RoadVitals

1991 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.
3
Latest Jun 17, 2006
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.
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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.
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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.
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Overview

Our database contains 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1991 Mercedes-Benz 560, most frequently naming the body & structure, electrical and powertrain (other) 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

  • Body & structure125.0%
  • Electrical125.0%
  • Powertrain (other)125.0%
  • Steering125.0%

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 17, 2006

1991 560 SEC HAS INTERMITTENT ROUGH IDLE DURING ALL OPERATING TEMPERATURES. AFTER BEING DRIVEN WITH A/C ON FOR ABOUT 8 MILES IN TRAFFIC AND PARKED FOR UNDER TWO HOURS IN HOT WEATHER, CAR FIRST REFUSES TO START - A/C SWITCHED OFF. THE CAR STARTS AFTER A FEW ATTEMPTS AND HAS EXTREMELY ROUGH IDLE. START TO DRIVE AND CAR SOON STALLS REFUSING TO START. A FEW MORE ATTEMPTS, CAR STARTS AND GOES TO EXTREMELY ROUGH IDLE CONDITION. CAR DRIVES A SHORT DISTANCE AND DIES. AFTER MANY MORE RESTART ATTEMPTS, CAR STARTS GOES TO EXTREMELY ROUGH IDLE. REVVING THE ENGINE TO ABOUT 3000 RPM FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS SEEMS TO BRING BACK THE NORMAL ROUGH IDLE WITH BETWEEN 2-4 FOUR REVVING ATTEMPTS AND RESULTING REDUCED COOLANT TEMPERATURE. CAR DRIVES ROUGHLY AND THEN SUDDENLY SMOOTHES OUT. INTERNET INVESTIGATION POINTS TO BIODEGRADABLE WIRING HARNESS. SEEMS TO BE A MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEM. LUCKILY THE 18 WHEELER THAT WAS ABOUT TO CRUSH ME DURING THE LAST STALL EPISODE WAS ABLE TO CHANGE LANES JUST IN TIME. THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN IN WINTER TIME. FOR A CAR THIS EXPENSIVE, THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS. I NEVER HAD SUCH A SAFETY AND ENGINE FIRE POTENTIAL PROBLEM WITH MY 1982 380SEC. THE WIRING HARNESS IS AN UNCONSCIONABLE EXPENSIVE ITEM THAT SEEMS TO HAVE THE SAME SERVICE LIFE AS A $30 SERPENTINE BELT, BUT COSTS OVER $1000. THIS IS ALSO A MAJOR EMISSIONS PROBLEM THAT COULD DESTROY THE EQUALLY EXPENSIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER. DOES SOMEBODY DIE FOR YOU PEOPLE TO DEMAND A RECALL. OR DOES THE CAR HAVE TO BECOME A SUPER POLLUTER? I COULD HAVE DIED FROM THIS PROBLEM AND MY CAR IS A SUPER POLLUTER WHEN THIS INTERMITTENT HOT PROBLEM OCCURS. I'M GOING TO WRITE MY STATE AND FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATORS. DO THE RIGHT THING AND GET THIS PROBLEM FIXED WITH A RECALL. BIODEGRADABLE WIRING! HOW STUPID IS THAT? *JB

NHTSA ID
10160080
Incident
Jun 13, 2006
Body & structureSteering
Filed Oct 22, 2003

VEHICLE FRONT END PULLS TO THE LEFT WHILE DRIVING.*MR THE PAINT ON THE TOP WINDOW NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED. MOLDING AROUND THE BRAKE LIGHT LOCATED IN THE BACK WINDOW TO BE PLACED CORRECTLY IN ITS GROOVE. THE CLEAR BRA ON THE RIGHT FRONT OVER THE HEADLIGHT IS COMING APART.*TS

NHTSA ID
10044855
Powertrain (other)
Filed Sep 18, 2002

CONSUMER STATED THE DIFFERENTIAL BRACKET FELL FROM THE BODY OF THE CAR ONTO THE AXLE.*YH *DT

NHTSA ID
567532
Incident
Dec 28, 2001

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Mercedes-Benz 560 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
1994100—
1991Viewing300—
1990510—
1989700—
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.