2003 Mercedes Benz S Class: Reliability Data
When Do Complaints Happen?
Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.
What Fails?
Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.
Severity Assessment
Sample Complaint Reports
"I WAS RECENTLY LOOKING AT THE PURCHASE OF A 2003 MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS SEDAN AND WAS REVIEWING THE FEATURES TO ORDER. ONE OF THE OPTIONS WAS A "TRUNK CLOSER". THE DEALER HAD A UNIT IN STOCK WHICH HAD THIS OPTION AND I HAD ITS OPERATION DEMONSTRATED. MUCH TO MY SURPISE, IT DID NOT HAVE AN AUTOMATI..."
"THE ENGINE STALLED 3 TIMES. MODEL S430. *JB ON ONE OCCASION THE SPEED SUDDENLY DROPPED FROM 47-15MPH. SCC"
"RE: 2003 S600 [XXX] MY RELATIVELY NEW (3000 MILES) S600 HAS A PERSISTENT PROBLEM WITH THE NEW V12 ENGINE THAT HAS NOW DEVELOPED INTO A SERIOUS SAFETY RISK FOR THE DRIVER. MY CAR HAS BEEN IN SERVICE MORE THAN 4 TIMES FOR THIS PROBLEM - IT HAS BEEN ESCALATED TO THE TECH CENTER BY MY DEALER - IT HAS..."
Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.
When Were Complaints Filed?
Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.
When Does Each Component Fail?
Median mileage at complaint for top components.
Where Are Complaints Coming From?
Top states by complaint count.
Who Files Complaints?
Mercedes Benz S Class — Other Years
See how this model compares across different model years.
Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.
Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.
Data through: 2026-03-28
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