Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2000 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Electrical system33
- Suspension21
- Interior lighting17
- Visibility4
- Air bags4
- Equipment4
- Engine and engine cooling3
- Steering2
- Vehicle speed control2
- Unknown or other1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 3 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2000 Mercedes-Benz S-Class failed the safety check 1.18% of the time — 36% less often than the average 2000 passenger car (1.86%). Median odometer at inspection: 114,850 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Engines
The most common engines in 2000 Mercedes-Benz S-Class cars on Dutch roads are the 3.2 petrol (165 kW, 221 hp), 5.0 petrol (225 kW, 302 hp) and 3.2 diesel (145 kW, 194 hp), out of 5 versions with at least 20 cars.
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 3.2 petrol | 165 kW 221 hp | 94 |
| 5.0 petrol | 225 kW 302 hp | 74 |
| 3.2 diesel | 145 kW 194 hp | 36 |
| 5.8 petrol | 270 kW 362 hp | 33 |
| 4.3 petrol | 205 kW 275 hp | 20 |
RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars
In the Netherlands
276 first registered in 2000 are on Dutch roads; 40% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €112,648.
Most common APK defects
- Stuur- of fuseekogel met slijtage kleiner of gelijk 1,0 mm115
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde89
- Band onvoldoende profiel67
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen66
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm50
- Fusee(kogel) te veel speling47
- Waarschuwingsinrichting airbag- / gordelsysteem geeft defect45
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld36
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
130 cars built in 2000 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 483 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 373 of these cars first registered in 2000 took their annual MOT test. 68% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2000 the figure was 61%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2000 |
|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 13.9% | 17.7% |
| Suspension | 11.5% | 14.3% |
| Visibility | 7.5% | 7.4% |
| Brakes | 6.2% | 12.8% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 5.1% | 9.6% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 4.0% | 3.5% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
94 of these cars first registered in 2000 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 260,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
15 2000 cars are on the New Zealand register; 100% arrived as used imports, 0% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Recalls in Canada
5 Transport Canada recalls for the 2000 Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
| 2007195 14 Jun 2007 | Steering On certain vehicles equipped with an 8-cylinder engine, corrosion may occur in the inner steel portions of the Active Body Control's high pressure distribution … |
| 2006031 7 Feb 2006 | Electrical Certain vehicles may experience instrument cluster backlighting malfunction. There are three distinct failure modes. (1) Vehicles built between 06/2000 and 11… |
| 2004154 6 May 2004 | Electrical On certain vehicles, the size of the electric conductor on the blower motor fuse holder may be below appropriate tolerances. Consequently, the electric conduct… |
| 2003029 10 Feb 2003 | Electrical On certain vehicles, there is a potential for excessive static build-up in the trunk floor mats of the subject vehicles. The static build-up can cause a static… |
| 2000122 19 May 2000 | Electrical On certain CL500, S430W and S500V vehicles, due an internal defect in circuitry cased during the climate control system blower motor regulator manufacturing pro… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, CORROSION MAY OCCUR IN THE INNER STEEL PORTIONS OF THE ACTIVE BODY CONTROL'S (ABC) HIGH PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION HOSE DUE TO EXTENSIVE EXPOSURE TO HUMIDITY CAUSING DETERIORATION OF THE HOSE.
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.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, DURING THE PRODUCTION PROCESS OF THE BLOWER MOTOR FUSE HOLDER, THE SIZE OF THE ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR OF THE HOLDER MAY BE BELOW APPROPRIATE TOLERANCES.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, EXCESSIVE STATIC BUILD-UP IN THE TRUNK FLOOR MATS CAN CAUSE A STATIC DISCHARGE WHEN INDIVIDUALS MOVE OR REMOVE ITEMS FROM THE TRUNK COMPARTMENT.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. DUE TO AN INTERNAL DEFECT IN THE CIRCUITRY OF THE BLOWER MOTOR REGULATOR, THE REGULATOR MAY OVERHEAT.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Mercedes-Benz told its dealers about the 2000 Mercedes-Benz S-Class: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 627173 | SUBJECT REGARDING POPPING OR THUMPING IN THE SPEAKERS. *JG |
| 621570 | ON SOME VEHICLES, UPON RELEASE OF THE BRAKE PEDAL AND / OR APPLICATION OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THERE IS A 1-2 SECOND DELAY UNTIL THE ACTUATOR MOVES TO THE NEW ACCELERATOR PEDAL INPUT POSITION. THIS DELAY IS INTEGRATED IN THE ENGINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AS A SAFETY FEATURE AND IS NOT SUBJECT TO MODIFICATION IN THE FIELD. *TT |
| 616243 | THIS IS TO ADVISE THAT MERCEDES-BENZ USA WILL CONDUCT A SERVICE CAMPAIGN OF CERTAIN 2000 AND 2001 MODEL YEAR VEHICLES EXHIBITING LEAKAGE IN THE POWER STEERING DAMPER HYDRAULIC LINE FITTINGS. *TT |
| 612197 | BRIEF INFORMATION ON INSTALLING TELEPHONE. *TT |
| 10136035 | Complaints about poor wiping effect of winshield wiper |
| 10030939 | MERCEDES: PARKTRONIC INTERMITTENTLY NOT FUNCTIONING. THE FUNCTION WORKS AGAIN AFTER A SHORT TIME OR DISTANCE. WHEN THE FOOT OPERATED PARKING BRAKE IS APPLIED, THE PARKTRONIC SYSTEM IS DEACTIVATED. IF THE FOOT OPERATED PARKING BRAKE IS ON AT THE FIRST NOTCH, THE CONTACT SWITCH MAY REACT WITH A CONSIDERATION DELAY WHEN THE PARKING BRAKE IS RELEASED. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE |
| 10030929 | MERCEDES: CORROSION PROTECTION COATINGS FOR BRAKE COMPONENTS AND HARDWARE MAY BE DAMAGED AND OR STRIPPED AWAY IF HIGHLY CONCENTRATED ACID BASED CLEANERS ARE USED. ONCE THE CORROSION PROTECTION IS DAMAGED OR REMOVED THE BRAKE COMPONENTS AND OR HARDWARE CAN BEGIN TO CORRODE. INCLUDE ALL MODELS AND MODEL YEARS. *PE |
| 10025845 | MERCEDES BENZ: WATER IN TAIL LAMP HOUSING ON EITHER RIGHT SIDE OR LEFT SIDE. *PE |
| 10014583 | SEAL BETWEEN EXTERIOR REAR VIEW MIRROR HOUSING AND DOOR. *TT |
| 10012825 | THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER SYSTEM MAY BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO IN-USE DAMAGE TO INTERNAL COMPONENTS UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES DUE TO A PRODUCTION DEFICIENCY DURING THE PERIOD WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS MANUFACTURED, RESULTING IN THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WILL ILLUMINATE, OR A READILY RECOGNIZABLE RATTLING NOISE WILL BE HEARD ORIGINATING FROM EITHER THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT OF FROM UNDER THE CAR. (S430, S500 CL500) *TT |
| 10010446 | AFTER EIS REPLACEMENT CIRCUIT 15X DELAYED AFTER IGNITION START. *TT |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
AIR SUSPENSION SYSTEM FAILURE
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILURE
ENGINE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY FAILURE
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation