2002 Mercedes-Benz S430 Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 20about this part
- Share
- 65%of 31 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 111,500miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 20 complaints about the electrical system of the 2002 Mercedes-Benz S430, 65% of the 31 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 111,500 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“While driving on my way home my instrument cluster went completely dark this is the first time this happen, park it for 2 days. Tried to open my door battery was dead replace battery found 5 amp fuse blown in the left sam, cluster flicker and went dark. Check my VIN number on the mb website no real LED on my instrument cluster”
NHTSA complaint #10758512, filed 2015-08, 100,200 miles“While driving during daylight hours on friday, 6/17/2016, I noticed the instrument cluster panel was very dark. The car was not driven again until dusk, on saturday, 6/18/2016 and I realized all of the instrument panel lights were out, the gauges were not working nor did the turn signals inside the vehicle or the automatic locks, work or the volume control on the steering wheel. The vehicle was in motion at the time of this discovery”
NHTSA complaint #10875334, filed 2016-06, 92,500 miles“I have approximately 104,000 miles, I cannot see it anymore because while driving home at night from the airport on the expressway doing 65 miles per hour, it went black. All the gauges were found stuck in their location the next morning at what they were at when the cluster went black. The cluster has never recovered and I have to drive with no idea of speed, signals operation, fuel level, or water temp. The information display is also blank so I don’t know what my mileage is or if the vehicle has any other information to give me. I had to drive home 60 miles in the dark. …”
NHTSA complaint #11150205, filed 2018-11, 104,400 miles“All lighting on instrument panel began flickering on and off ,panel remained totally dark, no lights, nothing worked on steering wheel. I was driving about 50 MPH and it was dark. Could not see any lighting on gauges. Took vehicle to dealer was told about recall on instrument cluster .after checking found out that my vehicle was not included in recall. I feel that it should have been included because my vehicle had all indications referred to in particular recall of instrument cluster. This needs to be investigated further.”
NHTSA complaint #10509995, filed 2013-04, 143,008 miles“While driving on 12/10/2016, the instrument cluster panel went very dark. At night there was no illumination either. Also the speedometer was fluctuating wildly from high to low and back. I could only see this with my interior light on, as the dash panel was dark. I realized I could not read any of the other the gauges including the safety warning display panel, nor did the turn signals inside the vehicle work or the volume control on the steering wheel. The vehicle was in motion at the time. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 06v028000 (interior lighting). …”
NHTSA complaint #10935564, filed 2016-12, 195,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 11015640Mar 5, 2025Complaint During a phone call, the called party has difficulty understanding/cannot understand the driver, or interference/background noises are audible to the called party…
- 11008091Sep 28, 2024Complaint During a phone call, the called party has difficulty understanding/cannot understand the driver, or interference/background noises are audible to the called party…
- 10186141Dec 10, 2020NTG5.5: Incorrect time shown on instrument cluster, COMAND display, and analog clock
- 10135604Mar 31, 2015Vehicle cannot be opened via Keyless-Go and radio remote control
- 10205233Aug 5, 2013Mobile phone cotacts are not transferred completely.
Electrical system: other model years
Other parts of the 2002 Mercedes-Benz S430
8 complaintsExterior lighting
7 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
2 complaintsElectronic stability control
1 complaintsInterior lighting
1 complaintsBody and structure
1 complaintsVehicle speed control
1 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2002 Mercedes-Benz S430
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 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