Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Our database contains 15 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1995 Mercedes-Benz 420, most frequently naming the electrical, engine and transmission categories.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
When owners filed reports about this model year
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| May 1995 | 1 | 1 |
| Aug 1995 | 1 | 2 |
| Mar 1996 | 1 | 3 |
| Jul 1996 | 1 | 4 |
| Nov 1996 | 1 | 5 |
| May 1998 | 1 | 6 |
| Sep 2002 | 1 | 7 |
| Dec 2003 | 1 | 8 |
| Jul 2005 | 1 | 9 |
| Sep 2005 | 1 | 10 |
| Jun 2007 | 1 | 11 |
| Jul 2008 | 1 | 12 |
| Aug 2008 | 1 | 13 |
| Apr 2012 | 1 | 14 |
| May 2012 | 1 | 15 |
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
No recalls in our database for this model year
That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
THERE SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM THAT MERCEDES IS WELL AWARE OF WITH THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS. THE INSULATION WAS POORLY DONE, WHICH CAUSES THE WIRING TO BREAKDOWN. THIS IS A VERY EXPENSIVE FIX FOR THE CONSUMER. SAFETY IS THE ISSUE HERE WHEN THIS CAUSES THE CAR TO FAIL TO ACCELERATE. *TR
THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS ON MY 1995 MERCEDES BENZ S420 HAS DISINTEGRATED. THE WIRING INSULATION IS CRACKED AND BROKEN IN MANY PLACES, WHICH HAS RESULTED IN A NON-OPERATING CONDITION. THE CAR HAS STALLED 3 TIMES SO FAR, IN TRAFFIC, AND WILL NOW NOT RUN AT ALL. APPARENTLY THE WIRES HAVE BROKEN DOWN DUE TO THE HEAT OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I BELIEVE THE WIRES WERE NOT SUITABLE FOR THE APPLICATION THEY WERE USED FOR. *TR
THE ELECTRICAL WIRING SYSTEM PLASTIC COATING IS BREAKING DOWN AND THE BARE WIRES ARE SHORTING OUT MAKING THE CAR UNABLE TO USE. *TR
1995 420S MERCEDES IS HAVING PROBLEMS FIRING. CONCERNED ABOUT WIRING HARNESS. WAS CHECK AND MAY BE CAUSING THE PROBLEM. WHY IS THERE NOT A RECALL ON THIS IF SO MANY PEOPLE THAT OWN THESE VEHICLES ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM? CAR IS HESITATING WHEN KEY IS TURNED TO RIGHT AND WILL NOT FIRE CORRECTLY. *TR
1995 E420 MERCEDES BENZ: WIRE HARNESS HAS PREMATURELY DISINTEGRATED, CAUSING UNSAFE OPERATING CHARACTERISTICS TO APPEAR IN VEHICLE SUCH AS: SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER AND UNRESPONSIVENESS TO ACCELERATOR INPUT. *AK
TWO MAJOR FAILURES OF WIRING ON MY 1995 S420. (1) MAIN WIRING HARNESS SHORTED, BURNED INSULATION AND FAILURE TO OPERATE. DEALER CLAIMED NORMAL WITH A CAR THIS AGE. (2) THROTTLE ACTUATOR WIRING HARNESS SHORTED, AGAIN BURNED INSULATION AND OPERATE IN LIMPED MODE ONLY. CONTACTED REGIONAL MANAGER AND MB USA, RESULTING IN SENDING IN DAMAGED PART TO MB USA FOR ENGINEERING STUDY. ONE MONTH LATER I CONTACTED THE PRESIDENT OF MB USA. ONE WEEK LATER I WAS CONTACTED BY MB USA CUSTOMER SERVICE, WAS TOLD THEY (MB USA) KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THE ENGINEERING STUDY. I CONTACTED MY LOCAL DEALER,WHO CLAIMED THE FAULTY ACTUATOR WAS SHIPPED TO MB USA. THERE IS NOT ONLY A SERIOUS ENGINEERING PROBLEM WITH THESE WIRING HARNESSES BUT UNCONSCIONABLE THAT THEY CHOOSE TO IGNORE IT. FURTHER, I FOUND CUSTOMER SERVICE TO BE PRETTY MUCH NON EXISTENT, PARTICULARLY AT MB USA. *JB
SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASE OF A 1995 MERCEDEZ-BENZ E420, I WAS TOLD BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC OF THE NEED TO REPLACE WIRING HARNESSES IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT BECAUSE THE WIRING INSULATION BECOMES BRITTLE, CRACKS, AND FALLS OFF. THIS WAS DEMONSTRATED TO BE THE CASE ON MY CAR, WITH THE MECHANIC SHOWING ME THE CONDITION OF THE WIRES IN THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS. THIS REPAIR COST ME OVER $2000 - OF COURSE I HAVE RECEIPTS. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE A MANUFACTURING DEFECT - IT IS SO PREVALENT, I CAN FIND COUNTLESS MENTIONS OF IT IN MERCEDES DISCUSSION BOARDS ON THE INTERNET, WHOSE CONTRIBUTORS INCLUDE MERCEDES-TRAINED MECHANICS. MERCEDES SHOULD TREAT THIS AS A SAFETY-RELATED RECALL - DO YOU WANT YOUR ENGINE QUITTING ON THE FREEWAY? DO YOU WANT A FIRE IN YOUR ENGINE COMPARTMENT? MERCEDES SHOULD REFUND ME THE MONEY I SPENT RETURNING MY CAR TO A SAFE CONDITION.
AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE, THE CONSUMER NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. AS A RESULT OF THE FAILURE, FIRE CAME THROUGH THE FIREWALL. THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. *AK THERE WERE NO PRIOR PROBLEMS. THE VEHICLE HAD FILLED WITH BLACK SMOKE WITH THE IGNITION OFF AND THE VEHICLE PARKED. THERE WAS NO WARNING. *SCC *JB
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.