2002 Mercedes-Benz S-Class

No clear pattern

2.1% of complaints about the 2002 Mercedes-Benz S-Class arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2002 vehicle, but with only 144 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is electrical system (48 complaints), typically at 10.9 yr or about 100,200 miles.

Covers 4 variants: S CLASS (56), S430 (42), S500 (36), S600 (12)

Complaints: 144
Median age at failure: 9.8 yr
Median mileage: 84,500 n=121
Crash / fire / tow: 3.5% of reports
Safety recalls: 0

In owners’ own words

Electrical system mileage not reported 2.8 yr in service

WHILE DRIVING, I LOST ALL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS IN MY MERCEDES. POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKES, LIGHTS, DISPLAY, POWER WINDOWS ETC.*AK

Electrical system 22,000 mi 6.7 yr in service

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCEDES BENZ S CLASS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS STOPPED ILLUMINATING. THE CONTACT COULD NOT READ THE SPEEDOMETER AND OTHER GAUGES. THE DEALER STATED THAT HIS VIN WAS EXCLUDED FROM NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 06V028000 (INTERIOR LIGHTING); THEREFORE, THE CONTACT WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR COSTS, WHICH WOULD EXCEED $2,000. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 22,000.

Electrical system 78,000 mi 6.8 yr in service

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCEDES BENZ S430. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS BEGAN BLINKING AND THEN SUDDENLY DIMMED. THE CONTACT PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN JULY OF 2007 AND WAS UNAWARE OF ANY RECALLS. HE RESEARCHED HIS DEFECT AND CAME ACROSS A RECALL. HE CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY STATED THAT HIS VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE CONTACT FEELS THAT HIS VEHICLE SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL SINCE HE IS EXPERIENCING THE SAME FAILURE. THE RECALL NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,000.

Suspension 5,100 mi 4.3 yr in service

AFTER DRIVING AND PLACING GEAR OF 2002 MERCEDES BENZ S430 IN PARK, MY CAR COLLAPSED SO LOW THAT CAR COULD NOT BE DRIVEN, LEAVING ALL OCCUPANTS STRANDED. AIRMATIC COMPRESSOR SYSTEM, WHICH IS CAR'S SUSPENSION SYSTEM TOTALLY FAILED. CAR TOWED ON FLAT BED TO DEALERSHIP. SEVERAL PARTS REPLACED, INCLUDING AIRMATIC COMPESSOR, SENSOR, FUSE, PUMP, AND MORE. CAR REPAIR COST ME $1000. *NM

Other S-Class model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2002 Mercedes-Benz S-Class

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

In owners’ own words

Other S-Class model years

How to read this