IllustrationINSTRUMENT LIGHTS WENT OUT, CAN'T SEE SPEED OR OTHER DASH INFORMATION SUCH AS FUEL. REAR SUSPENSION LOOSES AIR, CAR SITS TO LOW TO DRIVE, BODY SITS ON REAR TIRES. HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING CITY STREET, TIRES SMOKED AND ARE PITTED.
2002 Mercedes Benz S430
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2002 Mercedes Benz S430 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 23.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all S430 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
10–25K
125–50K
250–75K
375–100K
14100–150K
6150K+
27 reports with mileage · 4 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Exterior Lighting. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
0 crash reports1 fire reports0 injury reports
Suspension complaints
8 reportsI PURCHASED MY VEHICLE NEW IN 2002. IT HAS ABOUT 48500 MILES. I WORK CLOSE TO HOME. I HAVE ALREADY REPLACED THE SUSPENSION AIR BAGS ONCE AND MY VEHICLE IS DROPPING AGAIN. I HAVE READ THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MY VEHICLE YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL. WHAT CAN I DO? MY VEHICLE IS VERY WELL TAKEN CARE OF AND I FIND IT OUTRAGEOUS T…
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I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE NEW IN 2002. IT HAS ABOUT 48500 MILES. I WORK CLOSE TO HOME. I HAVE ALREADY REPLACED THE SUSPENSION AIR BAGS ONCE AND MY VEHICLE IS DROPPING AGAIN. I HAVE READ THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MY VEHICLE YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL. WHAT CAN I DO? MY VEHICLE IS VERY WELL TAKEN CARE OF AND I FIND IT OUTRAGEOUS THAT MERCEDES BENZ BEING FULLY AWARE OF THIS ISSUE, REFUSES TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. ESPECIALLY WITH THE ORIGINAL PRICE OF THE VEHICLE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCEDES BENZ S430. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT, THE INTERIOR, THE INTERIOR, AND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIRMATIC SHOCKS DROPPED CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO BECOME LOW AND DIFFICULT TO TURN THE WHEELS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOS…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCEDES BENZ S430. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT, THE INTERIOR, THE INTERIOR, AND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIRMATIC SHOCKS DROPPED CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO BECOME LOW AND DIFFICULT TO TURN THE WHEELS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 185,000.
AIR SUSPENSION PROBLEMS. DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND FRONT END OF MY CAR DROPS AND WHEELS START TO TOUCH CAR BODY, CANT TURN THE WHEELS EITHER (ONLY SLIGHTLY) THE FENDER GETS ON THE WAY, CAR IS TOO LOW. I PULLED OVER IN A LITTLE BIT CAR RAISED UP TO NORMAL POSITION. HAPPENED MORE THAT FEW TIMES. SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T RISES ALL …
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AIR SUSPENSION PROBLEMS. DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND FRONT END OF MY CAR DROPS AND WHEELS START TO TOUCH CAR BODY, CANT TURN THE WHEELS EITHER (ONLY SLIGHTLY) THE FENDER GETS ON THE WAY, CAR IS TOO LOW. I PULLED OVER IN A LITTLE BIT CAR RAISED UP TO NORMAL POSITION. HAPPENED MORE THAT FEW TIMES. SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T RISES ALL THE WAY UP TO NORMAL. AIR STRUT, AIR PUMP, VALVE BOX OR RELAY FAILURE. *TR
THE AIR PUMP IS INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE HAD A SEVERELY LOW FRONTEND. MECHANIC STATED IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM IN THE MERCEDES S430. *TR
SECOND AIRMATIC BREAKDOWN. FIRST WAS FRONT SIDE LAST JULY 2012. SECOND BREAKDOWN AUGUST 28, 2013 REAR PUMP LEFT SIDE. THIS PROBLEM IS GETTING REAL EXPENSIVE. DO ALL MERCEDES DO THIS? *JB
THE VEHICLE SAFETY LIGHT WENT RED INDICATING THE AIRMATIC FAILED AND TO STOP THE VEHICLE. *TR
THE GEAR SHIFTER HAD LOCKED INITIALLY OUT OF THE BLUE, I COULDN'T GET THE CAR OUT OF DRIVE. I TURNED IT OFF TO STOP IT AND THEN IT WOULDN'T GO INTO PARK. AFTER THE MERCEDES TECH CAME OUT IT WOULDN'T START AT ALL. THE TECH SAID IT WAS MOST LIKELY A SAFETY FEATURE WHICH HAD KICKED IN. THEN THE WHOLE RIGHT SIDE WENT DOWN. I AM TOLD…
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THE GEAR SHIFTER HAD LOCKED INITIALLY OUT OF THE BLUE, I COULDN'T GET THE CAR OUT OF DRIVE. I TURNED IT OFF TO STOP IT AND THEN IT WOULDN'T GO INTO PARK. AFTER THE MERCEDES TECH CAME OUT IT WOULDN'T START AT ALL. THE TECH SAID IT WAS MOST LIKELY A SAFETY FEATURE WHICH HAD KICKED IN. THEN THE WHOLE RIGHT SIDE WENT DOWN. I AM TOLD THE AIRMATIC SUSPENSION WENT OUT. WHY? THE CAR SAID STOP AIRMATIC TO LOW. I HAVE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WHICH MAY HAVE LEAD UP TO THESE ISSUES. UNFORTUNATELY I CAN NOT AFFORD THE $2,000 TO REPAIR THIS ISSUE WITH THE AIRMATIC. IS THERE ANY KIND OF RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE OR WARRANTY WITH MERCEDES THAT IS RESPONSIBLE. THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEM IS THE RADIO GOING OUT FOR 2-3 MONTHS AND THEN COMING BACK ON OUT OF THE BLUE. THE DOOR OPEN SIGNAL NOT GOING OFF IN THE ALERTS. THE TRUNK SWITCH NOT WORKING TO OPEN THE TRUNK, IT CAN ONLY BE OPENED MANUALLY. LASTLY THE HEADLIGHTS CONTINUALLY GOING OUT AFTER REPLACING THE BULB FOR 1 MONTH. RUST AND DETERIORATION ON THE ROOF BY THE SUNROOF. *TR
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.