RoadVitals

2002 Mercedes-Benz G500

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.
2
Latest Apr 13, 2011
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.
1
Latest Aug 5, 2010
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.
0

Overview

Our database contains 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2002 Mercedes-Benz G500, most frequently naming the engine and interior & seats categories. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year; and 66 manufacturer communications are on file.

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

  • Engine150.0%
  • Interior & seats150.0%

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

1 campaign cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
10V366000

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL

Aug 5, 2010
3,552 units potentially affected
The defect: MERCEDES-BENZ IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2002-2010 G-CLASS VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "'LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH A GRILL COVER FOR FRONT TURN SIGNAL PROTECTION THAT, WHILE PERMISSIBLE, MAY IMPACT OVER TIME THE SIGNAL'S ABILITY TO MEET THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS 108.
The risk: THE SIGNAL LIGHT'S VISIBILITY TO OTHER MOTORISTS MAY BE REDUCED OVER TIME, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
The remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL IMPROVED TURN LIGHT UNITS OPTIMIZED FOR USAGE WITH GRILLS. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN AT THE END OF DECEMBER 2010 OR EARLY JANUARY 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MERCEDES-BENZ AT 1-800-367-6372.
MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC.View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

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

Interior & seats
Filed Apr 13, 2011

MY FRONT SEATS RECLINE BUTTONS DON'T WORK PROPERLY. THEY GO OPPOSITE THEN WHAT YOUR DOING. ONE DAY I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGH WAY AND I TRIED TO RECLINE THE SEAT BACK AND IT WENT FORWARD. IT CAUSED ME TO ACCELERATE FASTER AND ALMOST HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM. I NOTICED IT ON NUMEROUS OF BLOGS AND FORUMS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10395693
Incident
May 6, 2009
Mileage
75,000 mi
Engine
Filed Oct 7, 2010

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCEDES BENZ G500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ECT CONTROL UNIT WAS DEFECTIVE. SHE WAS ALERTED TO THE FAILURE WHEN THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING 55 MPH. SHE WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP WHERE THE MECHANIC EXPLAINED THAT THE UNIT WAS THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. SHE CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHERE SHE WAS INITIALLY TOLD THEY WOULD REPAIR IT FREE OF CHARGE; THEY LATER STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT COVER THE COSTS OF THE REPAIR. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 48,000.

NHTSA ID
10359520
Incident
Oct 1, 2010
Mileage
48,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

LI54.70-P-080191

BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS; FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

Complaint Consistently reproducible erroneous parktronic warnings from front with every key cycle. Cause The parking sensors are detecting the front brush guard. Remedy Complaint must be consistently reproducible and can occur multiple times a key cycle without obvious cause. NOTE: The parking system serves solely as an aid. Please review both the system function and system limitations as shown in the Operator's Manual. Certain environmental factors can affect system functionality such as hot exhaust gases or extreme heat, sensor interference, or other outside influences or aftermarket modifications. If after verifying the complaint is consistently reproducible: 1. Determine if the complaint is reproducible only in high ambient temperatures. If complaint does not occur in cooler ambient temperatures, it is due to system limitations. You may proceed with the below work but the vehicle may be released afterwards as it is due to system limitations. 2. Remove the brush guard and verify the park distance sensors function as expected. 3. Reinstall brush guard and adjust so that it is as far away from the park sensors as possible. This typically means moving the bar further away at the bottom and closer at the top. 4. Check function. If the concern is still consistently reproducible, please apply clear matte film to the locations as shown below at a minimum, although the clear matte film may be applied to the whole brush guard. Picture: Above shown is the 465 brush guard variant. Although similar to the 463, there are some key differences such as the 465 being fitted with a front camera.

LI54.65-P-080132

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Complaint 1. General Diagnostic Tips 2. One or More PARK Sensor Activations 3. Red Ring Around Vehicle 4. "Active Parking and Parking Assist Inoperative" on Instrument Cluster 5. Cameras 6. Other Park Topics. Cause Various root causes Remedy See attached diagnostic guide.

