1999 Mercedes Benz S Class

Routine

Owners filed 9 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the air bags. It has been recalled 1 time.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Visibility1
000
Tires › Sidewall1
000
Suspension › Rear › Springs › Air Suspension System1
000
Suspension1
000
Seat Belts › Front › Retractor1
000
Seat Belts › Front1
000
Power Train › Automatic Transmission › Park/Neutral Start Interlock Switch1
000
Air Bags › Frontal › Sensor/Control Module1
000
Air Bags1
101

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
Suspension
Filed Dec 30, 200800

MERCEDES S-CLASS W220 AIRMATIC PROBLEMS,DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT ! THEY ARE SUCKING USS OUTTTTTT! *TR

Visibility
Filed Dec 23, 2008GA

REAR VIEW MIRROR FAILURE ON 1999 MERCEDES BENZ S320. MIRROR IS AN AUTO DIM REAR VIEW MIRROR AND VIEW IS OBSTRUCTED BECAUSE LIQUID CRYSTAL MATERIAL IS "LEAKING" OUT OF MIRROR. THIS IS A DESIGN AND QUALITY ISSUE THAT WOULD NOT OCCUR WITH A STANDARD REAR VIEW MIRROR. THERE IS NO MANUAL FAILOVER ON MIRROR SO THE VEHICLE CAN BE DRIVEN SAFELY IN THE EVENT OF A FAILURE. MAGNA DONNELLY CORPORATION WILLFULLY AND KNOWINGLY PRODUCES A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT SOLD TO THOUSANDS OF OEMS AND NOW REFUSES TO REPAIR THEIR DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS. PREVIOUSLY THIS COMPANY REPLACED THE DEFECTIVE MIRRORS AND NOW THEY REFUSE. *TR

Tires › Sidewall
Filed Feb 11, 2008124,027 milesVA

I HAD 4 KUMHO SOLUS KH16 TIRES INSTALLED ON A 1999 MERCEDES S500 ON 1/17/07. THESE TIRES HAVE BEEN DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 15,000 MILES. THE TIRE ON THE RIGHT REAR FAILED ON FEB. 10, 2008 AND WAS SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED. MY WIFE HAD JUST STOPPED FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND WAS ACCELERATING TO THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT OF 45 MPH. THE CAR WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. SHE IMMEDIATELY PULLED ON TO THE GRASS MEDIAN WHEN SHE HEARD "CLUNK, CLUNK" FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. I PERIODICALLY CHECK TIRE PRESSURES ON OUR CARS AND CHECKED THE TIRE PRESSURES THE PREVIOUS DAY AND ALL FOUR TIRES HAD APPROXIMATELY 30 LBS. OF AIR PRESSURE. THE TIRES HAD BEEN HOLDING THIS PRESSURE FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. ON THE DAY OF THE FAILURE THE CAR WAS DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 12 MILES WHEN THE TIRE SUDDENLY FAILED. I CLOSELY INSPECTED THIS TIRE AND THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF PUNCTURE. HOWEVER, I NOTICED THAT THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE HAD SEPARATED. THE SEPARATION IS SO SEVERE THAT THE TIRE WILL NOT HOLD ANY AIR PRESSURE. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS INCIDENT, SINCE I STILL HAVE THREE MORE OF THESE TIRES ON THE VEHICLE AND WE FREQUENTLY TRAVEL ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS AND TOLL ROADS AT SPEEDS OF 65 TO 70 MPH. A TIRE FAILURE AT THIS SPEED COULD BE CATASTROPHIC. *TR

Suspension › Rear › Springs › Air Suspension System
Filed Nov 1, 200770,000 miles00

AIRMATIC WARNING KEEP COMING UP, SAY THE CAR IS TO LOW STOP. *TR

Air Bags › Frontal › Sensor/Control Module
Filed May 24, 200790,000 milesKY

THE SRS LIGHT ON THE DASH INDICATES A POTENTAL AIR BAG MALFUNCTION. THE DEALER CONFIRMS THE SRS MODULE HAS FAILED ON MY 1999 MERCEDES S320 MAKING THE AIR BAGS INOPERABLE. COUNTRY OF ORIGIN GERMANY MANUFACTURER MERCEDES-BENZ MODEL S320W 4DR SEDAN 5 PASSENGER THE QUOTED COST FOR REPAIR IS $620.00 FOR THE SRS MODULE AND A FURTHER $182.00 LABOR. THE TOTAL REPAIR COST OF OVER $800 IS EXORBITANT AND PREYS ON THE PUBLIC NEED FOR SAFTEY. HAS THERE BEEN A NHTSA RECALL OR A MANUFACTURER TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN? VERBAL OVERVERTURES TO MB AND THE DEALER HAVE FAILED TO FIND RELIEF, AND A LETTER TO MERECEDES BENZ HAS GONE UNANSWERED. UPDATED IVOQ. 02/05/10

Seat Belts › Front
Filed Apr 23, 2007111,517 milesVA

WHEN I TRIED TO FASTEN THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT IT WOULDN'T RELEASE. AFTER TWO ATTEMPTS TO RELEASE THE SEAT BELT, IT FULLY RELEASED WITHOUT ANY TENSION ON THE SEAT BELT. THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT IS COMPLETELY USELESS AS A RESTRAINING DEVICE SINCE THERE IS NO TENSION. *TR

Air BagsCrash1 injured
Filed Sep 29, 200681,000 milesNJ

AIRBAGS IN 1999 S500 MERCEDES FAILED TO DEPLOY IN FRONTAL COLLISION WITH A UTILITY POLE AT SPEED ESTIMATED BETWEEN 15-25 MPH. DRIVER WAS WEARING HIS SEAT BELT. *NM

Seat Belts › Front › Retractor
Filed Nov 17, 2004103,000 milesNV

THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AND DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELTS WERE NOT RETRACTING. *AK *SC *JB

Power Train › Automatic Transmission › Park/Neutral Start Interlock Switch
Filed Jun 12, 2001CA

WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED INSIDE GARAGE CONSUMER'S CHILD BUMPED PARK PAWL CAUSING VEHICLE TO ROLL BACKWARDS OUT OF GARGE AND DOWN DRIVEWAY. CONSUMER JUMPED HEAD FRIST THROUGH WINDOW AND DEPRESSED BRAKE PEDAL BY HAND TO STOP VEHICLE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

9 of 9 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2000
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20121100Routine
20092100Routine
20052100Routine
200415410Routine
200328200Routine
200248200Routine
200136510Routine
200081540Routine
1999 — this page9100Routine
19982100Routine
19972100Routine
19966200Routine
199527110Routine
199412100Routine

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.