Skip to content
Forward collision avoidancePart report

2021 Mercedes-Benz S 580 Forward collision avoidance Problems

Complaints
5about this part
Share
15%of 34 total for the year
Median mileage
12,347miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 5 complaints about the forward collision avoidance of the 2021 Mercedes-Benz S 580, 15% of the 34 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 12,347 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“Driving on highway at about 50 mph when the brakes suddenly slammed on and brought car to a sudden, near stop. The stop was so sudden our seatbelts engaged and we thought we were struck in the rear by another car. Electrical module issues that cause battery to drain while vehicle is turned off have been ongoing since I purchased the car in October, 2021. Car has been in for service related to this problem 6 times and for over 60 days.”

NHTSA complaint #11501439, filed 2023-01

“While on the freeway, going approximately 70 mph, the vehicles onboard cameras all failed and I got a warning that said “camera dirty/unavailable/traffic sign assist currently unavailable”. Because of this failure, I almost crashed the car in Front of me. I cleaned all the cameras. The message continues to appear. The dealer said “it’s a known malfunction with this particular model, based on the chip shortage, during Covid”. My car has 57000 miles and apparently several owners of this model, are experiencing the same issue. …”

NHTSA complaint #11636844, filed 2025-01

“The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz S580. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle inadvertently activated the Forward Collision Avoidance feature and briefly applied the brakes hard enough for the ABS to be activated. The contact stated that there were no objects near or around the vehicle. The vehicle returned to normal functionality but had since become a regular failure. The Forward Collision Avoidance warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. …”

NHTSA complaint #11540188, filed 2023-08, 23,500 miles

“The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz S580. The contact stated while driving approximately 5 MPH, the brakes failed to function as needed while the brake pedal was being depressed. The failure resulted in a crash. There were no injuries sustained. The contact stated that the accident occurred due to the failure in the braking system as well as the intelligent driving feature. The contact stated that the vehicle inadvertently shutoff and restarted without driving input. The brake assist feature did not engage because the driver was already actively depressing the brake pedal. …”

NHTSA complaint #11444036, filed 2021-12, 1,194 miles

Related service bulletins

Forward collision avoidance: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2023233%
2021515%

Other parts of the 2021 Mercedes-Benz S 580

Electrical system
10 complaintsOther or unknown
6 complaintsWheels
6 complaintsEngine
4 complaintsEngine cooling
4 complaintsBrakes
3 complaintsLane departure
3 complaintsVehicle speed control
3 complaintsExterior lighting
2 complaintsFuel system
2 complaintsTires
2 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
2 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2021 Mercedes-Benz S 580

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology