Total Complaints
19 filings
MERCEDES-BENZ S500 · model year
19 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2005MERCEDES-BENZS500 carries 19 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 2005 S500 is electrical system with 6 filings, followed by exterior lighting (2) and interior lighting (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 2005 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.
Total Complaints
19 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 6 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 2 |
| INTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:ABS WARNING LIGHT | 1 |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL | 1 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 |
WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WENT BLACK WE WERE UNABLE TO SEE OUR SPEED MILEAGE GAS GAUGE ODOMETER . IT WENT OFF AND ON FOR A PERIOD OF TIME . UNTIL IT WAS TO DANGEROUS TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE.
Mileage: 85,000
ELECTRONIC DASH INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WENT BLACK AND THE SPEEDOMETER COULD NOT BE SEEN AND ALL OTHER DRIVER INFORMATION ON THE REMAINING GAUGES WERE ALSO NOT VISIBLE. THE DOOR LOCKS WOULD NOT OPERATE ,THE TRUNK WOULD NOT OPEN AND THE SEANT WOULD NOT MOVE IN ANY DIRECTION. I WAS DRIVING THE 118 FREEWAY IN CA . I WAS DOING 65 MPH WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURED. I HAD TO GET OFF THE FREEWAY AND DRIVE HOME ON SURFACE STREETS. WAY TOO DANGEROUS TO CONTINUE ON THE FREEWAY. THE CAR HAS APPROXIMATELY 99000 MILES AND HAD NO OTHER PROBLEMS.
Mileage: 99,000
WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH MY INSTRUMENT PANEL WENT BLACK. I COULD NOT DETERMINE MY SPEED, TIME OF DAY FUEL USAGE, MILES TRAVELED, OR SIGNAL LIGHTS. I DID NOT BUY THE VEHICLE FROM A MERCEDES DEALER. I CALLED A DEALER ABOUT A RECALL. HE STATED THAT THERE WAS A RECALL BUT IT HAD EXPIRED. I UNDERSTAND A RECALL EXPIRING, BUT IT SEEMS THAT MERCEDES BENZ WOULD SUPPORT THEIR PRODUCT NO MATTER WHEN THE DEFECT OCCURRED. IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED RUNNING OUT OF FUEL WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO DETECT IT AND NO WAY OF BEING AWARE OF THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE. THE SIGNAL LIGHTS DON'T FUNCTION ON THE CLUSTER. I BELIEVE IT WAS A DEFECT THAT MERCEDES BENZ WAS AWARE OF AND THAT THEY SHOULD REPLACE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AT NO COST TO ME. THE COST TO REPLACE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IS OUTRAGEOUS FOR A COMPONENT THAT IS OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE. OWNERS SHOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR DEFECTIVE COMPONENTS THAT ARE OR HAVE BEEN A PART OF A RECALL. *TR
Mileage: 182,000
BLOWER MOTOR STOPPED WORKING AND REMAINED INTERMITTENT THROUGH JULY 2015. MERCEDEZ BENZ OF ST. LOUIS REPLACED BLOWER MOTOR AND REGULATOR/CONTROLLER. WITHIN DAYS OF GETTING CAR BACK THE BLOWER CONTINUED TO BE INTERMITTENT. IT WOULD WORK FOR DAYS OR WEEKS AND THEN STOP FOR 1-3 DAYS. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER WHEN IT WAS NOT WORKING AND THEY THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE THE SWITCHES IN THE DASH. STILL UNRESOLVED. IN ADDITION THE WIPERS WOULD STOP WORKING, THE RADIO WOULD STOP WORKING AND THE PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG SENSOR WAS INTERMITTENT.
Mileage: 135,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES BENZ S500. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INSTRUCTED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,000.
Mileage: 52,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES BENZ S500. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILED AND CAUSED ALL THE GAUGES TO BECOME INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 139,995.
Mileage: 139,995
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES S500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRUNK LID FAILED TO REMAINED OPEN AND ALMOST FELL ON THE PASSENGER HEAD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRUNK STRUTS FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000.
Mileage: 98,000
TOOK MY CAR TO MERCEDES-BENZ OF PEMBROKE, PINES FLORIDA I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALER LAST MO MERCEDES-BENZ OF PEMBROKE PINES FLORIDA FOR THEM TO CHANGE THE OIL AND FILTER IN TRANSMISSION. SO, MONDAY I TOOK IT BACK IN AND TOLD THEM TO CHECK MY KEY DOOR LOCKS, BECAUSE THE DOOR WOULD OPEN. "NO KEY" BUT WOULD NOT LOCK BY HOLDING THE HANDLE. ALSO, TO CHECK THE TRANSMISSION WHICH WAS HARSH WHEN DOWN SHIFTING WHEN IT WAS COLD. I GOT A CALL THE NEXT DAY TELLING ME I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. I SAID I ONLY HAVE 52,000 MILES ON THE CAR AND I DON'T USE IT THAT MUCH. THE CAR COST $93,000.00 THIS SHOULD NOT BE. SOMETHING IS WRONG AT THAT DEALER, AND THEY WON'T LISTEN TO ME, THE SERVICE MGR WON'T EVEN RETURN MY CALL LONG STORY SHORT, BUT THE BILL WAS $9,300.00 I THINK I GOT RIPPED OFF. THANK YOU
Mileage: 55,000
TOOK MY CAR TO MERCEDES-BENZ OF PEMBROKE, PINES FLORIDA I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALER LAST MO MERCEDES-BENZ OF PEMBROKE PINES FLORIDA FOR THEM TO CHANGE THE OIL AND FILTER IN TRANSMISSION. SO, MONDAY I TOOK IT BACK IN AND TOLD THEM TO CHECK MY KEY DOOR LOCKS, BECAUSE THE DOOR WOULD OPEN. "NO KEY" BUT WOULD NOT LOCK BY HOLDING THE HANDLE. ALSO, TO CHECK THE TRANSMISSION WHICH WAS HARSH WHEN DOWN SHIFTING WHEN IT WAS COLD. I GOT A CALL THE NEXT DAY TELLING ME I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. I SAID I ONLY HAVE 52,000 MILES ON THE CAR AND I DON'T USE IT THAT MUCH. THE CAR COST $93,000.00 THIS SHOULD NOT BE. SOMETHING IS WRONG AT THAT DEALER, AND THEY WON'T LISTEN TO ME, THE SERVICE MGR WON'T EVEN RETURN MY CALL LONG STORY SHORT, BUT THE BILL WAS $9,300.00 I THINK I GOT RIPPED OFF. THANK YOU
Mileage: 55,000
TOOK MY CAR TO MERCEDES-BENZ OF PEMBROKE, PINES FLORIDA I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALER LAST MO MERCEDES-BENZ OF PEMBROKE PINES FLORIDA FOR THEM TO CHANGE THE OIL AND FILTER IN TRANSMISSION. SO, MONDAY I TOOK IT BACK IN AND TOLD THEM TO CHECK MY KEY DOOR LOCKS, BECAUSE THE DOOR WOULD OPEN. "NO KEY" BUT WOULD NOT LOCK BY HOLDING THE HANDLE. ALSO, TO CHECK THE TRANSMISSION WHICH WAS HARSH WHEN DOWN SHIFTING WHEN IT WAS COLD. I GOT A CALL THE NEXT DAY TELLING ME I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. I SAID I ONLY HAVE 52,000 MILES ON THE CAR AND I DON'T USE IT THAT MUCH. THE CAR COST $93,000.00 THIS SHOULD NOT BE. SOMETHING IS WRONG AT THAT DEALER, AND THEY WON'T LISTEN TO ME, THE SERVICE MGR WON'T EVEN RETURN MY CALL LONG STORY SHORT, BUT THE BILL WAS $9,300.00 I THINK I GOT RIPPED OFF. THANK YOU
Mileage: 55,000
POLYCARBONATE HEADLIGHT LENSES, RECENTLY SUBSTITUTED FOR GLASS BY MANUFACTURER, BECOME BLACKENED AND OCCLUDED OVER TIME, RENDERING HEADLAMPS INCREASINGLY INEFFECTUAL AND MAKING NIGHT TIME DRIVING DANGEROUS. THIS MATERIAL IS UNSUITED FOR THE PURPOSE OF SHIELDING THE HEADLAMPS AND SHOULD BE REPLACED IN ALL INSTANCES BY MATERIALS THAT DO NOT DEGRADE DURING THEIR INTENDED USE. *TR
Mileage: 98,307
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES BENZ S-500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE AND SERVICE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THERE WAS A LOSS OF BRAKES. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED 16 TIMES. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WOULD NOT PROVIDE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,591 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 80,000. UPDATE 06/10/08 *BF THE SHIFTER WOULD GET STUCK IN PARK, THE BRAKE WEAR LIGHT ILLUMININATED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE REAR PADS AND ROTORS, THE LEFT RERAR MARKED LIGHT WAS REPLACED, THE TRUNK ASSIST DID NOT OPEN THE TRUNK ALL THE WAY, THE MICRO SWITCH FOR THE DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR WAS FAULTY, THE TURN SIGNAL LIGHT WAS INOPERATIVE, THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR WAS REPLACED, THE ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED, THE CONSUMER COMPLAINED OF NO HEAT IN THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER REPLACED A FAULTY BLOWER MOTOR. UPDATED 06/09/08
Mileage: 3,592
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES BENZ S-500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE AND SERVICE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THERE WAS A LOSS OF BRAKES. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED 16 TIMES. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WOULD NOT PROVIDE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,591 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 80,000. UPDATE 06/10/08 *BF THE SHIFTER WOULD GET STUCK IN PARK, THE BRAKE WEAR LIGHT ILLUMININATED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE REAR PADS AND ROTORS, THE LEFT RERAR MARKED LIGHT WAS REPLACED, THE TRUNK ASSIST DID NOT OPEN THE TRUNK ALL THE WAY, THE MICRO SWITCH FOR THE DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR WAS FAULTY, THE TURN SIGNAL LIGHT WAS INOPERATIVE, THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR WAS REPLACED, THE ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED, THE CONSUMER COMPLAINED OF NO HEAT IN THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER REPLACED A FAULTY BLOWER MOTOR. UPDATED 06/09/08
Mileage: 3,592
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES BENZ S-500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE AND SERVICE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THERE WAS A LOSS OF BRAKES. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED 16 TIMES. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WOULD NOT PROVIDE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,591 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 80,000. UPDATE 06/10/08 *BF THE SHIFTER WOULD GET STUCK IN PARK, THE BRAKE WEAR LIGHT ILLUMININATED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE REAR PADS AND ROTORS, THE LEFT RERAR MARKED LIGHT WAS REPLACED, THE TRUNK ASSIST DID NOT OPEN THE TRUNK ALL THE WAY, THE MICRO SWITCH FOR THE DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR WAS FAULTY, THE TURN SIGNAL LIGHT WAS INOPERATIVE, THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR WAS REPLACED, THE ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED, THE CONSUMER COMPLAINED OF NO HEAT IN THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER REPLACED A FAULTY BLOWER MOTOR. UPDATED 06/09/08
Mileage: 3,592
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES BENZ S-500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE AND SERVICE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THERE WAS A LOSS OF BRAKES. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED 16 TIMES. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WOULD NOT PROVIDE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,591 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 80,000. UPDATE 06/10/08 *BF THE SHIFTER WOULD GET STUCK IN PARK, THE BRAKE WEAR LIGHT ILLUMININATED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE REAR PADS AND ROTORS, THE LEFT RERAR MARKED LIGHT WAS REPLACED, THE TRUNK ASSIST DID NOT OPEN THE TRUNK ALL THE WAY, THE MICRO SWITCH FOR THE DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR WAS FAULTY, THE TURN SIGNAL LIGHT WAS INOPERATIVE, THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR WAS REPLACED, THE ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED, THE CONSUMER COMPLAINED OF NO HEAT IN THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER REPLACED A FAULTY BLOWER MOTOR. UPDATED 06/09/08
Mileage: 3,592
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES BENZ S-500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE AND SERVICE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THERE WAS A LOSS OF BRAKES. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED 16 TIMES. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WOULD NOT PROVIDE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,591 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 80,000. UPDATE 06/10/08 *BF THE SHIFTER WOULD GET STUCK IN PARK, THE BRAKE WEAR LIGHT ILLUMININATED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE REAR PADS AND ROTORS, THE LEFT RERAR MARKED LIGHT WAS REPLACED, THE TRUNK ASSIST DID NOT OPEN THE TRUNK ALL THE WAY, THE MICRO SWITCH FOR THE DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR WAS FAULTY, THE TURN SIGNAL LIGHT WAS INOPERATIVE, THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR WAS REPLACED, THE ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED, THE CONSUMER COMPLAINED OF NO HEAT IN THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER REPLACED A FAULTY BLOWER MOTOR. UPDATED 06/09/08
Mileage: 3,592
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES BENZ S-500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE AND SERVICE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THERE WAS A LOSS OF BRAKES. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED 16 TIMES. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WOULD NOT PROVIDE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,591 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 80,000. UPDATE 06/10/08 *BF THE SHIFTER WOULD GET STUCK IN PARK, THE BRAKE WEAR LIGHT ILLUMININATED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE REAR PADS AND ROTORS, THE LEFT RERAR MARKED LIGHT WAS REPLACED, THE TRUNK ASSIST DID NOT OPEN THE TRUNK ALL THE WAY, THE MICRO SWITCH FOR THE DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR WAS FAULTY, THE TURN SIGNAL LIGHT WAS INOPERATIVE, THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR WAS REPLACED, THE ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED, THE CONSUMER COMPLAINED OF NO HEAT IN THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER REPLACED A FAULTY BLOWER MOTOR. UPDATED 06/09/08
Mileage: 3,592
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES BENZ S500. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS WENT OUT. IN ADDITION, THE TURN SIGNALS WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE FUSE. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE IS A RECALL FOR THE INTERIOR LIGHTING (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID # 06V028000) HOWEVER, HER VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 140,000.
Mileage: 140,000
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES BENZ S500. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS WENT OUT. IN ADDITION, THE TURN SIGNALS WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE FUSE. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE IS A RECALL FOR THE INTERIOR LIGHTING (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID # 06V028000) HOWEVER, HER VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 140,000.
Mileage: 140,000
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.