LI82.62-P-078631

STRUCTURE:BODY

Complaint Clanking noise from the area of the speakers in the doors. Cause Under analysis. Remedy To narrow down the cause, first of all remove the door trim. • If the noise continues to occur even with the door trim removed, then continue the diagnosis working towards the speaker and if necessary, create a TIPS case with an informative video as an attachment. Information: Please refer to this document in the warranty claim and, after completing diagnosis, select the damage code corresponding to the component part that caused the problem. • If the noise stops when the door trim is removed, please proceed in accordance with LI72.10-P-067691. Information: In this case, do not use a damage code for the speakers in the warranty claim!

LI82.85-P-079087

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Complaint A popup is seen on the HU with the message "data connection temporarily not available". Potentially affected functionalities in NTG4.5, NTG5 1.Weather 2.Local Search 3.IP Radio 4.Send2Car 5.Speech Detection Service 6.Navigation 7.iHeartRadio 8.Traffic Cams Cause MB Apps is sundowned for all vehicles with NTG4.5 and NTG5 Head Unit Variant. Remedy No support available for NTG4.5 and NTG5 Head Unit Variants for MB App related topics. Note: Please do not create TIPS. Please do not replace any components. HU/Hermes SW update / SCN coding will not fix the issue.

LI54.70-P-080191

BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS; STRUCTURE:BODY

Complaint Consistently reproducible erroneous parktronic warnings from front with every key cycle. Cause The parking sensors are detecting the front brush guard. Remedy Complaint must be consistently reproducible and can occur multiple times a key cycle without obvious cause. NOTE: The parking system serves solely as an aid. Please review both the system function and system limitations as shown in the Operator's Manual. Certain environmental factors can affect system functionality such as hot exhaust gases or extreme heat, sensor interference, or other outside influences or aftermarket modifications. If after verifying the complaint is consistently reproducible: 1. Determine if the complaint is reproducible only in high ambient temperatures. If complaint does not occur in cooler ambient temperatures, it is due to system limitations. You may proceed with the below work but the vehicle may be released afterwards as it is due to system limitations. 2. Remove the brush guard and verify the park distance sensors function as expected. 3. Reinstall brush guard and adjust so that it is as far away from the park sensors as possible. Typically only small adjustments are possible. 4. Check function. If the concern is still consistently reproducible, please apply clear matte film to the locations as shown below at a minimum, although the clear matte film may be applied to the whole brush guard. Picture: Above shown is the 465 brush guard variant. Although similar to the 463, there are some key differences such as the 465 being fitted with a front camera.

LI54.70-P-080191

BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS; STRUCTURE:BODY

Complaint Consistently reproducible erroneous parktronic warnings from front with every key cycle. Cause The parking sensors are detecting the front brush guard. Remedy Complaint must be consistently reproducible and can occur multiple times a key cycle without obvious cause. NOTE: The parking system serves solely as an aid. Please review both the system function and system limitations as shown in the Operator's Manual. Certain environmental factors can affect system functionality such as hot exhaust gases or extreme heat, sensor interference, or other outside influences or aftermarket modifications. If after verifying the complaint is consistently reproducible: 1. Determine if the complaint is reproducible only in high ambient temperatures. If complaint does not occur in cooler ambient temperatures, it is due to system limitations. You may proceed with the below work but the vehicle may be released afterwards as it is due to system limitations. 2. Remove the brush guard and verify the park distance sensors function as expected. 3. Reinstall brush guard and adjust so that it is as far away from the park sensors as possible. Typically only small adjustments are possible. 4. Check function. If the concern is still consistently reproducible, please apply clear matte film to the locations as shown below at a minimum, although the clear matte film may be applied to the whole brush guard.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Mercedes-Benz G500 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2010010—
2009110—
2008010—
2007110—
2006010—
2005210—
2004010—
2003720—
2002Viewing210—

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.