Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2001 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Electrical system21
- Interior lighting7
- Suspension5
- Power train1
- Air bags1
- Vehicle speed control1
- Electronic stability control1
- Unknown or other1
- Seats1
- Tires1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 1 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 8 2001 S-Class vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 2 people died inside them, and 1 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2001 Mercedes-Benz S-Class failed the safety check 0.83% of the time — 59% less often than the average 2001 passenger car (2.00%). Median odometer at inspection: 112,434 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Engines
The most common engines in 2001 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 5.8 petrol (270 kW, 362 hp), out of 4 versions with at least 20 cars.
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 3.2 petrol | 165 kW 221 hp | 63 |
| 5.0 petrol | 225 kW 302 hp | 50 |
| 5.8 petrol | 270 kW 362 hp | 31 |
| 3.2 diesel | 145 kW 194 hp | 27 |
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
216 first registered in 2001 are on Dutch roads; 44% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €120,194.
Most common APK defects
- Stuur- of fuseekogel met slijtage kleiner of gelijk 1,0 mm81
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen75
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde54
- Band onvoldoende profiel39
- Waarschuwingsinrichting airbag- / gordelsysteem geeft defect36
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm34
- Fusee(kogel) te veel speling33
- Stofhoes fuseekogel beschadigd en dicht niet af25
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
200 cars built in 2001 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 671 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, 392 of these cars first registered in 2001 took their annual MOT test. 71% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2001 the figure was 59%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2001 |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 11.5% | 15.4% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 11.0% | 19.3% |
| Brakes | 7.4% | 13.4% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 5.9% | 3.3% |
| Tyres | 5.9% | 5.6% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 5.4% | 9.7% |
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
87 of these cars first registered in 2001 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 270,000 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
13 2001 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
6 Transport Canada recalls for the 2001 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… |
| 2004153 6 May 2004 | Brakes On certain vehicles equipped with a 12-cylinder engine, corrosion may occur in the inner steel portions of the Active Body Control's high pressure distribution … |
| 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… |
| 2001064 14 Mar 2001 | Other Certain vehicles are equipped with a heated windshield washer bottle which may be defective. The sheathing material on the electrical connection of the hose ma… |
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. THE SHEATHING MATERIAL ON THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTION OF THE HEATED WINDSHIELD WASHER BOTTLE HOSE COULD 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 2001 Mercedes-Benz S-Class: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 627197 | SUBJECT REGARDING HARD STARTING AFTER FUEL FILTER REPLACEMENT. *JG |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 10010446 | AFTER EIS REPLACEMENT CIRCUIT 15X DELAYED AFTER IGNITION START. *TT |
| 10009985 | THE HIGH PRESSURE HYDRAULIC DISTRIBUTION HOSE OF THE ACTIVE BODY CONTROL (ABC) MAY DETERIORATE OVER TIME DUE TO EXCESSIVE EXPOSURE TO HUMIDITY AND HIGH TEMPERATURES. VOLUNTARY RECALL CAMPAIGN OF ACTIVE BODY CONTROL (ABC) (12 CYLINDER ONLY). *NM |
| 10009820 | REPLACEMENT OF ABC PRESSURE SUPPLY VALVE UNIT HYDRAULIC LINE. *TT |
| 10007612 | AIR MASS SENSORS. *MJ |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILURE
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation