2002 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Engine
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
MASSIVE OIL LEAK. OIL COOLER. BACK OF ENGINE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCEDES-BENZ S500. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM THE CENTER OF THE VEHICLE. A WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS AN ABC HYDRAULIC FLUID LEAK, WHICH WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,140.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCEDES BENZ S55. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL NOISE. THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE ACTIVE BODY CONTROL HOSE HAD BECOME DETACHED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ACTIVE BODY CONTROL HOSE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 92,000.
RIGHT SIDE CATALYST BROKE APART AND FAILED. IT CAUSED THE CAR TO RUN REALLY HORRIBLE AND STALL OUT MANY TIMES. MANUFACTURER DOESN'T WANT TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR, EVEN IF THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 65000 MILES. IT WON'T PASS THE CALIFORNIA EMISSION TESTING. *TR UPDATED 12/17/14. *JB
MASSIVE OIL LEAK. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT IT'S EVERYTHING FROM OIL PRESSURE VALVES TO THE OIL COOLER. MB... WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?? I NEED HELP AND NONE OF THE SAN DIEGO MB DEALERS CAN FIX PROPERLY. *TR
IDLE PULLEY (PLASTIC) FAILED/BROKE ON I-68 AT TOP OF SIDELING HILL GAP CAUSING LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND OTHER POWER RELATED ITEMS. CAR HARD TO CONTROL GOING DOWN LONG, STEEP HILL. WHEN PULLEY BROKE, SERPENTINE BELT FELL OFF. WE WERE INFORMED THAT THIS IS NOT AN UNCOMMON PROBLEM. CAR ONLY HAS 53,000 MILES. *TR
OIL LEAK FROM OIL COOLER SEEMS TO BE A CHRONIC PROBLEM ON THIS MODEL CAR. *TR
OIL COOLER LEAK ON MY 2002 S600, AND I FOUND OUT THAT THIS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM ON THESE CARS (2000-2002 V12 ENGINES) AND A VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR THAT MERCEDES BENZ SHOULD COVER OR AT LEAST A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THE REPAIR. I JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT YOUR WEBSITE SO I DECIDED TO FILE A COMPLAINT. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE MERCEDES BENZ DEALER AND THEY DIAGNOSED IT AND SAID THE REAR MAIN SEAL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I PAID OVER $1100.00 FOR THIS REPAIR AND TOOK THE CAR BACK 3 TIMES WITHIN A WEEK AND A HALF BECAUSE THE OIL LEAK CONTINUED ONLY TO FIND OUT THE OIL COOLER IS WHAT IS LEAKING AND NOT THE REAR MAIN SEAL. *TR
THE MERCEDES S600 HAS A DESIGN FLAW THAT CAUSES A MAJOR OIL LEAK FROM THE OIL COOLER THAT IS EMBEDDED INSIDE THE ENGINE. THIS REQUIRES THE INTAKE AND HEADS TO BE REMOVED TO REPLACE THE OIL COOLER AT A COST OF APPROXIMATELY $5K. SPECIAL CARE MUST BE TAKEN TO CLEAN THE OIL FROM THE WIRING HARNESS, TRANSMISSION AND AREAS THAT HAS BEEN SOAKED BY THE OIL LEAK. THIS PROBLEM SEEMS TO RE-OCCUR EVERY 50-100K MILES. AS A KNOWN PROBLEM, MERCEDES HAS NOT ASSUMED ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS PROBLEM. *TR
CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILED AFTER ONLY 4 YEARS. *NM
HESITATES ON ACCELLERATION(DANGEROUS AT INTERSECTIONS AND PASSING) HAVE COMPLAINED 4 TIMES TO SELLER AND THEY CAN NOT CORRECT IT. PLEASE ADVISE ME. THANKS DT
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2002 Mercedes-Benz S-Class has 11 Engine complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.