2005 Mercedes-Benz S 500

Routine

Owners filed 11 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Electrical System4
000
Unknown or Other1
000
Structure › Body1
000
Service Brakes, Hydraulic1
000
Latches/Locks/Linkages › Doors › Latch1
000
Interior Lighting1
000
Exterior Lighting1
000
Electrical System › Instrument Cluster/Panel1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Unknown or Other
Filed Mar 6, 201985,000 milesTX

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WENT BLACK WE WERE UNABLE TO SEE OUR SPEED MILEAGE GAS GAUGE ODOMETER . IT WENT OFF AND ON FOR A PERIOD OF TIME . UNTIL IT WAS TO DANGEROUS TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE.

Electrical System
Filed Jan 28, 201999,000 milesCA

ELECTRONIC DASH INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WENT BLACK AND THE SPEEDOMETER COULD NOT BE SEEN AND ALL OTHER DRIVER INFORMATION ON THE REMAINING GAUGES WERE ALSO NOT VISIBLE. THE DOOR LOCKS WOULD NOT OPERATE ,THE TRUNK WOULD NOT OPEN AND THE SEANT WOULD NOT MOVE IN ANY DIRECTION. I WAS DRIVING THE 118 FREEWAY IN CA . I WAS DOING 65 MPH WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURED. I HAD TO GET OFF THE FREEWAY AND DRIVE HOME ON SURFACE STREETS. WAY TOO DANGEROUS TO CONTINUE ON THE FREEWAY. THE CAR HAS APPROXIMATELY 99000 MILES AND HAD NO OTHER PROBLEMS.

Electrical System
Filed Dec 4, 2016182,000 milesIL

WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH MY INSTRUMENT PANEL WENT BLACK. I COULD NOT DETERMINE MY SPEED, TIME OF DAY FUEL USAGE, MILES TRAVELED, OR SIGNAL LIGHTS. I DID NOT BUY THE VEHICLE FROM A MERCEDES DEALER. I CALLED A DEALER ABOUT A RECALL. HE STATED THAT THERE WAS A RECALL BUT IT HAD EXPIRED. I UNDERSTAND A RECALL EXPIRING, BUT IT SEEMS THAT MERCEDES BENZ WOULD SUPPORT THEIR PRODUCT NO MATTER WHEN THE DEFECT OCCURRED. IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED RUNNING OUT OF FUEL WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO DETECT IT AND NO WAY OF BEING AWARE OF THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE. THE SIGNAL LIGHTS DON'T FUNCTION ON THE CLUSTER. I BELIEVE IT WAS A DEFECT THAT MERCEDES BENZ WAS AWARE OF AND THAT THEY SHOULD REPLACE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AT NO COST TO ME. THE COST TO REPLACE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IS OUTRAGEOUS FOR A COMPONENT THAT IS OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE. OWNERS SHOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR DEFECTIVE COMPONENTS THAT ARE OR HAVE BEEN A PART OF A RECALL. *TR

Electrical System
Filed Sep 22, 2015135,000 milesIL

BLOWER MOTOR STOPPED WORKING AND REMAINED INTERMITTENT THROUGH JULY 2015. MERCEDEZ BENZ OF ST. LOUIS REPLACED BLOWER MOTOR AND REGULATOR/CONTROLLER. WITHIN DAYS OF GETTING CAR BACK THE BLOWER CONTINUED TO BE INTERMITTENT. IT WOULD WORK FOR DAYS OR WEEKS AND THEN STOP FOR 1-3 DAYS. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER WHEN IT WAS NOT WORKING AND THEY THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE THE SWITCHES IN THE DASH. STILL UNRESOLVED. IN ADDITION THE WIPERS WOULD STOP WORKING, THE RADIO WOULD STOP WORKING AND THE PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG SENSOR WAS INTERMITTENT.

Electrical System
Filed Jun 17, 201552,000 milesTN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES BENZ S500. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INSTRUCTED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,000.

