1995 Mercedes-Benz S Class problems & reliability
27 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1995 Mercedes-Benz S Class. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1995 Mercedes-Benz S Class vehicles were involved in 1 fatal crash with 1 occupant death. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 22 | 81% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 7% |
| Engine | 1 | 4% |
| Equipment | 1 | 4% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 4% |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 4% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 4% |
| Tires | 1 | 4% |
| Traction Control System | 1 | 4% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 1 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 130,500 miles (middle 50% between 80,750 and 169,825 miles), based on 20 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Wire harness shorted out due to naked wires with no insulation causing the harness to catch fire burning harness and frying the alternator. The cause was said to be wire harness deteriorated. Improper insulation on the harness. *jb”
Engine · filed Sep 3, 2013
“The engine control/fuel injection wiring harness of my 1995 mercedes-benz s420 (61,000 miles), has cracked insulation throughout and is beginning to short-circuit with the risk of causing dangerous engine malfunction--and even fire--inside my engine compartment. I have read hundreds of reports of other mercedes-benz…”
Electrical System · filed Mar 14, 2012
“Tl* the contact owns a 1995 mercedes s-class. The contact stated that the vehicle would independently engage in limp mode causing the vehicle to become resistant to acceleration over 25 mph. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the failure was coming from the wiring harness that was connected…”
Electrical System · filed Feb 11, 2011
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
5 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1995 Mercedes-Benz S Class.
Complaints about poor wiping effect of winshield wiper
LI82.30-P-059239 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 23, 2014
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…
SB-P-047527 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 31, 2009
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…
TSB-42-10-109 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 15, 2009
Seal between exterior rear view mirror housing and door. *tt
887039 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 16, 2005
Updated information to reflect additon of approved tires. *yc
PSIMBNA4020M · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 1998
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1995 Mercedes-Benz S Class in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1995 Mercedes-Benz S Class?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 130,500 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.