Total Complaints
14 filings
MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS · model year
14 NHTSA complaints. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1994MERCEDES-BENZS CLASS carries 14 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.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1994 S CLASS is electrical system with 8 filings, followed by electrical system:wiring (3) and electrical system:wiring:front underhood (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 1 investigation file overlapping the 1994 S CLASS. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
Total Complaints
14 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 8 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING | 3 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL | 1 |
| SUSPENSION:REAR | 1 |
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
Mileage: 130,000
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
Mileage: 130,000
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
Mileage: 75,000
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
Mileage: 75,000
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
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
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
Mileage: 96,700
ENGINE WIRE HARNESS IS CORRODED CAUSING SEVERE MECHANICAL PROBLEMS. *TR
Mileage: 359,000
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
Mileage: 155,000
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
Mileage: 95,000
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
Mileage: 53,613
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
Mileage: 53,613
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
Mileage: 133,000
ENGINE HARNESS, BODY HARNESS AND MASS AIR SENSOR FAILED DUE TO DETERIOATION OF WIRING HARNESS. *JB
Mileage: 129,500
Data vintage: August 2026. 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.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1994 MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.