Electrical System
Filed Apr 8, 200339,608 milesFL
THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED MULTIPLE MECHANICAL FAILURES. SEAT BELT STICKS, WHILE DRIVING DASH LIGHTS GO OUT, POWER STEERING DROPPED, ATEANNA FELL OFF, POWER WINDOWS MALFUNCTION. *TS *NLM
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2000 Mercedes Benz S500 complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2000 record →
Electrical System › 12v/24v/48v Battery1 injured
Filed May 14, 2002FL
WHILE IN TRUNK OF VEHICLE BATTERY EXPLODED WITHOUR WARNING. VEHICLE WAS NOT RUNNING AT THE TIME.*AK CONSUMER STATES WHEN CHANGING CD?S IN THE COMPACT DISC CHANGER WHICH IS LOCATED IN THE TRUNK AND WHILE BENDING OVER TO PICK UP THE CD?S THE BATTERY WHICH IS ALSO IN THE TRUNK EXPLODED, CAUSING SEVERE DAMAGE TO CONSUMERS SPINE. *YD
Vehicle Speed ControlCrash
Filed Apr 18, 2002NY
THE CAR WAS BEING TAKEN OUT OF THE DRIVE WAY IN REVERSE AT 5MPH. SUDDENLY THE STEERING WHEEL WENT INTO A SPIN AND THE CAR ACCELERATED TO MAY BE ABOUT 10MPH AND THE CAR WENT BACKWARDS AS THE STEERING WHEEL TURNED AND HIT ANOTHER CAR PARKED IN NEIGHBOR'S DRIVEWAY, DAMAGING BOTH CARS. *AK
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation ComponentsCrash
Filed Feb 18, 2001CA
THE BRAKES WERE NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY FROM DATE OF PURCHASE. MANUFACTURER AND DEALER CLAIM THAT "THE BRAKE OPERATION IS NORMAL". THE BRAKES FAILED WHILE DRIVING AND THE CAR CRASHED.
Suspension
Filed Jan 18, 2000CA
DRIVING AT 55-65 MPH VIOLENT VIBRATION OCCURS CAUSING DIFFICULTY IN CONTROL, REAR BRAKES AS WELL AS EMERGENCY BRAKE PADS FREEZE DURING VIBRATION DUE TO AUTOMATIC SELF-ADJUSTMENT OF EMERGENCY BRAKES. MJS
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 2000 Mercedes Benz S500 → · Every S500 year → · How the figures are calculated →