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Mercedes-Benz 500Years to avoid, problems & recalls

NHTSA has 98 owner complaints and 2 safety recalls on record for the Mercedes-Benz 500.

Years to avoidNoneBased on weighted complaintsBest years—Fewest complaints for their ageOwner complaints98Top: Electrical systemSafety recalls21984–2003 model years

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports. Updated daily. How we score years.

Best & worst years

Mercedes-Benz 500 years to avoid

Complaints by model year, colored by the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the 500 median. Tap a year for its full report.

'84'85'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'03
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
2003Not rated–/10011 complaints · 0 recalls2000Not rated–/1009 complaints · 0 recalls1999Not rated–/1007 complaints · 0 recalls1998Not rated–/1002 complaints · 0 recalls1997Not rated–/1008 complaints · 0 recalls1996Not rated–/1006 complaints · 0 recalls1995Not rated–/1008 complaints · 0 recalls1994Not rated–/1006 complaints · 1 recall1993Not rated–/10023 complaints · 1 recall1992Not rated–/10015 complaints · 1 recall1991Not rated–/1000 complaints · 1 recall1990Not rated–/1001 complaint · 2 recalls1985Not rated–/1001 complaint · 0 recalls1984Not rated–/1001 complaint · 0 recalls
Complaints by system

Most common Mercedes-Benz 500 problems

All model years combined: 98 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Electrical system433
Visibility70
Suspension71
Equipment60
Engine and engine cooling61
Seat belts50
Fuel system, gasoline50
Power train50
Service brakes, hydraulic52
10 other systems226
2 recalls

Mercedes-Benz 500 recalls

Newest first. The ring shows the share of affected vehicles repaired, from the manufacturer's latest report to NHTSA.

–Visibility96V-175 · 1990–1994 · Sep 19, 1996 · 28,874 vehicles–Tires: sidewall90V-062 · 1990 · May 1, 1990 · 278 vehicles
3 investigations

NHTSA investigations of the 500

  1. INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILUREPE05062 · 2000 · closed Feb 8, 2006
    Led to recall 06V-028
  2. SUDDEN ACCELERATIONEA88034 · 1984–1988 · closed Jul 31, 1990
    No recall
  3. SUDDEN ACCELERATIONDP87019 · 1984–1986 · closed Oct 29, 1987
    No recall