RoadVitals

1993 Mercedes-Benz S 500

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 Feb 9, 2019
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.
0

Overview

Our database contains 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1993 Mercedes-Benz S 500, most frequently naming the electrical category. 9 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

  • Electrical2100.0%

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 Feb 9, 2019

VEHICLE STALLED TO DEAD THREE TIME, ONE ON AN INTERSECTION. SYMPTONS STARTED WITH ROUGH IDLE, MISFIRING AND STALL. AFTER INSPECTION OF UPPER WIRING HARNESS (RECOMMENDED BY A FRIEND) THE CONCLUSION WAS BARE AND DESINTEGRATED WIRES CAUSING SHORT CIRCUITS EVERYWHERE IN THE CAR, PUTTING ME AND MY FAMILY AT RISK. IT IS AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR AND I CAN'T DRIVE THE CAR UNTIL MBUSA GIVES A SOLUTION WHICH I'VE HEARD THEY LOOK LIKE UNAWARE. I OWNED OTHER MERCEDES MODELS AND WE ALWAYS HEAR THAT THIS W140 SERIESWERE THE BEST CAR IN THE WORLD. BUT THIS ISSUE COULD HAVE COST MY LIFE.

NHTSA ID
11175966
Incident
Feb 9, 2019
Mileage
163,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Sep 14, 2015

WHEN THE ENGINE IS RUNNING AT IDLE, THE ENGINE WILL MISS IN A RANDOM MANNER UNTIL THERE IS A LOUD POP FROM THE RADIO SPEAKER, THE BATTERY LIGHT COMES ON, AND THE ENGINE STOPS. SOMETIMES THE ENGINE WILL CONTINUE TO RUN, CONTINUE TO MISS, UNTIL THE ENGINE EVENTUALLY STOPS. WHEN RUNNING AT SPEED AND THE ENGINE IS UNDER LOAD THERE IS A LOUD POP FROM THE RADIO SPEAKER, THE ENGINE MISSES, BUT THE ENGINE WILL KEEP RUNNING. THE MB DEALER AND AN INDEPENDENT SHOP BOTH INDICATED THE WIRING HARNESS IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS DETERIORATED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AFTER THE HARNESS WAS REPLACED THE CAR OPERATED NORMALLY FOR ROUGHLY SIX MONTHS AND THEN STARTED FAILING IN THE SAME MANNER. ALL CONNECTORS WERE OPENED, CLEANED, AND RECONNECTED. THE CAR AGAIN OPERATED NORMALLY FOR ABOUT THREE MONTH AND HAVE STARTED FAILING IN THE SAME MANNER. AS OF WRITING THIS COMPLAINT, THE CAR IS NOT FUNCTIONING NORMALLY.

NHTSA ID
10763582
Incident
Nov 11, 2014
Mileage
232,637 mi

Manufacturer communications

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

LI8220P073063

INTERIOR LIGHTING

Touch pad: Search lighting does not dim or does not turn on.

LI54.30-P-072145

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

NTG5.5: Incorrect time shown on instrument cluster, COMAND display, and analog clock

LI80.61-P-061174

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT:CONTROL MODULE; EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL

Vehicle cannot be opened via Keyless-Go and radio remote control

LI82.70-P-060004

EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL

iPhone mobile phone: Various complaints after software update to iOS8

LI27.00-P-051451

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

Shift quality complaints on TRANSMISSION 722.9 (7G-TRONIC and 7G-TRONIC PLUS)

LI27.55-P-058976

POWER TRAIN

Possible minor leakage at described components or oil transfer from assembly plant.

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 S 500 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2024000—
2023130—
2022208048.4
2021170—
2007200—
2006120036.8
2005110027.1
2004120040.8
2003100026.0
2002250139.5
2001340140.6
2000550142.9
1999200—
1996100—
1995400—
1994200—
1993Viewing200—

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.