1994 Mercedes-Benz S Class Owner Complaints

MERCEDES-BENZ ENGINE WIRING HARNESS DEFECT CONCERNING THE CHRONIC ENGINE COMPARTMENT WIRING HARNESS FAILURE SUFFERED BY (AT LEAST) 1992 THROUGH 1995 MERCEDES BENZ AUTOMOBILES. I AM OUTRAGED AT MERCEDES-BENZ' REFUSAL TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS DESIGN DEFECT. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY NHTSA HAS NOT INVESTIGATED THIS DANGEROUS FAULT, ESPECIALLY WITH THE HUGE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS. ONE STARTS TO WONDER IF NHTSA HAS BEEN PAID TO LOOK THE OTHER WAY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10300109

Incident

Dec 1, 2009

Mileage

130,000 mi

INSTRUMENT CLUSTER DOSE NOT FULLY WORK. THE TEMP GAUGE IS THE ONLY ONE THAT WORKS ALL THE TIME. THE REST OF THE TIME, THE CLUSTER MAY WORK FOR A TIME THEM STOP FUNCTIONING ALTOGETHER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10300045

Incident

Dec 1, 2009

Mileage

130,000 mi

MERCEDES DEALER REPAIR SHOP REPORTED TO ME THAT THE WIRING HARNESS IS MADE OF BIODEGRADABLE MATERIAL AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE FAULTY HARNESS CAUSED SEVERAL PROBLEMS WITH ENGINE, INCLUDING ACCELERATION. I HAD THE PART REPLACED IN 2000 AND DO NOT HAVE THE ORIGINAL. BOTH CATALYTIC CONVERTERS WENT BAD AT 100,000 MILES FOR NO REASON. MAKES CAR RUN ROUGH, ESPECIALLY ON ACCELERATION. MERCEDES MECHANIC STATES IT IS A FIRE HAZARD, AND COST TO REPLACE EXCEEDS $2200. SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN RECALL FOR LATER MODELS. SUSPENSION IS BAD IN THE REAR EVEN AFTER PARTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10275126

Incident

Jun 4, 2000

Mileage

75,000 mi

I PURCHASED A CLASSIC 1994 S320 FROM THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND AFTER FINDING OUT I HAD A OIL LEAK I HAD TO HAVE THE ENGINE GASKET REPLACED THE MECHANIC SAID THAT THIS WAS A PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL ALSO I'VE HAD TO HAVE THE WIRE HARNESS REPLACED BE CAUSE I WAS TOLD THAT THE HARNESS WAS MADE FROM BIODEGRADABLE MATERIALS THIS WAS A PROBLEM THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED A POSSIBLE ENGINE FIRE I THINK THIS WAS A MAJOR DEFECT AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED YEARS AGO MY ENGINE#003388 IF YOU BUY NEW OR OLD MERCEDES-BENZ IS THE BEST CAR IN THE WORLD AND THE COMPANY SHOULD ADDRESS ALL PROBLEMS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10266725

Incident

Apr 17, 2009

I OWN A 1994 MERCEDES S600 WITH V12 ENGINE. THE WIRING HARNESS ON THE ENGINE HAS DETERIORATED TO THE POINT THAT IT IS A HAZARD TO DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY NOT ONLY FOR THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY BUT TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, IT IS A FIRE READY TO BURN AT ANY MOMENT, I UNDERSTAND THAT MERCEDES WILL NOT ADMIT THE PROBLEM AND HAS REFUSED TO CORRECT EVEN THOUGH OVER 500 COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN FILED. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON '94 THROUGH '96 S MODELS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10248926

Incident

Nov 15, 2008

TWO REPUTABLE INDEPENDENT MERCEDES MECHANICS INFORMED ME THAT THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS INSULATION IN MY 1994 S420 IS DECAYING WHICH MAY HAVE CAUSED MY LH CONTROL UNIT, AND M.A.F TO FAIL TO MALFUNCTION AND THIS PROBLEM IS PREVALENT IN MERCEDES VEHICLES MADE FROM 1991-1996. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ISSUED FOR THIS PART BEFORE MORE SERIOUS EVENTS OCCUR DUE TO THE FLAW IN MERCEDES MANUFACTURING PROCESS FROM 1991-1996 . *AK *TR

NHTSA ID

10236564

Incident

Jul 31, 2008

Mileage

96,700 mi

ENGINE WIRE HARNESS IS CORRODED CAUSING SEVERE MECHANICAL PROBLEMS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10236311

Incident

Jul 25, 2008

Mileage

359,000 mi

I HAVE A 1994 MERCEDES BENZ S600 THE CAR IS IN GOOD SHAPE BUT IT START STALLING ONCE I WAS PULLING OUT IN TRAFFIC I WAS ALMOST A GONER AND THE PROBLEM KEPT OCCURRING AND THEN I TOOK IT IN TO A MB MECHANIC TO FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON AND IT HAD MANY TROUBLE CODES BUT THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE WIRE HARNESS IT WAS COMING A PART AND CAUSING SHORTS IN FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL WHEN I FOUND OUT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10235044

Incident

Jun 15, 2007

Mileage

155,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1994 MERCEDES BENZ S500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS IS DECAYING AND THE WIRES ARE SHORTING. AS A RESULT, THE ASR IS ENGAGED, WHICH REMOVES THE THROTTLE CONTROL FROM THE VEHICLE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE ASR LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE DECELERATED ON ITS OWN. THE FAILURE ALMOST CAUSED THE CONTACT TO BE REAR ENDED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE SHOP A FEW TIMES, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 125,000. UPDATED 12/12/2007 *BF UPDATED 12/12/07 *TR

NHTSA ID

10209018

Incident

Jun 2, 2006

Mileage

95,000 mi

ENGINE RUNS ERRATIC, VARIOUS ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTIONS INCLUDING TEMP GAUGE, SRS, FUEL INJECTION. CAR SOMETIMES WILL NOT START AND OTHERS STARTS IMMEDIATELY. REPAIR SHOP SAYS ENGINE WIRING HARNESS NEEDS REPLACING. *TR

NHTSA ID

10208707

Incident

Nov 12, 2007

Mileage

53,613 mi

ENGINE WIRING HARNESS FAILURE, DETERIORATION DUE TO SUBSTANDARD WIRING INSULATION FOR ENGINE ENVIRONMENT (HEAT, ETC). WIRING SUBSTANDARD WHEN CONSIDERING THE ORIGINAL EXPENSE FOR THESE "QUALITY VEHICLES". MERCEDES SHOULD GOODWILL THE EXPENSE FOR HARNESS REPLACEMENTS AND STAND UP FOR THEIR PRODUCTS! ALTHOUGH THIS "LUXURY" MERCEDES IS A 1994 S-420, IT IS ""AS NEW" AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN MERCEDES"PROFESSIONALLY MAINTAINED! THE MERCEDES ENGINEER'S LET US (THE CONSUMERS) DOWN! *NM

NHTSA ID

10177675

Incident

Aug 25, 2006

Mileage

133,000 mi

ENGINE HARNESS, BODY HARNESS AND MASS AIR SENSOR FAILED DUE TO DETERIOATION OF WIRING HARNESS. *JB

NHTSA ID

10159330

Incident

May 8, 2005

Mileage

129,500 mi