MERCEDES-BENZ S600 · model year

2002 MERCEDES-BENZ S600

12 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2002MERCEDES-BENZS600 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, 1 fire, 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 2002 S600 is engine and engine cooling with 5 filings, followed by suspension (3) and electrical system: instrument cluster/panel (2). 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 2002 S600. 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
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

12 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
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING5
SUSPENSION3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION1
ENGINE1

Recent Complaints

20240709SUSPENSION

The contact owns a 2002 Mercedes-Benz S600. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the active body control warning light illuminated, after which the front suspension lowered to the ground, preventing the vehicle from being driven. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the hydro-pneumatic suspension pump and high-pressure hose. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 07V263000 (Suspension, Engine, and Engine Cooling) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 98,000.

Mileage: 98,000

20240709ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2002 Mercedes-Benz S600. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the active body control warning light illuminated, after which the front suspension lowered to the ground, preventing the vehicle from being driven. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the hydro-pneumatic suspension pump and high-pressure hose. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 07V263000 (Suspension, Engine, and Engine Cooling) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 98,000.

Mileage: 98,000

20170715SUSPENSION

ABC LINE STARTED LEAKING SECOND TIME IN 4 YEARS EXACTLY REPLACED IT BACK IN 2013 ALMOST COST ME 1500 AND NOW ITS BACK DOING THE SAME PROBLEMS THE CAR IS TO LOW ON THE GROUND AND CAN'T NOT DRIVE WHATS SO EVER

Mileage: 138,700

20170711ENGINE

MASSIVE OIL LEAK. OIL COOLER. BACK OF ENGINE.

Mileage: 130,000

20160503ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCEDES-BENZ S600. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE LIGHTS, GAUGES, AND METERS ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILED TO FUNCTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

20111110ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

MASSIVE OIL LEAK. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT IT'S EVERYTHING FROM OIL PRESSURE VALVES TO THE OIL COOLER. MB... WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?? I NEED HELP AND NONE OF THE SAN DIEGO MB DEALERS CAN FIX PROPERLY. *TR

Mileage: 55,615

20110329FireSUSPENSION

THE CAR WAS LEAKING OIL AND HYDRAULIC FLUID. THE CAR WOULD NOT RAISE UP AND WAS LEAKING OIL AS FAST AS IT WAS PUT IN. IT WAS NOT DRIVABLE. COULD NOT FIX IT I HAD TO PARK IT.

20091205ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

OIL LEAK FROM OIL COOLER SEEMS TO BE A CHRONIC PROBLEM ON THIS MODEL CAR. *TR

Mileage: 35,200

20080824ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

OIL COOLER LEAK ON MY 2002 S600, AND I FOUND OUT THAT THIS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM ON THESE CARS (2000-2002 V12 ENGINES) AND A VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR THAT MERCEDES BENZ SHOULD COVER OR AT LEAST A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THE REPAIR. I JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT YOUR WEBSITE SO I DECIDED TO FILE A COMPLAINT. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE MERCEDES BENZ DEALER AND THEY DIAGNOSED IT AND SAID THE REAR MAIN SEAL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I PAID OVER $1100.00 FOR THIS REPAIR AND TOOK THE CAR BACK 3 TIMES WITHIN A WEEK AND A HALF BECAUSE THE OIL LEAK CONTINUED ONLY TO FIND OUT THE OIL COOLER IS WHAT IS LEAKING AND NOT THE REAR MAIN SEAL. *TR

20080602ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

THE MERCEDES S600 HAS A DESIGN FLAW THAT CAUSES A MAJOR OIL LEAK FROM THE OIL COOLER THAT IS EMBEDDED INSIDE THE ENGINE. THIS REQUIRES THE INTAKE AND HEADS TO BE REMOVED TO REPLACE THE OIL COOLER AT A COST OF APPROXIMATELY $5K. SPECIAL CARE MUST BE TAKEN TO CLEAN THE OIL FROM THE WIRING HARNESS, TRANSMISSION AND AREAS THAT HAS BEEN SOAKED BY THE OIL LEAK. THIS PROBLEM SEEMS TO RE-OCCUR EVERY 50-100K MILES. AS A KNOWN PROBLEM, MERCEDES HAS NOT ASSUMED ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS PROBLEM. *TR

Mileage: 118,500

20070317ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE SUDDENLY CAR BEGAN TO LOSE ALL POWER, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, CAR BEGAN RUNNING ROUGH. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY REPORTED THAT THE OXYGEN SENSOR WAS FAULTY AND BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT COIL PACKS AND THAT THEY NEED TO REPLACE THE SPARK PLUGS AGAIN, AT A TOTAL COST OF $3875.00 THIS SEEMS VERY DISTURBING CONSIDERING THEY ALREADY REPLACED THE SPARK PLUGS AND WIRES BECAUSE THEY WERE DEFECTIVE PARTS FROM THE FACTORY UNDER WARRANTY BUT NOW REFUSE TO TAKE RESPOSIBILITY FOR THE COIL PACKS EVEN THOUGH THEY ADMIT THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THESE HIGH IGNITION SYSTEMS. ONLY 14275 MILES ON VEHICLE.

Mileage: 14,264

20060829ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

1. DRIVING VEHICLE ON LONG DISTANCE TRIP 2.. INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AND ALL GAUGES FAILED WHILE DRIVING. REPLACED FUSE TO RESTORE GAUGES, BUT FUSED FAILED WITHIN 5 MINUTES, REPEATED ATTEMPTS RESULTED IN THE SAME OUTAGE. 3. APPOINT WITH DEALER ON 9/11/06 TO REPAIR ESTIMATED $1400 COST. *NM

Mileage: 63,022

Compare 2002MERCEDES-BENZS600 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2002 MERCEDES-BENZ S600 have?
The 2002 MERCEDES-BENZ S600 has 12 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2002 MERCEDES-BENZ S600?
The most-complained component for the 2002 MERCEDES-BENZ S600 is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING with 5 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SUSPENSION and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL.
Is the 2002 MERCEDES-BENZ S600 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.