Electrical System › Instrument Cluster/Panel
Filed Jun 16, 2015139,995 milesNC

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES BENZ S500. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILED AND CAUSED ALL THE GAUGES TO BECOME INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 139,995.

Structure › Body
Filed Jan 27, 201598,000 milesPA

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES S500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRUNK LID FAILED TO REMAINED OPEN AND ALMOST FELL ON THE PASSENGER HEAD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRUNK STRUTS FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000.

Latches/Locks/Linkages › Doors › Latch
Filed Apr 12, 201255,000 milesFL

TOOK MY CAR TO MERCEDES-BENZ OF PEMBROKE, PINES FLORIDA I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALER LAST MO MERCEDES-BENZ OF PEMBROKE PINES FLORIDA FOR THEM TO CHANGE THE OIL AND FILTER IN TRANSMISSION. SO, MONDAY I TOOK IT BACK IN AND TOLD THEM TO CHECK MY KEY DOOR LOCKS, BECAUSE THE DOOR WOULD OPEN. "NO KEY" BUT WOULD NOT LOCK BY HOLDING THE HANDLE. ALSO, TO CHECK THE TRANSMISSION WHICH WAS HARSH WHEN DOWN SHIFTING WHEN IT WAS COLD. I GOT A CALL THE NEXT DAY TELLING ME I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. I SAID I ONLY HAVE 52,000 MILES ON THE CAR AND I DON'T USE IT THAT MUCH. THE CAR COST $93,000.00 THIS SHOULD NOT BE. SOMETHING IS WRONG AT THAT DEALER, AND THEY WON'T LISTEN TO ME, THE SERVICE MGR WON'T EVEN RETURN MY CALL LONG STORY SHORT, BUT THE BILL WAS $9,300.00 I THINK I GOT RIPPED OFF. THANK YOU

Exterior Lighting
Filed Nov 10, 201198,307 milesNY

POLYCARBONATE HEADLIGHT LENSES, RECENTLY SUBSTITUTED FOR GLASS BY MANUFACTURER, BECOME BLACKENED AND OCCLUDED OVER TIME, RENDERING HEADLAMPS INCREASINGLY INEFFECTUAL AND MAKING NIGHT TIME DRIVING DANGEROUS. THIS MATERIAL IS UNSUITED FOR THE PURPOSE OF SHIELDING THE HEADLAMPS AND SHOULD BE REPLACED IN ALL INSTANCES BY MATERIALS THAT DO NOT DEGRADE DURING THEIR INTENDED USE. *TR

Service Brakes, Hydraulic
Filed May 23, 20083,592 milesNY

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES BENZ S-500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE AND SERVICE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THERE WAS A LOSS OF BRAKES. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED 16 TIMES. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WOULD NOT PROVIDE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,591 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 80,000. UPDATE 06/10/08 *BF THE SHIFTER WOULD GET STUCK IN PARK, THE BRAKE WEAR LIGHT ILLUMININATED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE REAR PADS AND ROTORS, THE LEFT RERAR MARKED LIGHT WAS REPLACED, THE TRUNK ASSIST DID NOT OPEN THE TRUNK ALL THE WAY, THE MICRO SWITCH FOR THE DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR WAS FAULTY, THE TURN SIGNAL LIGHT WAS INOPERATIVE, THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR WAS REPLACED, THE ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED, THE CONSUMER COMPLAINED OF NO HEAT IN THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER REPLACED A FAULTY BLOWER MOTOR. UPDATED 06/09/08

Interior Lighting
Filed Oct 9, 2007140,000 milesOK

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES BENZ S500. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS WENT OUT. IN ADDITION, THE TURN SIGNALS WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE FUSE. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE IS A RECALL FOR THE INTERIOR LIGHTING (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID # 06V028000) HOWEVER, HER VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 140,000.

11 of 11 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2000
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20231300Routine
202220800Do not drive
20211700Routine
20072000Routine
200612000Routine
2005 — this page11000Routine
200412000Routine
200310000Routine
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.