Car Problem DataNHTSA records

2005 Mercedes Benz S Class

Routine

Owners filed 2 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the service brakes, hydraulic › foundation components › disc › rotor. It has been recalled 1 time.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc › Rotor1
100
Electrical System1
000

1 safety recall

Part 573 reports
Interior Lighting06V028000
Filed Feb 2, 200636,911 vehiclesMercedes-Benz Usa, Llc.

Defect. ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IS EXPERIENCING ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTIONS. THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER CONTAINS GAUGES AND INDICATORS THAT MUST BE ILLUMINATED WHENEVER THE VEHICLE IS IN OPERATION.

Risk. DUE TO INADEQUATE ILLUMINATION, THE DRIVER WILL BE UNABLE TO READ THE GAUGES AND INDICATORS, SUCH AS THE SPEEDOMETER, WHICH COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER MODULES. THE RECALL WILL BE CONDUCTED IN PHASES. PHASE I WAS MAILED OUT TO APPROXIMATELY 7,500 OWNERS ON SEPTEMBER 29, 2006. PHASE II AND PHASE III IS SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MERCEDES-BENZ AT 1-800-367-6372.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Electrical System
Filed May 14, 200938,717 miles00

AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON IN 2005 SMART CAR. MAINTENANCE BOOK SAYS GET TO DEALER IMMEDIATELY, SO WE DID. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE A RECALL. THE WIRING HARNESS NEEDED REPLACED. *TR

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc › RotorCrash
Filed Oct 21, 200612,000 milesFL

MERCEDES BENZ S 500 HAD TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE. VEHICLE HAS ABOUT 12,000 TO 14,000 MILES ON IT. DEALER IS TRYING TO BLAME BRAKE FAILURE ON RUST ON ROTORS DUE TO LACK OF USE OF VEHICLE. I DON'T THINK THE MANUAL WARNS ABOUT THIS. SOUNDS LIKE A MAKE UP STORY TO ME. I HAVE HAD MERCEDES VEHICLES FOR ABOUT 30 YEARS AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM LIKE THIS BEFORE. BRAKE FAILURE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT BUT SINCE AT VERY LOW SPEED NO INJURIES. IF IT HAD HAPPENED AT A HIGH SPEED IT COULD HAVE LED TO SERIOUS INJURIES OR DEATH. *NM

2 of 2 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2000
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20121100Routine
20092100Routine
2005 — this page2100Routine
200415410Routine
200328200Routine
200248200Routine
200136510Routine
200081540Routine
19999100Routine
19982100Routine
19972100Routine
19966200Routine
199527110Routine
199412100Routine

Compare every S Class year →

Other Mercedes Benz models

All Mercedes Benz models →
C300 3,958E350 2,210E320 1,164ML350 951GLK350 904ML320 742C250 725C230 657GLC 300 650E500 460

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: Feb 2, 2006. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.