2002 Mercedes-Benz S430 problems
Owners have filed 42 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Mercedes-Benz S430. Electrical system is the most reported problem area, at 48% of complaints. After that come lighting (19%) and suspension (19%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 42 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 48% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 0 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 111,000 miles 35 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 | 1 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 0 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 2 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 1 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 7 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 9 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 4 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 4 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 3 |
| 200k+ miles | 3 |
What the data shows
Among the 35 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 111,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 112,000 miles (17 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 1 complaint mentions a fire. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 91% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2002 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 5 model years of the Mercedes-Benz S430 with enough data (0 complaints in that window).
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.
The battery located in the trunk of the vehicle is situated next to the gas tank. There are no covers on the metal parts on the top of the battery located in the trunk of the vehicle, and the mat that comes with the vehicle does not sufficiently cover these metal poles, leaving them vulnerable to catch flame when metal items are in the back of the vehicle. The rear battery caught flame, while stationary, due to a metal rod used for furniture assembly touching the exposed portion of the battery.
We had to have our car towed from inside the car wash bay because the car would not shift out of park. The neutral safety switch, which is plastic, broke prohibiting the car from shifting out of park. The tow truck driver mercedes benz roadside sent to us told us he sees this all of the time with this particular car. Also by the forums, you can see that this is a particular problem for certain years. From what I understand, the new shift box from mercedes has an aluminum safety switch or "billet".
The gear shifter had locked initially out of the blue, I couldn't get the car out of drive. I turned it off to stop it and then it wouldn't go into park. After the mercedes tech came out it wouldn't start at all. The tech said it was most likely a safety feature which had kicked in. Then the whole right side went down. I am told the airmatic suspension went out. Why? The car said stop airmatic to low. I have never had any problems which may have lead up to these issues.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercedes benz s430. The contact stated that when driving at night, the interior, the interior, and the instrument panel failed to illuminate. In addition, the contact stated that the airmatic shocks dropped causing the vehicle to become low and difficult to turn the wheels. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 185,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercedes-benz s430. The contact stated that illumination of the instrument cluster was inadequate to see the gauges. The contact was informed that a diagnostic test needed to be performed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact mentioned NHTSA campaign number: 06v028000 (interior lighting) as a possible solution to the failure however, the VIN was not included.