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U.S. public vehicle records

2005 Mercedes Benz S CLASS: complaints, problems and recalls

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

2 owner complaints analyzed

1 distinct recall campaigns

25,359 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2005 model year. Data snapshot: . 2 complaints include usable failure mileage.

This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Air Bags is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 2 complaints (50.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
TopicMatching reportsShare of complaints
Braking behavior150.0%
Electrical and battery issues150.0%

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.

Air Bags
1
Electrical System
1
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Rotor
1
Component breakdown data
CategoryCount
Air Bags1
Electrical System1
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Rotor1

Air Bags: 1; Electrical System: 1; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Rotor: 1

Reported problems by failure mileage

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

Under 25,000
1
25,000 to 49,999
1
50,000 to 74,999
0
75,000 to 99,999
0
100,000 to 149,999
0
150,000 and above
0
Reported problems by failure mileage data
CategoryCount
Under 25,0001
25,000 to 49,9991
50,000 to 74,9990
75,000 to 99,9990
100,000 to 149,9990
150,000 and above0

Under 25,000: 1; 25,000 to 49,999: 1; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0

Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (1). 0 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.

2006
1
2009
1
Complaints over time data
CategoryCount
20061
20091

2006: 1; 2009: 1

Pattern summary

Air Bags leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues 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.

Examples from the source records

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

Owner report 10171487 · 2006-10-21 (October 21, 2006)

MERCEDES BENZ S 500 HAD TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE. VEHICLE HAS ABOUT 12,000 TO 14,000 MILES ON IT. DEALER IS TRYING TO BLAME BRAKE FAILURE ON RUST ON ROTORS DUE TO LACK OF USE OF VEHICLE. I DON'T THINK THE MANUAL WARNS ABOUT THIS. SOUNDS LIKE A MAKE UP STORY TO ME. I HAVE HAD MERCEDES VEHICLES FOR ABOUT 30 YEARS AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM LIKE THIS BEFORE. BRAKE FAILURE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT BUT SINCE AT VERY LOW SPEED NO INJURIES. IF IT HAD HAPPENED AT A HIGH SPEED IT COULD HAVE LED TO SERIOUS INJURIES OR DEATH. *NM

Owner-reported narrative. 12,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10171487 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10268698 · 2009-05-14 (May 14, 2009)

AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON IN 2005 SMART CAR. MAINTENANCE BOOK SAYS GET TO DEALER IMMEDIATELY, SO WE DID. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE A RECALL. THE WIRING HARNESS NEEDED REPLACED. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 38,717 miles reported. Look up ODI 10268698 at NHTSA ↗

Recall history

1 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.

06V028000 · Interior Lighting

Reported: 2006-02-02 (February 2, 2006)

ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IS EXPERIENCING ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTIONS. THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER CONTAINS GAUGES AND INDICATORS THAT MUST BE ILLUMINATED WHENEVER THE VEHICLE IS IN OPERATION.

Consequence: DUE TO INADEQUATE ILLUMINATION, THE DRIVER WILL BE UNABLE TO READ THE GAUGES AND INDICATORS, SUCH AS THE SPEEDOMETER, WHICH COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER MODULES. THE RECALL WILL BE CONDUCTED IN PHASES. PHASE I WAS MAILED OUT TO APPROXIMATELY 7,500 OWNERS ON SEPTEMBER 29, 2006. PHASE II AND PHASE III IS SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MERCEDES-BENZ AT 1-800-367-6372.

NHTSA campaign record ↗