2004 Mercedes Benz S430: Reliability Data

28
Total Complaints
74,000mi
Median Mileage
Electrical System
Top Issue
0
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

52,191 25th Percentile
74,000 Median Mileage
100,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Electrical System
6
Suspension
4
Power Train
3
Vehicle Speed Control
2
Hood
1
Visibility
1
Manual Transmission
1
Fuel/Propulsion System
1
Steering
1
Structure
1

Severity Assessment

0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MERCEDES BENZ S430. THE DEALER STATED THAT RAIN WATER HAS BEEN LEAKING INTO THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE, WHICH CAUSED ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER FAILURES. A LEAK IS PRESENT UNDERNEATH THE HOOD AND WATER IS ACCUMULATING NEAR THE FLOOR MAT. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER STATED TH..."
"THE OUTSIDE RIGHT HAND MIRROR HAS DISCOLORED MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO SEE TO CARS IN BACK. *TR"
"TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY NEED REPLACEMENT AFTER ENTIRE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED @ 50,000 MILES. *TR"

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.

Electrical System 6 complaints
25th: 29,066 mi Median: 78,000 mi 75th: 173,000 mi
Suspension 4 complaints
Median: 59,900 mi
Power Train 3 complaints
Median: 70,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 8 MD: 5 IL: 4 VA: 2 TX: 2 MS: 1 FL: 1 NY: 1 MA: 1 WV: 1

Mercedes Benz S430 — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
2000350
20011012
2002420
2003390

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