2003 Mercedes-Benz S Class problems
NHTSA has received 43 complaints about the 2003 Mercedes-Benz S Class, and 26% of them involve suspension. Next are electrical system (14%) and air bags (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 43 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Suspension 26% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 6 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 55,000 miles 33 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 10 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 0 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 7 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 11 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 4 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 33 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 55,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 6 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2003 ranks 3rd most-complained-about out of 5 model years of the Mercedes-Benz S Class with enough data (23 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
My 2003 mercedes s500 has twice electronically self-closed it's trunk on two separate users, on two separate occasions. This vehicle has been taken to two separate mercedes dealers for the problem. One of those dealers replaced a number of parts. Despite doing so, the second occurrence (last night), left my other half in tears, pain, with a recess in her head and a headache. The electronic trunk lid has had instances where it does not open all the way, does not close all the way, or a combination of the two.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercedes benz s55. The contact stated that the seat belt would not retract properly whenever there were warmer temperatures. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer and the dealer was unable to determine the failure. In addition, the contact stated that the trunk lid would either become resistant when attempting to close the hatch, or it would close independently. On one occasion, the trunk lid closed unexpectedly on the contact as she attempted to remove items from the trunk area.
My suspension is horrible!! Without warning my s430 airmatic light displayed "visit workshop", I pulled over and noticed my vehicle was riding extremely low...almost touching my front and back tires. Furthermore, there is a rubbing sound when the wheels are being turned. I contacted 4 dealers and they all claimed the suspension and/or airmatic system has been a common problem ...my concern is why wasn't I notified about a recall?
Shifter stuck in park due to the only plastic part ( shifter module) in the shifter box. Mercedes headquarters take no responsibility for such an expensive fix when plastic part breaks.