Total Complaints
8 filings
MERCEDES-BENZ 500 · model year
8 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1994MERCEDES-BENZ500 carries 8 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1994 500 is electrical system with 3 filings, followed by electrical system:wiring (3) and unknown or other (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 15 investigation files overlapping the 1994 500. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
8 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 3 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING | 3 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD | 1 |
I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WHILE MY CAR (1994 MERCEDES S500)STARTED TO SMOKE A GREAT DEAL. WHEN I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF I WAS STRANDED FOR 6 HOURS UNTIL I COULD GET A TOW TRUCK. AFTER SPENDING $2000.00 DOLLARS TO GET FIXED IT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT THE PROBLEM THAT CAUSED ALL OF THIS TO HAPPEN WAS AN ENGINE WIRING HARNESS AND I WOULD NEED ANOTHER. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE FROM SHOP BUT CAR CUT OFF IN TRAFFIC. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK IT HOME. I RESEARCHED THE ISSUE AND LOOK AT THIS: HTTP://USERS.ADELPHIA.NET/~INFOAGE1/COMPLAINTS_NHTSA_MERCEDES_WIRING_HARNESS_FAILURES_1991_1996.HTML I AM OUTRAGED! THIS IS CAUSING MANY PEOPLE AND CHILDREN TO BE PUT IN LIFE OR DEATH SITUATIONS WITHOUT ANY ANSWER OR HELP FROM YOU ALL. DO NOT WAIT TILL SOMEBODY DIES BECAUSE IT WILL HAPPEN. YOU HAVE THE EVIDENCE YOU NEED! I TRIED CONTACTING MERCEDES AND THEY WERE AS WORTHLESS AS THEIR FAULTY PRODUCT. *TR
Mileage: 186,000
ENGINE WIRING HARNESS COVERING MATERIAL ON BOTH MY 1994 MB E500'S HAS DETERIORATED CAUSING SHORTS BETWEEN WIRES, ENGINE MISS-FIRING, HABITUAL "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT BEING ON, ETC. HAVE DISCUSSED ISSUE WITH KNOWLEDGEABLE MB MECHANICS AND THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM ON 1991 --> 1996 MB'S. OBVIOUSLY THE WIRE COVERING MATERIAL IS DEFECTIVE AS THIS HARNESS SHOULD LAST THE LIFETIME OF THE CAR. MB AT THE VERY LEAST SHOULD PROVIDE REPLACEMENT HARNESSES AT NO COST TO THE CONSUMERS THAT PURCHASES THEIR AUTOMOBILES. FOR MB TO RESPOND THAT THIS CONDITION IS NORMAL WEAR & TEAR IS NOT FACTUAL! *TR
Mileage: 140,000
ENGINE WIRING HARNESS COVERING MATERIAL ON BOTH MY 1994 MB E500'S HAS DETERIORATED CAUSING SHORTS BETWEEN WIRES, ENGINE MISS-FIRING, HABITUAL "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT BEING ON, ETC. HAVE DISCUSSED ISSUE WITH KNOWLEDGEABLE MB MECHANICS AND THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM ON 1991 --> 1996 MB'S. OBVIOUSLY THE WIRE COVERING MATERIAL IS DEFECTIVE AS THIS HARNESS SHOULD LAST THE LIFETIME OF THE CAR. MB AT THE VERY LEAST SHOULD PROVIDE REPLACEMENT HARNESSES AT NO COST TO THE CONSUMERS THAT PURCHASES THEIR AUTOMOBILES. FOR MB TO RESPOND THAT THIS CONDITION IS NORMAL WEAR & TEAR IS NOT FACTUAL! *TR
Mileage: 140,000
ENGINE WIRING HARNESS FAILURE. *TR
CONSUMER COMPLAINT: ODI CASE NUMBER: 10137365 COMPONENT: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD DETAILS: INSULATION ON ELECTRICAL WIRING CRUMBLES TO DUST, RESULTING IN SHORTS, DAMAGED ELECTRONICS, ENGINE STALLING, ABS FAILURE, ETC. IT APPEARS MBZ USED DEFECTIVE INSULATION ON THE ELECTRICAL WIRES IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WIRING HARNESSES. IN ALL LOCATIONS THAT ARE EXPOSED TO HIGHER THAN AMBIENT TEMPERATURE THE INSULATION CRUMBLES TO DUST. . DEALER SAYS 'ITS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH 92-95 MODEL YEARS'. REPLACEMENT HARNESSES COST OVER $3000 (2 RQD) AND REPLACEMENT COMPONENTS WITH INTEGRAL DEFECTIVE WIRING COST OVER $8000 (NOT INCLUDING ANY COMPUTER BOXES THAT GET DAMAGED BY SHORTS. *NM
Mileage: 130,000
WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE ASR SENSOR LIGHT COMES ON. AS A RESULT THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL. THE CAUSE HAS YET TO BE DETERMINED. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *PH DEALER WOULDN'T HELP. *PH
Mileage: 163,000
COMPLAINT REGARDING INTERNATIONAL FRAUD AND HARASSMENT PRACTICES INVOLVING MERCEDES BENZ.*MR THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE HAD JUST OVER 31,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE, WHEN IT STARTED TO ODOMETER AND ELECTRICAL COMPUTER SWITCH PROBLEMS. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD MY A MERCEDES BENZ MECHANIC THAT THE ODOMETER PROBLEM COULD NOT BE EXPLAINED AND THE ELECTRICAL COMPUTER SWITCH WAS DESIGNED SO POORLY THAT THE MANUFACTURER STOPPED MAKING THEM AFTER ONLY TWO YEARS. *JB *NM
Mileage: 31,000
COMPLAINT REGARDING INTERNATIONAL FRAUD AND HARASSMENT PRACTICES INVOLVING MERCEDES BENZ.*MR THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE HAD JUST OVER 31,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE, WHEN IT STARTED TO ODOMETER AND ELECTRICAL COMPUTER SWITCH PROBLEMS. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD MY A MERCEDES BENZ MECHANIC THAT THE ODOMETER PROBLEM COULD NOT BE EXPLAINED AND THE ELECTRICAL COMPUTER SWITCH WAS DESIGNED SO POORLY THAT THE MANUFACTURER STOPPED MAKING THEM AFTER ONLY TWO YEARS. *JB *NM
Mileage: 31,000
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.