1994 Mercedes Benz S Class

Routine

Owners filed 12 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system. It has been recalled 1 time.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Electrical System8
000
Electrical System › Wiring2
000
Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood1
000
Electrical System › Instrument Cluster/Panel1
000

1 safety recall

Part 573 reports
Exterior Lighting09E012000
Filed Apr 7, 200916,270 vehiclesSabersport

Defect. SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.

Risk. DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy. SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Electrical System
Filed Jan 17, 2010130,000 milesMS

INSTRUMENT CLUSTER DOSE NOT FULLY WORK. THE TEMP GAUGE IS THE ONLY ONE THAT WORKS ALL THE TIME. THE REST OF THE TIME, THE CLUSTER MAY WORK FOR A TIME THEM STOP FUNCTIONING ALTOGETHER. *TR

Electrical System
Filed Jan 17, 2010130,000 milesMS

MERCEDES-BENZ ENGINE WIRING HARNESS DEFECT CONCERNING THE CHRONIC ENGINE COMPARTMENT WIRING HARNESS FAILURE SUFFERED BY (AT LEAST) 1992 THROUGH 1995 MERCEDES BENZ AUTOMOBILES. I AM OUTRAGED AT MERCEDES-BENZ' REFUSAL TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS DESIGN DEFECT. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY NHTSA HAS NOT INVESTIGATED THIS DANGEROUS FAULT, ESPECIALLY WITH THE HUGE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS. ONE STARTS TO WONDER IF NHTSA HAS BEEN PAID TO LOOK THE OTHER WAY. *TR

Electrical System
Filed Jun 28, 200975,000 milesMS

MERCEDES DEALER REPAIR SHOP REPORTED TO ME THAT THE WIRING HARNESS IS MADE OF BIODEGRADABLE MATERIAL AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE FAULTY HARNESS CAUSED SEVERAL PROBLEMS WITH ENGINE, INCLUDING ACCELERATION. I HAD THE PART REPLACED IN 2000 AND DO NOT HAVE THE ORIGINAL. BOTH CATALYTIC CONVERTERS WENT BAD AT 100,000 MILES FOR NO REASON. MAKES CAR RUN ROUGH, ESPECIALLY ON ACCELERATION. MERCEDES MECHANIC STATES IT IS A FIRE HAZARD, AND COST TO REPLACE EXCEEDS $2200. SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN RECALL FOR LATER MODELS. SUSPENSION IS BAD IN THE REAR EVEN AFTER PARTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED. *TR

Electrical System
Filed Apr 25, 2009IN

I PURCHASED A CLASSIC 1994 S320 FROM THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND AFTER FINDING OUT I HAD A OIL LEAK I HAD TO HAVE THE ENGINE GASKET REPLACED THE MECHANIC SAID THAT THIS WAS A PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL ALSO I'VE HAD TO HAVE THE WIRE HARNESS REPLACED BE CAUSE I WAS TOLD THAT THE HARNESS WAS MADE FROM BIODEGRADABLE MATERIALS THIS WAS A PROBLEM THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED A POSSIBLE ENGINE FIRE I THINK THIS WAS A MAJOR DEFECT AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED YEARS AGO MY ENGINE#003388 IF YOU BUY NEW OR OLD MERCEDES-BENZ IS THE BEST CAR IN THE WORLD AND THE COMPANY SHOULD ADDRESS ALL PROBLEMS. *TR

Electrical System
Filed Nov 16, 2008AR

I OWN A 1994 MERCEDES S600 WITH V12 ENGINE. THE WIRING HARNESS ON THE ENGINE HAS DETERIORATED TO THE POINT THAT IT IS A HAZARD TO DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY NOT ONLY FOR THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY BUT TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, IT IS A FIRE READY TO BURN AT ANY MOMENT, I UNDERSTAND THAT MERCEDES WILL NOT ADMIT THE PROBLEM AND HAS REFUSED TO CORRECT EVEN THOUGH OVER 500 COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN FILED. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON '94 THROUGH '96 S MODELS. *TR

Electrical System
Filed Jul 31, 200896,700 milesCA

TWO REPUTABLE INDEPENDENT MERCEDES MECHANICS INFORMED ME THAT THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS INSULATION IN MY 1994 S420 IS DECAYING WHICH MAY HAVE CAUSED MY LH CONTROL UNIT, AND M.A.F TO FAIL TO MALFUNCTION AND THIS PROBLEM IS PREVALENT IN MERCEDES VEHICLES MADE FROM 1991-1996. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ISSUED FOR THIS PART BEFORE MORE SERIOUS EVENTS OCCUR DUE TO THE FLAW IN MERCEDES MANUFACTURING PROCESS FROM 1991-1996 . *AK *TR

Electrical System
Filed Jul 29, 2008359,000 milesTN

ENGINE WIRE HARNESS IS CORRODED CAUSING SEVERE MECHANICAL PROBLEMS. *TR

Electrical System
Filed Jul 20, 2008155,000 milesGA

I HAVE A 1994 MERCEDES BENZ S600 THE CAR IS IN GOOD SHAPE BUT IT START STALLING ONCE I WAS PULLING OUT IN TRAFFIC I WAS ALMOST A GONER AND THE PROBLEM KEPT OCCURRING AND THEN I TOOK IT IN TO A MB MECHANIC TO FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON AND IT HAD MANY TROUBLE CODES BUT THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE WIRE HARNESS IT WAS COMING A PART AND CAUSING SHORTS IN FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL WHEN I FOUND OUT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

Electrical System › Wiring
Filed Nov 15, 200795,000 milesPA

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1994 MERCEDES BENZ S500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS IS DECAYING AND THE WIRES ARE SHORTING. AS A RESULT, THE ASR IS ENGAGED, WHICH REMOVES THE THROTTLE CONTROL FROM THE VEHICLE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE ASR LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE DECELERATED ON ITS OWN. THE FAILURE ALMOST CAUSED THE CONTACT TO BE REAR ENDED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE SHOP A FEW TIMES, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 125,000. UPDATED 12/12/2007 *BF UPDATED 12/12/07 *TR

Electrical System › Instrument Cluster/Panel
Filed Nov 12, 200753,613 milesHI

ENGINE RUNS ERRATIC, VARIOUS ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTIONS INCLUDING TEMP GAUGE, SRS, FUEL INJECTION. CAR SOMETIMES WILL NOT START AND OTHERS STARTS IMMEDIATELY. REPAIR SHOP SAYS ENGINE WIRING HARNESS NEEDS REPLACING. *TR

Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood
Filed Jan 3, 2007133,000 milesFL

ENGINE WIRING HARNESS FAILURE, DETERIORATION DUE TO SUBSTANDARD WIRING INSULATION FOR ENGINE ENVIRONMENT (HEAT, ETC). WIRING SUBSTANDARD WHEN CONSIDERING THE ORIGINAL EXPENSE FOR THESE "QUALITY VEHICLES". MERCEDES SHOULD GOODWILL THE EXPENSE FOR HARNESS REPLACEMENTS AND STAND UP FOR THEIR PRODUCTS! ALTHOUGH THIS "LUXURY" MERCEDES IS A 1994 S-420, IT IS ""AS NEW" AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN MERCEDES"PROFESSIONALLY MAINTAINED! THE MERCEDES ENGINEER'S LET US (THE CONSUMERS) DOWN! *NM

Electrical System › Wiring
Filed Jun 8, 2006129,500 milesTN

ENGINE HARNESS, BODY HARNESS AND MASS AIR SENSOR FAILED DUE TO DETERIOATION OF WIRING HARNESS. *JB

12 of 12 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2000
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20121100Routine
20092100Routine
20052100Routine
200415410Routine
200328200Routine
200248200Routine
200136510Routine
200081540Routine
19999100Routine
19982100Routine
19972100Routine
19966200Routine
199527110Routine
1994 — this page12100Routine

Compare every S Class 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.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Apr 7, 2009. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.