RoadVitals

1989 Mercedes-Benz 560

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints 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.
7
Latest Jun 20, 2007
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
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

Overview

Our database contains 7 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1989 Mercedes-Benz 560, most frequently naming the driver assistance, engine and airbags categories.

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

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Driver assistance337.5%
  • Engine225.0%
  • Airbags112.5%
  • Brakes112.5%
  • Electrical112.5%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

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.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Electrical
Filed Jun 20, 2007
Fire reported

MANY OF THE COMPLAINTS I HAVE READ ARE ABOUT EARLY 1990 W124, W126,W140,W201 AND W202 MODELS. MY COMPLAINT WAS REGARDING AN ELECTRICAL MELTDOWN THAT OCCURRED ON THE 1989 560 SEL W126 LAST FRIDAY. I RECENTLY BOUGHT A SECOND CAR AND NOTICED THAT THE ENGINE HAD A LUMP OR A SURGE AT IDLE AND AT OPERATING SPEED. I THOUGHT SINCE THE CAR SAT FOR A WHILE BEFORE I BOUGHT IT THE PROBLEM WAS FUEL RELATED. I TOOK THE CAR TO REPAIR SHOP FOR A NEW FUEL FILTER. TWO DAYS AFTER I BOUGHT IT THE CAR WAS RETURNED AND IT WAS RUNNING FINE UNTIL I STARTED GETTING THE LUMPY IDLE AND SURGE AT SPEED. MY MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THE CAR NEEDED TO BE DRIVEN. I DID JUST THAT, AND TOOK THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAY WHICH DID NOT CURE THE PROBLEM. I NOTICED THAT WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE CAR SEEMED TO BLACK OUT TEMPORARILY, CUTTING IGNITION AND FUEL, BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS A FLUKE AND CONTINUED DRIVING. WHEN MAKING A TURN LATER INTO THE GAS STATION THE CAR BLACKED OUT COMPLETELY AND SMOKE EMERGED FROM THE RIGHT FRONT OF THE CAR. I OPENED THE HOOD AND THE WIRING WAS ON FIRE. I IMMEDIATELY PUT OUT THE BLAZE AND HAD THE CAR TAKEN BACK TO THE REPAIR SHOP. AS OF NOW MY MECHANIC WAS GETTING A WIRING DIAGRAM OF THE CAR, AND WILL BE INVESTIGATING WHAT HAPPENED SO I COULD REPORT THIS TO MY INSURANCE COMPANY. I AM NOT SURE WHAT THE CAUSE E WAS, BUT WE WERE LEANING TOWARD A FAULTY WIRING HARNESS. ALTHOUGH IT HAD OVER 150,000 MILES, I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN. ONE WOULD AN ENGINE OR TRANSMISSION PROBLEM, BUT NOT SOMETHING LIKE THIS. IF I WERE ON THE INTERSTATE, WHERE I WAS DRIVING PRIOR TO THE FIRE, I COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED, AND I COULD HAVE LOST THE CAR ALTOGETHER. I AM NOT SURE IF STATE FARM WILL COVER THIS, BUT I PLAN TO USE THIS DATA WHEN TALKING TO THE CLAIM REPRESENTATIVE SHOULD I NEED TO FILE A CLAIM, WHICH I WILL KNOW AFTER SEEING AN ESTIMATE OF THE REPAIRS. *AK

NHTSA ID
10193868
Incident
Jun 15, 2007
Mileage
178,013 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Jan 8, 2002

WHILE BACKING OUT OF GARGE IN REVERSE VEHICLE SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING ACCELERATED OUT INTO STREET. DRIVER HAD BOTH FEET ON BRAKE PEDAL TO GET VEHICLE TO STOP. THIS PROBLEM HAD OCCURRED ON TWO OTHER OCCASIONS. VEHICLE WAS IN DEALER SHOP ON ONE OCCASION, AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

NHTSA ID
8001788
Incident
Dec 16, 2001
Driver assistance
Filed Jan 7, 2002

THROTTLE IS DEFECTIVE, CAUSING VEHICLE TO SUDDENLY ACCELERATE, CONSUMER STATED THAT THAT THREE COLLISIONS HAVE OCCURRED BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED, BUT WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE SOURCE OF PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS.*AK

NHTSA ID
8001708
Incident
Dec 16, 2001
Engine
Filed May 3, 1996

VALVE COVER GASKET LEAKS, CAUSING OIL FUMES TO ENTER INTO PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. *DSH

NHTSA ID
504077
Incident
Feb 1, 1994
Engine
Filed Jan 17, 1996

HEAD GASKET LEAKING OIL, DUE TO HIGH OIL PRESSURE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE. TT

NHTSA ID
977699
Incident
May 17, 1995
Airbags
Filed Jul 11, 1995

WARNING LIGHT ON DASH (SRS) WOULD LIGHT UP AND STAYED LID A FEW MINUTES. CURRENTLY ON PERMANENTLY. DEALER SOLD AN EXTENDED WARRANTY, BUT INSISTS CONSUMER USE OLD PARTS.

NHTSA ID
959414
Incident
Oct 1, 1994
BrakesDriver assistance
Filed Jan 3, 1995
Crash reported

VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL, BRAKE DID NOT RESPOND, RESULTING IN ACCIDENT. TT

NHTSA ID
958140
Incident
Dec 30, 1994

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Mercedes-Benz 560 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
1994100—
1991300—
1990510—
1989Viewing700—
1988132166.6
1987422—
1986802—
1985102—
1984001—

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.