2001 Mercedes-Benz S Class problems & reliability
36 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2001 Mercedes-Benz S Class, alongside 5 safety recall campaigns. 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.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2001 Mercedes-Benz S Class vehicles were involved in 8 fatal crashes with 2 occupant deaths. 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 → | 21 | 58% |
| Interior Lighting | 7 | 19% |
| Suspension | 5 | 14% |
| Air Bags | 1 | 3% |
| Child Seat | 1 | 3% |
| Electronic Stability Control | 1 | 3% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 3% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 3% |
| Power Train | 1 | 3% |
| Seats | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 98,000 miles (middle 50% between 60,325 and 104,550 miles), based on 30 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 mercedes benz s class. The contact was driving 65 mph when he noticed that the lights on the instrument panel failed and smoke was coming from the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that they needed to replace the instrument cluster module. The…”
Electrical System · filed Jun 1, 2012
“Went to my car in the a.m. To go to work. Turned car on, a red light came on that said vehicle too low. Sensor came on and said airmatic system was not operating properly. In april 2010 I paid about $2500 to fix this issue. The dealership says part are only under warranty for one year and this happens. As my car is…”
Suspension · filed May 30, 2012
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 mercedes benz s-class. The contact was driving 55 mph when the instrument panel lights failed to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the dealer confirmed that the illumination cluster needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired…”
Electrical System · filed Mar 5, 2012
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE05062 · opened Nov 10, 2005 · closed Feb 8, 2006 · led to recall 06V028000
Technical service bulletins
13 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2001 Mercedes-Benz S Class. The 10 most recent:
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
Mercedes benz: water in tail lamp housing on either right side or left side. *pe
PB 82-10-630 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 28, 2008
Seal between exterior rear view mirror housing and door. *tt
887039 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 16, 2005
After eis replacement circuit 15x delayed after ignition start. *tt
805727 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 8, 2004
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…
010104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 31, 2004
Replacement of abc pressure supply valve unit hydraulic line. *tt
2004070012 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 2004
AIR MASS SENSORS. *MJ
076139 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 29, 2004
Subject regarding hard starting after fuel filter replacement. *jg
PB472017 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 10, 2001
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
The 2001 Mercedes-Benz S Class has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
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 2001 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 98,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.