2001 Mercedes-Benz S500 Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 1about this part
- Share
- 3%of 34 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 234,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 1 complaints about the engine of the 2001 Mercedes-Benz S500, 3% of the 34 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 234,000 miles.
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.
“When backing up in reverse the car begins to smoke from tail pipe. Once in drive it begins to shake and moves slowly in traffic then slowly picks up speed after an unusually long duration. Dashboard is almost totally blacked out cannot read gauges (gas level,speed odometer, engine temperature, mileage). Finally, the air conditioning suddenly stopped blowing.”
NHTSA complaint #10706624, filed 2015-04, 234,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 11017039Apr 1, 2025Complaint Vehicle with atypical reduced heat output. Cause Silicate granulate may have escaped from a damaged bag in the expansion reservoir (not visible), reducing the coolant…
Engine: other model years
Other parts of the 2001 Mercedes-Benz S500
21 complaintsExterior lighting
9 complaintsInterior lighting
6 complaintsSuspension
6 complaintsVehicle speed control
5 complaintsOther or unknown
2 complaintsSteering
2 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
2 complaintsBody and structure
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2001 Mercedes-Benz S500
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 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