U.S. public vehicle records

2002 Mercedes Benz S CLASS problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

48 owner complaints analyzed

2 distinct recall campaigns

78,139 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2002 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 41 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Suspension is the most frequently named component, appearing in 12 of 48 complaints (25.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Electrical and battery issues	3	6.3%
Steering behavior	3	6.3%
Engine operation	1	2.1%
Braking behavior	1	2.1%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Suspension

Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel

Electrical System

Interior Lighting

Suspension:Front

Air Bags

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine

Equipment

Suspension: 12; Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel: 6; Electrical System: 5; Interior Lighting: 4; Suspension:Front: 3; Air Bags: 2; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 2; Equipment: 2

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 3; 25,000 to 49,999: 5; 50,000 to 74,999: 10; 75,000 to 99,999: 16; 100,000 to 149,999: 6; 150,000 and above: 1

75,000 to 99,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (16). 7 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2002: 2; 2003: 1; 2004: 1; 2005: 1; 2006: 11; 2007: 7; 2008: 5; 2009: 7; 2010: 2; 2011: 7; 2012: 3; 2013: 1

Pattern summary

Suspension leads the component reports. Electrical and battery issues appears in 3 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 3 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10083037 · 2004-07-31 (July 31, 2004)

WHILE DRIVING, I LOST ALL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS IN MY MERCEDES. POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKES, LIGHTS, DISPLAY, POWER WINDOWS ETC.*AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10083037 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10162782 · 2006-07-18 (July 18, 2006)

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS PERTAINING TO THE ALTERNATOR, SPEEDOMETER, AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEM CAUSING ENGINE LIGHTS TO ILLUMINATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERS WHO DETERMINED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN TO BE SERVICED BY THE DEALERS. AS VEHICLE WAS BEING RELEASED FROM SERVICE THE SPEEDOMETER EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE RPM NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. THE DASHBOARD ALSO GAVE OFF A FOUL BURNING/ GAS ODOR THAT CAUSED THE PASSENGER …

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10162782 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10278175 · 2009-07-24 (July 24, 2009)

IDLE PULLEY (PLASTIC) FAILED/BROKE ON I-68 AT TOP OF SIDELING HILL GAP CAUSING LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND OTHER POWER RELATED ITEMS. CAR HARD TO CONTROL GOING DOWN LONG, STEEP HILL. WHEN PULLEY BROKE, SERPENTINE BELT FELL OFF. WE WERE INFORMED THAT THIS IS NOT AN UNCOMMON PROBLEM. CAR ONLY HAS 53,000 MILES. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 53,632 miles reported. Look up ODI 10278175 at NHTSA ↗