Electrical system & engine issues are among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class has been around for a very long time. Although not called S-class, which means Sonderklasse or special class, this car goes back to 1951 when Mercedes-Benz first launched its luxury segment.
The identified S-Class was introduced in 1978. It featured the first Mercedes airbags when they debuted in 1981 and set a trend in terms of aerodynamic design. A Mercedes-Benz success story at the time, the S-Class has been available in two- and four-door variants over the years.
But the 2021 S-Class cabriolet and coupe will be the last two models the company will manufacture. From 2022 it’s the four-door coupe only. And it’s not the only cut on models that Mercedes-Benz has made. According to reports, seven models will be canceled for the U.S. market from 2022.
The question is, does this impact quality?
The fact is that there are already 6 recalls for 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class vehicles listed on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website. There are also 9 complaints and a total of 33 manufacturer communications made to dealers by Mercedes-Benz. Since 2012, manufacturers have been required by law to make any communications public.
Click on other model year to view more problems: 2022
The most common problems found in complaints to NHTSA relate to the electrical system, of which there are 4 in all. Perhaps not surprisingly, there are 13 manufacturer communications that highlight problems, faults, and malfunctions relating to the car’s electrical system. This represents by far the highest number of problems in these communications.
The next highest on the list is vehicle speed control, which is mentioned in 3 complaints. One of these involves a crash with injuries.
There are a total of 5 engine, engine cooling, and powertrain problems mentioned in 3 combined categories.
Other complaints relate to forward-collision avoidance, lane departure, service brakes, and visibility. Some problems are listed in more than one category.
Manufacturer communications highlight issues in additional categories, including 7 in Equipment, 5 in Structure, 3 in Latches/Locks/Linkages, and 2 in Fuel System/Gasoline.
Two of the electrical problems highlighted in Mercedes-Benz S-Class complaints relate to the backup camera not displaying in reverse and the navigation system not operating at all.
The other two cite battery charge issues. One complaint states a vehicle has been taken into the dealer 5 times in 6 months. The other, which claims the vehicle is dangerous, reports 4 critical charge notifications. These all coincide with the car dropping from 70-35 mph and lurching the driver forward.
“With (a) car and semi-truck behind me, luckily no rear-end collision, injury, or death occurred.”
Neither of the 2 recall notices relates to issues that the complaints described.
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The complaint above, that mentions the vehicle speed dropping radically, is also listed in the Vehicle Speed Control category.
Another complaint describes the opposite scenario. First, the car reduced speed and then it accelerated on its own. This resulted in a crash with the driver rear-ending a parked vehicle. The airbags didn’t deploy and the SOS signal didn’t turn on.
The driver broke bones in the right foot and suffered a knee injury. They filed a police report.
The failure mileage was only 976 but the dealer was unable to diagnose the cause.
Two of the complaints that relate to the engine and engine cooling say there is a recall but the parts are not available. The approximate failure mileage of one was only 600.
One of the complaints that also relates to the electrical system and the fuel/propulsion system states that start-up is unreliable. “Have had to wake up from nighttime sleep to drive (the) car in (the) middle of (the) night so it would start the next morning to drive to work.”
Whether these stories sound familiar or you have completely different issues with your 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, you might have bought a lemon.
Lemberg Law has multiple clients who have had similar problems. We are lemon law specialists and are happy to assess your case and represent you if we find that you have bought a lemon.
We have negotiated varied deals for clients from buy-backs and refunds to replacement vehicles.
Call our Helpline today so that we can assess your case. It’s not going to cost you anything because the law says that Mercedes-Benz must pay the legal fees of lemon law cases.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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