMER STATED THAT THE INFO WAS HARD TO ACCEPT WHEN HE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED BY CROSS TRAFFIC AT THE INTERSECTION WHERE HE COASTED THROUGH A REDLIGHT. *TC

Equipment › Appliance › Air Conditioner
Filed Dec 15, 2003FL

THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE MANUFACTURER FOR FINAL REPAIRS, HOWEVER THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTED ON WITH AIR CONDITIONER. *LA NAR *CB *JB

Power Train
Filed Feb 13, 2003250 milesCA

THE GEARS BECAME STUCK, AND THE ENGINE DID NOT SHUT OFF, CONSUMER HAD TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY TO SHUT OFF THE ENGINE.*JB

10 of 10 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2000
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20231300Routine
202220800Do not drive
20211700Routine
20072000Routine
200612000Routine
200511000Routine
200412000Routine
2003 — this page10000Routine
200225010Routine
200134010Routine
200055010Routine
19992000Routine
19961000Routine
19954000Routine
19942000Routine
19932000Routine

Compare every S 500 year →

Reading this record

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.