← New search

2001 Mercedes Benz S600

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

About this comparison →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
Compare all S600 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

32 reports with mileage · 6 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.

  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Suspension. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 6 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 reports0 fire reports0 injury reports

Interior Lighting complaints

3 reports
Clear category filter
98,000 miles · Jun 30, 2011
Interior LightingSuspension

INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IN VEHICLE DISPLAYING SPEED, OIL PRESSURE, FUEL LEVEL, AND OTHER ENGINE FUNCTIONS NOT WORKING. REFERRING TO RECALL ID 06V028000, I CONTACTED LOCAL MERCEDES DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT AN EXTENDED WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED AND OWNER OF VEHICLE WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL REPAIRS. CONTACTED MERCEDES-BENZ REPRESENTATI…

Read full complaint

INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IN VEHICLE DISPLAYING SPEED, OIL PRESSURE, FUEL LEVEL, AND OTHER ENGINE FUNCTIONS NOT WORKING. REFERRING TO RECALL ID 06V028000, I CONTACTED LOCAL MERCEDES DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT AN EXTENDED WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED AND OWNER OF VEHICLE WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL REPAIRS. CONTACTED MERCEDES-BENZ REPRESENTATIVE AND WAS TOLD EXACTLY THE SAME. I EXPLAINED TO BOTH REPRESENTATIVES THAT I TOOK OWNERSHIP IN 2008 AND WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF ANY RECALLS ON VEHICLE, BUT THEY BOTH GAVE SAME RESPONSE, EMPHASIZING OF AN EXPIRED EXTENDED WARRANTY BUT NOT OF RECALL AS MENTIONED. (REPRESENTATIVE DID NOT HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE OF ANY RECALL EXISTING.) WHILE AT TRAFFIC LIGHT, SUPENSION GOES UP AND DOWN CONSTANTLY; WHILE DRIVING STILL GOES UP AND DOWN, BUT NOT AS CONSTANT. DID NOT REPORT TO DEALERSHIP OR REPRESENTATIVE BECAUSE AS MENTIONED, THEY KEPT REFERRING TO AND EXTENDED WARRANTY THAT WAS UNKNOWN TO ME, AND DID NOT KNOW OF ANY RECALLS. THERE ARE OTHER RECALLS ON THIS MODEL VEHICLE RELATING TO SAFETY THAT WERE UNKNOWN TO ME. I WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF ANY RECALLS. AS THE OWNER I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO GET THE REPAIRS DONE NOT ONLY FOR MY SAFETY BUT ALSO MY FAMILY AS WELL, BUT IF THERE ARE RECALLS ALREADY ESTABLISHED, THE MANUFACTURER OR ITS REPRESENTATIVES SHOULD BE OBLIGATED TO NOTIFY OWNERS AND SOLVE THE PROBLEMS. I HAVE AN OLDER VEHICLE FROM ANOTHER MANUFACTURER, AND THEY NOTIFIED ME OF ALL RECALLS CONCERNING THAT VEHICLE WITHOUT ME DOING ANY REGISTRATION WITH THEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10410120

45,015 miles · Sep 1, 2006
Electrical SystemInterior Lighting

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FLICKERED AND FAILED COMPLETELY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER, WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. THE DEALER ORDERED A NEW CLUSTER FOR THE VEHICLE. THERE IS A NHTSA RECALL # 06V028000 PERTAINING TO T…

Read full complaint

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FLICKERED AND FAILED COMPLETELY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER, WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. THE DEALER ORDERED A NEW CLUSTER FOR THE VEHICLE. THERE IS A NHTSA RECALL # 06V028000 PERTAINING TO THE INTERIOR LIGHTING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN.*AK UPDATED 10/4/2006 - THE TURNS SIGNAL VISUAL AND AUDIBLE INDICATORS FAILED WHICH MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE CONSUMER TO KNOW IF/WHEN THE TURN SIGNAL WAS ACTIVATED. *NM

