2000 Mercedes-Benz S500 problems & reliability
55 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2000 Mercedes-Benz S500. 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.
2 complaints report injuries (4 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 31 | 56% |
| Interior Lighting → | 12 | 22% |
| Suspension | 8 | 15% |
| Exterior Lighting | 6 | 11% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 5 | 9% |
| Structure | 4 | 7% |
| Engine | 2 | 4% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 4% |
| Equipment | 2 | 4% |
| Power Train | 2 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 18 reported components →Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 43 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 87,878 miles (middle 50% between 55,855 and 120,000 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Please help me My 2000 s500L Mercedes’ Benz dashboard have been blinking for 4 months now it has finally completely went out I am complaining on my behalf in my daughter in wife please NHTSA we cannot see anything on our car dashboard our vehicle have been inspected at two independent service dealer theses symptoms…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Aug 27, 2022
“Last night we had tropical storm eta in florida. We had about 10 inches of rain. The temperature was between 70f and 80f. The car was parked on high ground but in the rain. The inside of the car flooded with water under the carpet. I have not determined the source of the leak or the source of the short yet but the car…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Nov 9, 2020
“I was getting stuff from the trunk. When I went back to the car it was full of smoke. When I inspected the sorce of the fire it waa the blower resistor. The wiring to the blower was burnt at the connector. The plastic around the evaporator box was damaged.”
Electrical System · filed Sep 5, 2020
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
21 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2000 Mercedes-Benz S500. The 10 most recent:
Complaint Washer fluid system leaks Cause Various possible causes: 1. Washer fluid reservoir itself. 2. Seal on washer fluid pump/washer fluid reservoir. 3. Washer fluid pump. 3.1. Distributor housing leaks. 3.2. Pump…
LI82.35-P-078467 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 23, 2024
Complaint During a phone call, the called party has difficulty understanding/cannot understand the driver, or interference/background noises are audible to the called party during a call. It becomes increasingly…
LI82.70-P-077433 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 28, 2024
Complaint Headlamps leaking or fogged Cause The fogging of the headlamp is a natural phenomenon which can occur under certain climatic conditions. In contrast to a leaky headlamp, physical fogging does not result in a…
LI82.10-P-078307 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 21, 2024
Complaint Headlamp or front fog lamp leaky or fogged Cause Fogging of the headlamps is a natural phenomenon, which can occur under certain climatic conditions. It does not lead to any technical impairment of the…
LI82.10-P-078301 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 10, 2024
Complaint Rear lamps fogged up/not leaktight. Cause Fogging of the rear lamps is a natural phenomenon, which can occur under certain climatic conditions. This does not lead to any technical impairment of the rear lamps…
LI82.10-P-078069 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 23, 2024
Crease formation on genuine leather seat covers in vehicles with low mileage â ¢ Objects left on the seats for extended periods of time (pressure marks). â ¢ Objects wedged between the seat backrest and seat…
LI91.18-P-077075 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 4, 2023
Tire Pressure Sensors.
LI4015P073743 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 20, 2021
Touch pad: Search lighting does not dim or does not turn on.
LI8220P073063 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 16, 2021
NTG5.5: Incorrect time shown on instrument cluster, COMAND display, and analog clock
LI54.30-P-072145 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 10, 2020
Harsh engagement when changing gear range from P to D or R
LI27.50-P-071658 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 30, 2020
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 2000 Mercedes-Benz S500 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 2000 Mercedes-Benz S500?
- · 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.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 87,878 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.