Mercedes-Benz S-Class Complaints

351 consumer complaints on file.

#11501439January 12, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Driving on highway at about 50 mph when the brakes suddenly slammed on and brought car to a sudden, near stop. The stop was so sudden our seatbelts engaged and we thought we were struck in the rear by another car. Electrical module issues that cause battery to drain while vehicle is turned off have been ongoing since I purchased the car in October, 2021. Car has been in for service related to this problem 6 times and for over 60 days.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11499543December 30, 2022
SUSPENSION
The vehicle dropped at front axle areas on both sides. The next message stated "Vehicle to Low". Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Could not drive regular speed limit almost got rear ended. Reproduced i am not sure, there is however about 3 manufacturer communications on this issue. There have not been any inspections relating to this issue with insurance. The manufacturer Mercedes previously inspected and replaced several issues relating to suspension on this vehicle type. There are at least 40-60 product model vehicle types that have this issue. The vehicle i drive is one of them. The warning lamp came on when starting the car, the front end did not rise as it was expected to , warning lamp stated Vehicle level too low
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11498170December 20, 2022
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES
New S500 Benz, 1700 miles on the car, 2 months on the road only. Issues started right off the batt after purchasing this new S500. Car refuses to start daily, check engine light, 12v battery light, 48v battery needs service light, come on even tho the cars voltage is not low and is driven daily on highway. Took to the dealer, dealer says car needed to be driven more even tho its driven daily. Dealer stated voltage of the 12v battery was low, they charged the battery manually and stated that the cars ECU recorded a voltage problem. They cleared the ECU and released the car after 1 week in the shop under warranty. Next day the car was driven after it came out the shop, the car again gave a check engine light, 12v battery light, 48v battery needs service warning message. After driving the car for a bit the car completely went haywire. All interior electrical went out. Center counsel not working, dash console showed over 30 warning lights and messages ranging from electrical to low brake fluids including check engine light, SRS inoperable message, and many many more messages telling me to stop driving the car. Car is scheduled to be taken back to the dealer for another checkup. This time car must be towed in since it refuses to even turn on or to unlock the doors or windows. This car seems to be having major electrical issues as well as major computer problems. This car is unsafe to drive since it can stall out while driving. At this point i will be contacting mercades benz corporate to speak to someone about these major issues. As it stands the dealership is unaware of how or why the car is acting this way and do not know how to fix it. A true lemon indeed. Please view pics attached
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11496110December 5, 2022
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2010 Mercedes-Benz S550. The contact stated that after refueling, there was abnormal fuel odor present inside and outside the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 110,000. The contact stated that the gas leak was caused by a cracked fuel filter housing. The fuel filter and the fuel pump was replaced. The contact is requesting a full reimbursement of the cost of repairs.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11494677November 23, 2022
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
The contact owns a 2020 Mercedes-Benz S560. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, there was an abnormal sound and shards of glass started entering the vehicle from the sunroof. No injuries were sustained. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified in writing and he received a call back and was informed that no assistance would be offered. The failure mileage was 38,193.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11493858November 16, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
The contact owns a 2022 Mercedes-Benz S580. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated due to the cruise control feature failing to recognize the correct speed limit sign. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to deactivate the cruise control feature. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11493134November 10, 2022
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Vehicle garaged in storage for summer. Upon returning strong odor of gasoline was detected. Reluctantly drove to dealership and prognoses was determined that (fuel pump strainer) had malfunction thus soaking the entire rear passenger compartment and seat cushion. Upon investigation Mercedes has had a problem in other C -models and has extended warranties for 15 additional years for this same problem. This vehicle is a S- 550 model. Dealership has denied any responsibility. I think the vehicle is unsafe at ANY SPEED. Never should fuel enter the passenger compartment of any vehicle. Video on file at dealership.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11492781November 8, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Failure of LED instrument cluster. 2016 S550. No display. In October 2020 I had total system failure in my garage. Battery discharged down to +/- 5V. The car was still under warranty. Tech arrived and tried to recharge battery. He did not have the proper equipment, (his statement). I had to use two of my chargers in parallel plus his to get car back to life. He disconnected the battery from car to get there. Battery came back to life. Everything seemed to work. Started to drive car and experienced random IC failure. There were times when cluster worked fine and suddenly it went blank (black). Contacted dealer and was told that I should keep on driving it would fix itself. Dealer had the car for a week and could find no fault. And it fixed itself. Great!!! Note, at this time the car was still under Warranty. Forward to June 2022. I replaced Batteries. As in 2020 display died (black) randomly. This time it was more often black than alive, it does not want to recover. Note, every time the display dies I loose all indications, no speed indicator plus anything else. No steering wheel controls. No sound of directional indicator (blinker). Dangerous to drive. It can happen at any time. It can work when I drive off and stop!!! Note, this I find very interesting, there is no failure code anywhere, not in the diagnostic Xentry either. That for my opinion is a design problem. Dealer uploaded some code into cluster. Told me it is working. Came to pick up car, SA brought me the car and told me IC failed again. Dealer then advised me that I would have to ~$3000 to get it fixed or contact MBUSA and request for them to pay. Consider that the whole thing started when car was under warranty. Contacted MBUSA on 10/19/22 reporting the details. Was promised a response within 24/48 Hrs. No response. Followed up several times, it is on there computer. Today's date is 11/8/22. They are ignoring me. For my opinion this is a design fault. No failure code! This is it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11492024November 2, 2022
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I drove my 2015 MERCEDES BENZ S550 4MATIC APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES TO WORK, PARKED IN THE PARKING LOT AND ABOUT 30 MINUTES LATER, I WAS ALERTED BY PEMBROKE PINES POLICE (CASE# PPPD22OFF050792) THAT MY CAR WAS BURNING WHEN I GOT TO THE PARKING LOT PEMBROKE PINES FIRE DEPT WAS IN THE PROCESS OF EXTINGUISHING A CATASTROPHIC FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE CAR DROVE PROBLEM FREE TO THAT POINT. NO WARNING LIGHTS, NO SMOKE, NO SMELL, NO LEAK.THE CAR WAS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION PRIOR TO THE FIRE WITH APPROX 93000 MILES. I HAD THE CAR SERVICED BY MB FORT LAUDERDALE 1 MONTH BEFORE THE INCIDENT AND NO UNRESOLVED MAINTENANCE ISSUES WERE FOUND. AFTER THE FIRE GEICO INSURANCE TOOK POSSESION OF THE CAR AND MERCEDES USA WAS GRANTED ACCESS. AFTER MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS HAVENT BEEN ABLE TO MAKE CONTACT WITH MBUSA SINCE THEN, NO CALLBACK
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11490899October 25, 2022
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, SUSPENSION
The Smell of fuel is present inside the vehicle around 50 percent of the time. When parked in the garage the vehicle emits an extremely strong fuel smell as if it has leaked fuel with no visible spills or leaks. While driving the smell of fuel is present almost always.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11489741October 18, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, COMMUNICATION
The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz S580. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V365000 (Electrical System, Communication) however, the parts to do the recall repair were not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The local dealer was notified of the issue and confirmed that parts were not available. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving or while the vehicle was idling, several warning lights and computer screen intermittently illuminated and malfunctioned. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that a system software update was needed. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the part was not yet available. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11486717September 27, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The contact owns a 2022 Mercedes-Benz S500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a left turn, the Adaptive Braking System inadvertently activated and the vehicle experienced hard braking. There were no objects in the roadway. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer who scheduled a service appointment however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 4,800. The VIN was not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11484372September 14, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I was going at 70 miles without any car in the front and abruptly the break assistant activate , that happened twice , yesterday and today , and I am scare because instead of prevent an accident it will be causing one
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11483911September 11, 2022
AIR BAGS, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The leather is coming out of the dashboard as a result of that the air bag on the passenger front window is coming out. you can literally see the white part of the air bag. its a matter of time before the leather comes out all the way and the air bag will pop out. the dealer refuses to fix it and the car is still under warranty.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11482020August 30, 2022
SUSPENSION, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, STEERING
Airmatic Suspension sprung a leak and could not be driven safely due to the vehicle getting severely low where the tire and rim tucked into the wheel well. When the airmatic suspension fails the vehicle can get so low that it can scrape the roadway, hit bumps and damage parts under which can dislodge and cause an severe accident or pile up. Requesting a Nationwide Recall on all Mercedes-Benz vehicles equipped with Airmatic Suspension.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11480834August 23, 2022
