Total Complaints
12 filings
MERCEDES-BENZ S500 · model year
2003 MERCEDES-BENZ S500
12 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2003MERCEDES-BENZS500 carries 12 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 2003 S500 is seat belts with 3 filings, followed by electrical system (2) and power train (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 2003 S500. 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.
12
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SEAT BELTS | 3 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR | 1 |
| SUSPENSION | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20200526SEAT BELTS
DURING HOT WEATHER THE SEAT BELT GETS STUCK AND YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO USE THE SEAT BELT AT ALL. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD NOT HAPPEN. THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE CAR IS PARKED UNDER HOT WEATHER. THIS IS IN THE DRIVERS SIDE. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR THE LAST 1 YEAR.*DT CONSUMER STATED SEAT BELT GETS JAMMED WHEN TEMPERATURE GOES OVER 90 DEGREES AND IS UNABLE TO USE SEAT BELTS AS WELL AS PARK THE CAR OUTSIDE FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME. CONSUMER HAS REPLACED THE SEAT BELTS BUT MALFUNCTIONING.*JB
20181126SEAT BELTS
THE PASSENGER FRONT SEAT BELT WILL NOT RETRACT. ALSO, THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING MAKING IT VERY HARD TO SEE SPEED/FUEL/GEAR SELECTION. THESE ARE BOTH SAFETY CONCERNS THAT SHOULD BE RECALLED. WE CAN SEND YOU A PICTURE OF THE DEAD DASH IF NEEDED. ALSO VIDEO OF A STUCK SEAT BELT. THANKS, KURT.
Mileage: 63,250
20181126EXTERIOR LIGHTING
THE PASSENGER FRONT SEAT BELT WILL NOT RETRACT. ALSO, THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING MAKING IT VERY HARD TO SEE SPEED/FUEL/GEAR SELECTION. THESE ARE BOTH SAFETY CONCERNS THAT SHOULD BE RECALLED. WE CAN SEND YOU A PICTURE OF THE DEAD DASH IF NEEDED. ALSO VIDEO OF A STUCK SEAT BELT. THANKS, KURT.
Mileage: 63,250
20151211SUSPENSION
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCEDES BENZ S500. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MAKING A RIGHT OR LEFT TURN, AN ABNORMAL NOISE WAS HEARD ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE WAS PERSISTENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 147,000.
Mileage: 147,000
20150930ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCEDES BENZ S500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH, THE SPEEDOMETER LIGHTS FLASHED AND THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL BURNING ODOR COMING FROM THE FRONT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED HE WAS MECHANIC AND THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 162,000.
Mileage: 162,000
20140920SEAT BELTS
THE SEAT BELTS WILL PERIODICALLY NOT EXTEND. *TR
Mileage: 100,000
20140811SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCEDES BENZ S500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED TO RETRACT. DURING WARMER OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES, THE FAILURE WOULD WORSEN. THE FAILURE OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,000.
Mileage: 28,000
20131011ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
SPECIAL ACQUISITION MODULE (SAM) MY CAR WOULD NOT START THE MERCEDES ROADSIDE CAME OUT AND STARTED THE CAR AND I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSTIC. UPON REVIEW THE DEALER STATED THE SAM MODULE PLASTIC COVER HAD WATER DROPS ON IT. THEY ALSO STATED THE MALE AND FEMALE CONNECTORS TO THE MODULE WAS CORRODED, AND I WOULD NEED A NEW SPECIAL ACQUISITION MODULE (SAM) AT THE COST OF $1590.00. THEY ASK IF I HAD LEFT THE WINDOWS DOWN, BUT I HAD NOT THE INSIDE OF THE CAR HAS NEVER BEEN WET, BUT I DID NOTICE EVERYTIME I WENT TO THE CAR WASH THE INFORMATION SYSTEM WAS SHOWING ALERTS I DIDN'T RECOGNIZE. MY CONCERN IS EVEN WITH A NEW MODULE IF THE OLD ONE GOT WET AND IT IS CLEAR THE WATER IS COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE CAR WHAT WILL KEEP THE NEW MODULE (SAM) FROM GETTING WET. SOMETHING IS ALLOWING THE (SAM) MODULE TO GET WET FROM UNDER THE CAR. *TR
Mileage: 55,000
20041019SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
WHILE APPROACHING A STOP LIGHT, THE CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THEY FAILED, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SLOWLY CONTINUE INTO THE CENTER OF THE INTERSECTION. THE OWNER LATER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS OCCURRED WITH ALL BRANDS OF CARS NOT JUST MERCEDES AND THAT A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE OF BRAKE FAILURES IS ACCEPTABLE IN THE AUTO INDUSTRY SO LONG AS THAT PERCENTAGE DOES NOT GET TOO HIGH. *JB CONSUMER STATED THAT THE INFO WAS HARD TO ACCEPT WHEN HE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED BY CROSS TRAFFIC AT THE INTERSECTION WHERE HE COASTED THROUGH A REDLIGHT. *TC
Mileage: 12,905
20040722EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE MANUFACTURER FOR FINAL REPAIRS, HOWEVER THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTED ON WITH AIR CONDITIONER. *LA NAR *CB *JB
20030213POWER TRAIN
THE GEARS BECAME STUCK, AND THE ENGINE DID NOT SHUT OFF, CONSUMER HAD TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY TO SHUT OFF THE ENGINE.*JB
Mileage: 250
20030213ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
THE GEARS BECAME STUCK, AND THE ENGINE DID NOT SHUT OFF, CONSUMER HAD TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY TO SHUT OFF THE ENGINE.*JB
Mileage: 250
Compare 2003MERCEDES-BENZS500 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2003 MERCEDES-BENZ S500 have?▼
The 2003 MERCEDES-BENZ S500 has 12 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2003 MERCEDES-BENZ S500?▼
The most-complained component for the 2003 MERCEDES-BENZ S500 is SEAT BELTS with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and POWER TRAIN.
Is the 2003 MERCEDES-BENZ S500 safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
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.