RoadVitals

2009 Mercedes-Benz S

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.
1
Latest Aug 9, 2009
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 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 2009 Mercedes-Benz S, most frequently naming the interior & seats category. 10 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

  • Interior & seats1100.0%

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

Interior & seats
Filed Aug 9, 2009

WE TOW A 2009 SMART PASSION CAB BEHIND OUR RV, AS ALLOWED BY SMART AND IN WRITING WITHIN ITS OWNERS MANUAL. TWICE NOW, WE HAVE LOST THE HOOD (OR AS SMART REFERS TO IT, THE SERVICE FLAP) WHILE TOWING. THE HOOD COMPLETELY DISENGAGES FROM ITS LOCATION AND BASICALLY FLAPS AROUND UNTIL THE CAR IS PULLED OVER TO A STOP. DAMAGE HAS OCCURRED TO THE HOOD, AND THE FIRST TIME WE IMMEDIATELY REPLACED IT AT A SMART DEALER WHO STATED IT MAY HAVE BEEN OUR PROBLEM DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY THAT WE MAY HAVE IMPROPERLY INSTALLED IT.. THE SECOND TIME IT OCCURRED (IN EXACTLY THE SAME MANNER) ANOTHER SMART DEALER TOOK IT TO THE MANUFACTURER WHO DECLARED THAT BY TOWING IT BEHIND THE RV WE HAD AN UNUSUAL AMOUNT OF TURBULENCE AND THEREFORE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY,NOR WAS THERE ANY 'FIX' FOR IT. MY CONCERN IS THAT THESE SAME TURBULENCE CAN BE FELT ON AN INTERSTATE BEHIND A LARGE VEHICLE OR IN A HIGH WIND. THEREFORE I FEEL THAT IT IS MORE OF A PROBLEM THAN THE MANUFACTURE WOULD CONFIRM. WE HAVE TWO OF THE SMARTS, THE OTHER ONE IS A 2008, AND THIS SITUATION HAS NEVER OCCURRED WHILE TOWING IT. *TR

NHTSA ID
10279823
Incident
Jul 1, 2009
Mileage
4,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

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

LI-05-20-P

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

MERCEDES-BENZ: THE MALFUNCTION LIGHT IS ON WITH MULTIPLE POSSIBLE TROUBLE CODES STORED. THERE COULD BE A PROBLEM WITH THE CAMSHAFT AND/OR SCORING OF A PISTON. *RM

LI-91-10P051831

SEATS; SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:HEAD RESTRAINT

MERCEDES-BENZ: THERE IS CRACKING NOISE AT THE FRONT SEATS WHEN OPERATING THE HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT. *RM

LI-27-60-P051773

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)

MERCEDES-BENZ: THERE IS A TRANSMISSION TROUBLE CODE STORED. IT IS A DIAGNOSTIC PROBLEM WITH THE WET START-UP CLUTCH. *RM

LI-27-60-P049270

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

MERCEDES-BENZ: THE AUTO-TRANSMISSION SWITCHES TO LIMP HOME MODE OR HAS NO POWER. THERE ARE MULTIPLE POSSIBLE FAULT CODES. A PISTON MAY BE DAMAGED. *RM

SB-32-25-82

SUSPENSION:FRONT:SHOCK ABSORBER; SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:AIR SUSPENSION SYSTEM; SUSPENSION:REAR:SHOCK ABSORBER; SUSPENSION:REAR:SPRINGS:AIR SUSPENSION SYSTEM

MERCEDES-BENZ: SHOCK ABSORBER PROCEDURE. *RM

LI-47-30

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL

MERCEDES (XENTRY): ENGINE DIAGNOSIS WARNING LAMP ACTIVATED. MAGNETIC SHORT BETWEEN ARMATURE AND POLE CORE DUE TO CALIBRATION ERROR AT VALVE AND TOLERANCE DEVIATION BY SUPPLYING MANUFACTURER. THIS CAUSES THE PURGE VALVE TO JAM IN THE OPEN STATE. *PE

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 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2010100—
2009Viewing100—
2008020—
2007020—
2001100—
1995100—

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.