NHTSA ODI #10167216

38,000 miles · Aug 11, 2006
Interior Lighting

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILED. THERE WAS A NHTSA RECALL, # 06V028000, REGARDING THE INTERIOR LIGHTING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN. *AK UPDATED 10/4/2006 - *NM

NHTSA ODI #10165246

Official recalls

1

04V228000 · Suspension

May 13, 2004

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, CORROSION MAY OCCUR IN THE INNER STEEL PORTIONS OF THE ACTIVE BODY CONTROL'S (ABC) HIGH-PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION HOSE DUE TO EXTENSIVE EXPOSURE TO HEAT AND HUMIDITY. OVER TIME, CORROSION MAY DETERIORATE THE INNER STEEL PORTIONS OF THE HOSE.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THIS MAY RESULT IN ABC HYDRAULIC FLUID LEAKAGE. UNDER SOME CIRCUMSTANCES, LEAKING HYDRAULIC FLUID MAY COME IN CONTACT WITH HOT ENGINE COMPONENTS AND LEAD TO A POSSIBILITY OF FIRE.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL NEW, CORROSION RESISTANT ABC HIGH-PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION HOSES. THE RECALL BEGAN AUGUST 31, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT MERCEDES-BENZ AT 1-800-367-6372.

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

1

PE05062 · Instrument Cluster Failure

Opened Nov 10, 2005 · Closed Feb 8, 2006

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Interior Lighting

THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED THIS INVESTIGATION BASED ON SEVEN REPORTS INDICATING THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTERS IN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2000-2001 MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS VEHICLES FAILED IN THAT CONSUMERS WERE UNABLE TO READ ANY OF THE GAUGES WHILE OPERATING THEIR VEHICLES AT ANY SPEED DURING THE DAY OR NIGHT.IN ITS 573 REPORT TO NHTSA DATED FEBRUARY 1, 2006, MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC (MERCEDES-BENZ)STATES THAT THERE ARE THREE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILURE MODES THAT WOULD RESULT IN UNDESIRABLE OPERATION.THESE THREE FAILURE MODES ARE SPECIFIC TO CERTAIN DATES OF PRODUCTION (SEE BELOW) FOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLE, AND MERCEDES-BENZ IS RECALLING THOSE VEHICLES WITHIN THOSE DATES.SPECIFIC INFORMATION REGARDING THE FAILURE MODES IS DESCRIBED IN MERCEDES-BENZ'S REPORT (SEE NHTSA RECALL 06V028).THREE OF THE ODI COMPLAINTS SUBMITTED TO MERCEDES-BENZ INVOLVE VEHICLES THAT WERE PRODUCED BEFORE THE DATES OF PRODUCTION OF VEHICLES AFFECTED BY THE THREE FAILURE MODES.BASED ON REVIEW OF THOSE THREE COMPLAINTS, MERCEDES-BENZ WAS UNABLE TO IDENTIFY A RELATION OF THOSE THREE TO THE DEFECTS IDENTIFIED IN THE RECALLED VEHICLES.ALL OF THE MERCEDES-BENZ COMPLAINTS WITH VINS IDENTIFIED WERE WITHIN THE RECALL POPULATION (ONLY 2 VEHICLE VINS WERE NOT AVAILABLE TO POSITIVELY IDENTIFY VEHICLE BUILD DATE).THE RECALL POPULATION WILL INCLUDE 36,911 S CLASS AND CL CLASS MERCEDES-BENZ VEHICLES BUILT IN THE PRODUCTION DATES RANGING FROM JUNE 2000 THROUGH NOVEMBER 2000, JANUARY 2002 THROUGH APRIL 2002, AND MAY 2004 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2004.THESE DATES OF PRODUCTION COVER VEHICLES FROM THE 2000-2002 MY AND THE 2004-2005 MY.TO CORRECT THE CONDITION, MERCEDES-BENZ WILL REPLACE ALL AFFECTED INSTRUMENT CLUSTERS WITH IMPROVED ONES THAT ARE NOT SUBJECT TO THE FAILURE MODES.MERCEDES-BENZ WILL BEGIN OWNER NOTIFICATION DURING THE 1ST QUARTER OF 2006.