SEAT BELTS
The contact owns a 2017 Mercedes-Benz S550. The contact stated the vehicle's front passenger seat belt failed to lock into the seat buckle. The failure occurred intermittently. The contact had taken the vehicle to a certified mechanic who stated the entire seat belt buckle needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V829000 (Seat Belts). The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11478188August 8, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Keyless entry problem. July 26, 2022 I placed my 2 small dogs and pursewith key in car. I was unable to enter car on drive's side because the key locked the car from inside. I have since learned from several people they experienced same problem (with infant in rearseat) and that if battery is low on key fob the car will lock with key inside. I attempted to reach MB roadside assistance but after 30 minute wait decision was made to break window to remove the dogs that were in distress. I did see message that same day on dashboard to replace the battery but had NO idea I should immediately do so or only use the "blade" key. I have been diligent about keeping car serviced but apparently battery wasn't replaced during routine service. I would have immediately replaced the battery if I knew key would malfunction thereby locking animals in car. Although I filed complaint with MB they denied my request to reimburse me the cost of replacing the window. I strongly encouraged them to advise service technicians to replace battery at scheduled service (my last service was 5 weeks earlier). I also recommended MB and local dealerships should have better response to calls when it's urgent. The possibility of locking pets or children in car is far more important than the $1900 cost to replace the window so I'm hoping you will take this seriously and advise all MB owners to frequently change batteries at certain intervals and advise service dept personnel to automatically do so. Again, I had no idea it was so important to immediitely do so.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11477847August 5, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The contact owns a 2022 Mercedes-Benz S580. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle experienced phantom braking with the Active Brake Assist warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle operated normally after the failure. The dealer was contacted and the vehicle was picked up by a representative. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 6,003.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11476303July 28, 2022
TIRES:SIDEWALL
The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz S580 equipped with Pirelli tires, Tire Line: P Zero MO-S, Tire Size: P255/35/R21 (Front tires) and P285/30/R21 (Rear Tires), DOT Number: (Unavailable). The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the drove over a pothole and the driver’s side front tire experienced a blowout. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, and the contact was informed that there was a bubble on the side shoulder of the tire, and the tire needed to be replaced. The tire was replaced. The contact stated that a similar failure reoccurred with the front passenger’s side tire and the rear driver’s side tire. The vehicle was taken to the dealer both times and the contact was informed that the sidewalls on the tires were thin causing the blowouts. The failure mileage was 3,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11476102July 27, 2022
TIRES, TIRES:SIDEWALL
I am an owner of a 2022 Mercedes Benz. The car is equipped with optional 21" AMG wheels paired with Pirelli P Zero MO-S (Mercedes original equipment) tires. P255/35R21 front and P285/30R21 rear. With only 490 miles on the odometer I experienced a catastrophic failure of the front passenger-side tire after going over what seemed to be an insignificant pothole. While at the servicing dealer I noticed same car as mine with 21" wheels with a blown front driver-side tire and destroyed rim, I even took a picture of it. My service advisor confirmed that this is a very common issue that they see at least once or twice a month. That's in a city with maybe a 100 of these cars in total. "This should be a class action lawsuit" were his exact words. I had to wait over a week to get the car back as there is a nationwide shortage of this particular tire. My service advisor agreed that this also points to a higher than normal rate of failures that creates this shortage. I am an active member of the MBWorld.org forums where Mercedes owners come to discuss their vehicles. There are multiple threads about this very tire and a number of owners that experienced multiple failures, some as many as three times. It is common to have both the front and the rear tire fail after going over the same pothole, or in some instances the front tire failed while the rear developed a bubble and needed to be replaced as well. The only solution that people found was to replace Pirelli tires with Michelin Pilot 4S tires in the same size. I escalated this case to Mercedes-Benz Customer Advocacy and after several days was informed that Mercedes is not accepting responsibility for this faulty equipment and advised to seek resolution with Pirelli. This is clearly unacceptable and is not a matter of expenses or inconvenience. This is a huge safety risk as these tires seem to be either defective or unsuitable for such a heavy vehicle. At high speeds this could lead to fatal accidents.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

← Back to Mercedes-Benz S-Class