RoadVitals

1995 Mercedes-Benz 500 Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
8
Latest Apr 22, 2013
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
2
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since May 22, 1995

What this page shows

Our database holds 8 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1995 Mercedes-Benz 500. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–8 of 8

ElectricalEngineFuel system
Filed Apr 22, 2013

DETERIORATED ENGINE HARNESS WIRING CAUSING FORCED LIMP MODE AND OTHER GREMLINS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10509193
Incident
Apr 19, 2013
Mileage
123,233 mi
ElectricalEngine
Filed Sep 12, 2012

I OWN A BEAUTIFUL BLACK 1995 S500 MERCEDES BENZ WITH 142,000 MILES. AS YOU KNOW, THE MERCEDES BENZ CORPORATION KNOWINGLY INSTALLED A BIO-DEGRADABLE ENGINE WIRE HARNESS IN MODELS '91-'96. THESE ENGINE WIRE HARNESSES, WERE PURPOSELY INSTALLED AND DESIGNED TO BREAKDOWN AND DISINTEGRATE. BECAUSE OF THIS FLAWED DECISION, I NOW FACE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN REPAIR COSTS. AFTER RESEARCHING MY VEHICLE'S DIAGNOSIS, I DISCOVERED THAT MERCEDES CORPORATION KNEW THE HORRIFIC, DETRIMENTAL HAZARDS AND IMMENSE FINANCIAL COSTS OWNERS INHERITED DUE TO THE BIO-DEGRADABLE MATERIAL IN THEIR VEHICLES. I FIND IT TO BE CRIMINAL AND SHAMEFUL THAT MERCEDES HAS NEVER TAKEN RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS AND HAVE NEVER NOTIFIED POTENTIAL BUYERS OR OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES OF THE HAZARDS AND EXPENSE. THIS IS NOT A WARRANTY ISSUE. THE ENTIRE CAR IS AT RISK AND SO IS MY LIFE. I AM EXPERIENCING ALL KINDS OF MALFUNCTIONS IN MY VEHICLE. WHEN I WENT INTO MERCEDES TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM, THE WIRE HARNESS AND ACTUATOR WERE GIVEN AS THE CAUSE AND IN NEED OF IMMEDIATE OF REPLACEMENT. NEVER ONCE DID MERCEDES INFORM ME WHY THE HARNESS HAD FAILED. THE WIRES HAVE BECOME UNSTABLE, CAUSING SHORTS, MALFUNCTIONS, SMOKE, AND UNRELIABLE STARTUP. MERCEDES BENZ KNEW IT FROM THE START, AND THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION ALSO KNOWS. CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY MERCEDES BENZ HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO GET AWAY WITH THIS OBVIOUS SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE UNNECESSARY HARM AND DEATH? AFTER RESEARCHING RECALLS, WHAT I FOUND LEFT ME DISGUSTED AND OUTRAGED. I AM UNDERTAKING A CAMPAIGN TO GET THIS OUT TO THE CONSUMER. I WONDER HOW MANY SERIOUS ACCIDENTS, INJURIES EVEN DEATHS HAVE OCCURRED BECAUSE OF THIS SILENCE. HAS NHTSA RESEARCHED THIS? RECALL..IT?S THE RIGHT THING TO DO! *TR UPDATED 10/04/12

NHTSA ID
10475240
Incident
May 25, 2012
ElectricalEngine
Filed Feb 20, 2010

ON FEB 18, I DROVE MY MB S500, 1995 WITH MY FAMILY ON ORANGE HIGHWAY 5 AT 70M/H AND SUDDENLY MY CAR ENGINE STOPPED WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE, I WAS ALMOST GET HIT BY THE TRUCK IN MY BACK. I PULLED THE CAR TO THE SIDE AND RESTART THE ENGINE AND IT STILL WORKED BUT WITH A RED SIGNAL "CHECK THE ENGINE". I DROVE TO THE NEARBY MB REPAIR STORE AND IT IS A PROBLEM CALLED " ENGINE WIRE HARNESS" DEFECT. THE PROBLEM ALMOST GET ME AND BROTHER KILLED. I AM STILL TERRIFIED. *TR

NHTSA ID
10312384
Incident
Feb 18, 2010
Mileage
79,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Feb 4, 2008

THE ENGINE/FUEL INJECTION WIRING HARNESS OF MY 1995 S500 MERCEDES-BENZ HAS CRACKED INSULATION THROUGHOUT. WIRES ARE EXPOSED. THE CAR IS NOT DRIVABLE AND THE COST IS OVERWHELMING TO REPAIR. I HAVE ALREADY SPENT MUCH IN OTHER UNNECESSARILY REPAIRS. MERC-BENZ SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR SUCH POOR MATERIALS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10216864
Incident
Jul 23, 2006
Brakes
Filed Oct 30, 2000
Crash reported1 death reported

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

NHTSA ID
735440
Incident
Sep 7, 2000
Visibility
Filed Nov 7, 1997

REAR DEFROSTER FAILED.

NHTSA ID
605794
Seat belts
Filed Apr 14, 1997

BOTH FRONT SEAT BELTS WILL NOT RETRACT AND WHEN THE SEAT BELT IS ON THEY ARE VERY LOOSE. THE SEAT BELT WILL NOT HOLD CONSUMER IN THE SEAT IF THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER AND THEY REPLACED BOTH BUT STILL HAVNG THE SAME PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID
807179
Incident
Jan 12, 1996
Driver assistance
Filed May 22, 1995
Crash reported1 injury reported

TURNING INTO PARKING LOT VEHICLE SURGED 80 MPH TWICE, RESULTING IN TWO ACCIDENTS, DRIVER SUFFERED INJURIES IN SECOND ACCIDENT. *AK

NHTSA ID
965638
Incident
May 21, 1995

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.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .