MERCEDES-BENZ S550 · model year

2007 MERCEDES-BENZ S550

83 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2007MERCEDES-BENZS550 carries 83 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 2 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 2007 S550 is suspension with 12 filings, followed by electrical system (10) and vehicle speed control (9). 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 2007 S550. 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.

83
Complaints
0
Crashes
2
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

83 filings

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

ComponentCount
SUSPENSION12
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM10
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL9
POWER TRAIN8
ENGINE8
UNKNOWN OR OTHER6
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION5
STEERING3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING3
AIR BAGS3
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM3
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE2
STRUCTURE:BODY2
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER1
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR1

Recent Complaints

20240924ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I went to replace my low beam and high beam bulbs on the passenger side and found that the wiring for the low beam had 0 insulation on it and I installed the new high beam bulb and the wires starting arcing causing the car to turn off the high beams and start smoking from the headlight assembly.

20240924EXTERIOR LIGHTING

I went to replace my low beam and high beam bulbs on the passenger side and found that the wiring for the low beam had 0 insulation on it and I installed the new high beam bulb and the wires starting arcing causing the car to turn off the high beams and start smoking from the headlight assembly.

20240602SUSPENSION

Vehicle's body movement or damping motion while traveling on highway responds awkwardly. The vehicle has a waddle or a side to side motion instead of an up/down motion while traveling over the highway at 60 mph. My initial thoughts were to replace the vehicle's (air ride) struts. I chose to have Mercedes-Benz of Tyler analyze the vehicle ride problems which at that time involved the self -leveling adjustment (up/down) of the vehicle. Mercedes-Benz of Tyler determined and replaced the air compressor and valve block at 61,000 miles on March 16, 2023 to resolve the problem. Although no recalls were found for this vehicle, I've spoken with other owners who own S-Class vehicles and discovered NHTSA Campaign I.D. 08V405000 with a report date August 01, 2008 was issued. I believe this vehicle should have been included in that campaign. This vehicle has not been in an accident nor do I want to be. I'm seeking resolution to this problem prior to an accident or injury occurs.

20240602STEERING

Vehicle's body movement or damping motion while traveling on highway responds awkwardly. The vehicle has a waddle or a side to side motion instead of an up/down motion while traveling over the highway at 60 mph. My initial thoughts were to replace the vehicle's (air ride) struts. I chose to have Mercedes-Benz of Tyler analyze the vehicle ride problems which at that time involved the self -leveling adjustment (up/down) of the vehicle. Mercedes-Benz of Tyler determined and replaced the air compressor and valve block at 61,000 miles on March 16, 2023 to resolve the problem. Although no recalls were found for this vehicle, I've spoken with other owners who own S-Class vehicles and discovered NHTSA Campaign I.D. 08V405000 with a report date August 01, 2008 was issued. I believe this vehicle should have been included in that campaign. This vehicle has not been in an accident nor do I want to be. I'm seeking resolution to this problem prior to an accident or injury occurs.

20230522PARKING BRAKE

The contact owns a 2007 Mercedes Benz S550. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, it was discovered that the rear passenger’s side and front driver’s side air suspension had failed, and the vehicle was leaning and was unstable. Additionally, the message "Parking Brake - Check Manual" was displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was contacted and notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 205,000.

Mileage: 205,000

20230522SUSPENSION

The contact owns a 2007 Mercedes Benz S550. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, it was discovered that the rear passenger’s side and front driver’s side air suspension had failed, and the vehicle was leaning and was unstable. Additionally, the message "Parking Brake - Check Manual" was displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was contacted and notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 205,000.

Mileage: 205,000

20230208SUSPENSION

The contact owns a 2007 Mercedes-Benz S550. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle was bouncing and pulling to the left and the right. The contact stated that the steering wheel was vibrating. The contact stated no warning lights were illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the front strut and radial knuckles needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V608000 (Suspension). The failure mileage was 131,989.

Mileage: 131,989

20221202FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

The contact owns a 2007 Mercedes-Benz S550. The contact stated that while driving 30-40 MPH, the vehicle started to decelerate independently. The contact also stated that he smelled an abnormal gasoline odor inside the vehicle. The contact veered to the side of the roadway. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after 10 minutes. Additionally, the vehicle had failed to start on several occasions even though there was fuel in the tank. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where an unknown diagnostic test was completed. Additionally, the contact stated that the front suspension was previously replaced but had failed again along with the rear suspension. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

Mileage: 170,000

20221202SUSPENSION

The contact owns a 2007 Mercedes-Benz S550. The contact stated that while driving 30-40 MPH, the vehicle started to decelerate independently. The contact also stated that he smelled an abnormal gasoline odor inside the vehicle. The contact veered to the side of the roadway. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after 10 minutes. Additionally, the vehicle had failed to start on several occasions even though there was fuel in the tank. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where an unknown diagnostic test was completed. Additionally, the contact stated that the front suspension was previously replaced but had failed again along with the rear suspension. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

Mileage: 170,000

20221029ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Struts and braking system have been unstable since I purchased the car. Wiring harness leaks oil and caused ecu to intermintinli turn off and on. Also the heat control timing caused car to over heat . Eventually I replaced the ecu 2 years ago at dealer . Mercedes has parts that are not safe to be in these operating conditions with such heat causeing wiring harness to short out and dealer said that and still put new ecu saying it was oil that damaged ecu. Mechanicly didn’t make sense but now due to recall it all makes sense. Ecu was never programmed correctly causeing unsafe driving hazards .

20221029AIR BAGS

Struts and braking system have been unstable since I purchased the car. Wiring harness leaks oil and caused ecu to intermintinli turn off and on. Also the heat control timing caused car to over heat . Eventually I replaced the ecu 2 years ago at dealer . Mercedes has parts that are not safe to be in these operating conditions with such heat causeing wiring harness to short out and dealer said that and still put new ecu saying it was oil that damaged ecu. Mechanicly didn’t make sense but now due to recall it all makes sense. Ecu was never programmed correctly causeing unsafe driving hazards .

20221029SUSPENSION

Struts and braking system have been unstable since I purchased the car. Wiring harness leaks oil and caused ecu to intermintinli turn off and on. Also the heat control timing caused car to over heat . Eventually I replaced the ecu 2 years ago at dealer . Mercedes has parts that are not safe to be in these operating conditions with such heat causeing wiring harness to short out and dealer said that and still put new ecu saying it was oil that damaged ecu. Mechanicly didn’t make sense but now due to recall it all makes sense. Ecu was never programmed correctly causeing unsafe driving hazards .

20210824ENGINE

I brought a car from a car dealer in tampa Florida and when i got the car i noticed that the car would not pickup speed after pressing the gas pedal and it was asking me to turn off the engine or it will fail . also when i tried to put in coolant. I seen a milky substance that was coming out of the hoses and in the overflow tank of the coolant reservoir which indicates issues with the heads or head gasket . also the title i got says salvaged which i asked if there was anything wrong with the car and the car dealer told me no . never disclosing that the car has been salvaged . there are other issues with the car that i forget because of so many issues with the car that i cant keep up with and i want to return the car to the car dealer and get my money back and have tried but they refuse to make good on the sale

20210824SERVICE BRAKES

I brought a car from a car dealer in tampa Florida and when i got the car i noticed that the car would not pickup speed after pressing the gas pedal and it was asking me to turn off the engine or it will fail . also when i tried to put in coolant. I seen a milky substance that was coming out of the hoses and in the overflow tank of the coolant reservoir which indicates issues with the heads or head gasket . also the title i got says salvaged which i asked if there was anything wrong with the car and the car dealer told me no . never disclosing that the car has been salvaged . there are other issues with the car that i forget because of so many issues with the car that i cant keep up with and i want to return the car to the car dealer and get my money back and have tried but they refuse to make good on the sale

20210824STRUCTURE:BODY

I brought a car from a car dealer in tampa Florida and when i got the car i noticed that the car would not pickup speed after pressing the gas pedal and it was asking me to turn off the engine or it will fail . also when i tried to put in coolant. I seen a milky substance that was coming out of the hoses and in the overflow tank of the coolant reservoir which indicates issues with the heads or head gasket . also the title i got says salvaged which i asked if there was anything wrong with the car and the car dealer told me no . never disclosing that the car has been salvaged . there are other issues with the car that i forget because of so many issues with the car that i cant keep up with and i want to return the car to the car dealer and get my money back and have tried but they refuse to make good on the sale

20210429ENGINE

ADVISED BY SERVICE ADVISOR NEED TO REPLACE ME CONTROL UNIT(ECM), COSTING $2,000.82. LESS THAN 5 YEARS AGO SUSPENSION COSTING 2,000. ALL WORK DONE AT MERCEDES BENZ OF SOUTH ORLANDO.

20210429SUSPENSION

ADVISED BY SERVICE ADVISOR NEED TO REPLACE ME CONTROL UNIT(ECM), COSTING $2,000.82. LESS THAN 5 YEARS AGO SUSPENSION COSTING 2,000. ALL WORK DONE AT MERCEDES BENZ OF SOUTH ORLANDO.

20200726UNKNOWN OR OTHER

MY PANORAMA ROOF

Mileage: 157,320

20200322VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

THE CONTACT STATED THAT I PURCHASED A USED MERCEDES FROM BMW OF MOBILE. WHILE DRIVING THE CAR IT LOSES POWER. I WAS ON THE INTERSTATE AND IT LOSS POWER. I ALMOST HAD A PANIC ATTACK BECAUSE THE CAR WAS SLOWING DOWN. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON. I HAD TO MAKE MY WAY TO THE RIGHT LANE TO GET OFF THE ROAD. THE CARS WERE DRIVING 70 AND 80 MPH. THEY COULD HAVE RAMMED INTO THE BACK OF MY CAR NOT KNOWING MY CAR WAS SLOWING DOWN. I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED DRIVING THIS DEFECTIVE VEHICLE!!! I INFORMED BMW AND THEIR TECHNICIAN SAID IT WAS THE BATTERY AND A STARTER. I PAID $600 FOR THE REPAIR. THEY WERE WRONG THE CAR STILL LOSES POWER. I HAD TO BEG AND PLEAD WITH THEM TO HAVE MERCEDES OF MOBILE DIAGNOSE THE CAR. THEY SAID THEY WOULD PAY FOR THE DIAGNOSIS BUT NOT THE REPAIRS. IF I TRADED THE CAR BACK TO THEM THEY WOULD DEDUCT THE REPAIRS FROM THE CAR. THE OTHER OPTIONS WERE TO LET IT GO BACK TO THE FINANCE COMPANY OR TAKE IT TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP AND NOT TELL THEM WHAT GOING ON WITH THE CAR. TH

Mileage: 74,800

20191003ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MERCEDES-BENZ S550. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE ODOR OF FUMES EMITTED THROUGH THE VEHICLE AND MADE THE CONTACT NAUSEOUS. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NOT RECEIVED. THE CONTACT CALLED OLYMPIA PRE OWNED AUTO (1806 WAKE FOREST RD, RALEIGH, NC 27608, (919) 301-8551) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THEY WOULD CALL HER BACK. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A MERCEDES-BENZ DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 144,000.

Mileage: 144,000

Compare 2007MERCEDES-BENZS550 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2007 MERCEDES-BENZ S550 have?
The 2007 MERCEDES-BENZ S550 has 83 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 2 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2007 MERCEDES-BENZ S550?
The most-complained component for the 2007 MERCEDES-BENZ S550 is SUSPENSION with 12 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL.
Is the 2007 MERCEDES-BENZ S550 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.