2002 Mercedes-Benz S Class problems & reliability
48 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2002 Mercedes-Benz S Class, alongside 2 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.
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2002 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension → | 19 | 40% |
| Electrical System → | 12 | 25% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 8% |
| Interior Lighting | 4 | 8% |
| Air Bags | 3 | 6% |
| Tires | 3 | 6% |
| Equipment | 2 | 4% |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 4% |
| Power Train | 2 | 4% |
| Visibility | 2 | 4% |
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 78,139 miles (middle 50% between 53,632 and 96,423 miles), based on 41 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Instrument cluster failure. All lighting for instrument dark/unreadable (speedometer,tach,odometer,fuel,temp,turn signal etc). Taken to dealer and I paid for rebuild to unit. Identical failure occured again after approx 3 months. *tr”
Electrical System · filed Feb 14, 2013
“The instrument cluster issue I am experiencing began approximately july, 2012. Initially, the dashboard lights would flicker briefly and then illuminate again. Subsequent to the frequent flickering incidents, the cluster lighting didn't illuminate at all, with the exception of the small diagnostic viewer. Currently…”
Electrical System · filed Sep 25, 2012
“On starting the vehicle, the instrument panel was black without illumination or reading. As a result, gauges to speedometer, odometer, fuel, warnings to malfunctions, tachometer, oil pressure, & engine temperature are not present. *tr”
Exterior Lighting · filed Jun 6, 2012
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- AIR SUSPENSION SYSTEM FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE07042 · opened Aug 14, 2007 · closed Nov 20, 2007
Technical service bulletins
9 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2002 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
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
Instrument cluster shows dashes instead of main odometer reading. *tt
5430161 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 14, 2006
Seal between exterior rear view mirror housing and door. *tt
887039 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 16, 2005
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
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 2002 Mercedes-Benz S Class has 2 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 2002 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 78,139 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.