2015 Mercedes-Benz S550 4MATIC Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2015 Mercedes-Benz S550 4MATIC, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Visibility233.3%
- Airbags116.7%
- Body & structure116.7%
- Brakes116.7%
- Seat belts116.7%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
THIS CAR WAS PURCHASED IN CHARLOTTE NC IN WINTER OF 2018. IN NOVEMBER OF 2019, WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH NO CARS IN SITE, WE HEARD A LOUD POP. WE COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT THE NOISE WAS BECAUSE IT SOUNDED LIKE A ROCK HIT THE WINDSHIELD BUT WE DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING. WE COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHERE A ROCK COULD HAVE COME FROM AS THEIR WERE NO CARS ON THE ROAD. THAT AFTERNOON WE PULLED BACK THE ROOF SCREEN TO FIND THAT THE GLASS PANORAMIC ROOF HAD CRACKED ALL OF THE WAY BACK. THE CRACK STARTED IN THE UPPER LEFT CORNER OF THE CAR IN THE CURVE OF THE TOP. THE CRACK STARTED RIGHT WHERE THE WINDSHIELD AND THE ROOF COME TOGETHER. MERCEDES CONVINCED US THAT SOMETHING HAD TO HAVE HIT IT. WE MADE A CLAIM ON OUR INSURANCE AND $10,500 LATER, THE TOP WAS REPLACED. 5 MONTHS LATER AS WE WERE PULLING OUT OF OUR DRIVEWAY ONTO A 2 LANE COUNTRY ROAD, WE HEARD THE SAME NOISE AND AGAIN, PULLED THE SHADE BACK TO SEE THE ROOF HAD CRACKED ONCE MORE. BETWEEN THE TWO INCIDENTS, THE CAR HAS ONLY BEEN DRIVEN 600 MILES. THE CAR IS HARDLY EVER DRIVEN AND STAYS COVERED UP IN A CLIMATE CONTROLLED GARAGE 99% OF THE TIME. NOTHING HAS HIT THE TOP AND BROKEN THE GLASS. THE TOP BROKE IN A WAVY PATTERN JUST LIKE BEFORE. THEIR IS OBVIOUSLY A STRUCTURAL PROBLEM AS THE GLASS IS A STRUCTURAL PART OF THE CAR. THESE ARE OBVIOUSLY STRESS RELATED AND I HAVE SPOKEN TO OTHER OWNERS OF THESE CARS WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE AND MERCEDES WILL NOT STAND BEHIND THESE REPAIRS. THEY MAKE YOU BELIEVE YOU ARE IN SOME WAY RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS DEFECT. I CANNOT KEEP FILING AN EXPENSIVE PANORAMIC ROOF REPLACEMENT ON MY INSURANCE, NOW I'M AT THE POINT TO WHERE I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR DUE TO THE ROOF POSSIBLY BREAKING. THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE THAT A $150,000 CAR WOULD HAVE THIS SORT OF PROBLEM. *TR
WINDSHIELD WAS BROKEN OCTOBER 2016. REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELD MADE BY PPG IS DEFECTIVE AND HAS A COLOR REFLECTIVE STRIP THAT IN MY LINE OF SIGHT. THIS CAR CANNOT BE DRIVEN AT NIGHT. THEY HAVE PUT 4 PPG WINDSHIELDS IN THE CAR AND ALL ARE BAD. MERCEDES BENZ HAVE DETERMINED THAT THE GLASS MADE BY PPG FOR REPLACEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES IS NOT THE SAME AS WHAT IS COMING OUT OF THE FACTORY IN GERMANY. I STILL WAITING TO TRY TO GET CORRECT GLASS FROM GERMANY. MERCEDES WILL NOT SHIP ONE OUT.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
ON JULY 15, 2020, I WAS INVOLVED IN A ONE CAR ACCIDENT. THE CAR LEFT THE ROADWAY ON A CURVE WHEN I LOST CONSCIOUSNESS DUE TO A MEDICAL ISSUE, AND SLID DOWN AN EMBANKMENT INTO A TREE. THE TREE PREVENTED A TOTAL ROLLOVER AND THE CAR WAS AT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE. I WAS THROWN AGAINST THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR AND SUSTAINED INJURIES. THE SIDE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, NEITHER DID THE FRONT AIRBAGS. THE CAR WAS TOTALED. THE SIDE AIRBAGS ARE SUPPOSED TO DEPLOY IN A SIDE IMPACT OR ROLLOVER SITUATION, BOTH OF WHICH OCCURRED. BECAUSE THEY DID NOT DEPLOY, I SUFFERED A HEAD INJURY, BROKEN RIBS FROM THE IMPACT, AND LACERATIONS FROM THE BROKEN WINDOW AND TREE. I HAVE ENCLOSED THE POLICE REPORT AND PICTURES. THE REPORT ERRONEOUSLY STATED THE AIRBAGS HAD DEPLOYED, BUT THE PICTURES CLEARLY SHOW THEY DID NOT. I HAVE MORE PICTURES, IF NEEDED.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
FAULT DOOR HINGE DRIVER DOOR - HINGE MAKES CREAKING NOISES AND HAS STICKING POINTS
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
STOPPED IN TRAFFIC ON A SLIGHT DOWNGRADE FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED FIRMLY, WHEN THE TRUCK IN FRONT OF ME WOULD RELEASE THE PEDAL SLIGHTLY TO ALLOW THE CAR TO DRIFT FORWARD. AFTER SEVERAL TIMES THERE WERE NO BREAKS AND THE CAR DRIFTED INTO THE TRUCK IN FRONT OF US. HAD CAR BACK TO DEALER 2 TIMES THEY CLAIM THEY CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
BOTH REAR SEAT BELTS DO NOT RETRACT. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IN 10 MONTHS THAT THE SEAT BELTS WILL BE REPLACED BY MB IN THIS CAR. MB DEALERS STATES THAT IT IS A PROBLEM THAT IS KNOWN AND MB IS WORKING ON A FIX. IN THE MEANTIME THEY ARE REPLACING THE SEAT BELTS WITH A NEW PART, BUT THEY SAID IT MAY GO BAD AGAIN AND MB IS WORKING ON A PERMENANT FIX AND WE WILL BE NOTIFIED WHEN A NEW SEAT BELT IS DEVELOPED. I HAVE NOT SEEN ANY RECALL ON THIS, BUT THE DEALER HAS STATED THAT THEY HAVE REPLACED MANY BELTS MULTIPLE TIMES ON OTHER CARS.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .