2007 Mercedes-Benz S550 Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 13about this part
- Share
- 24%of 54 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 65,561miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 13 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2007 Mercedes-Benz S550, 24% of the 54 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 65,561 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.
“I was driving my S550 and came to a red light. I stopped at the light and when it turned green, I took my foot off the brakes and pressed the accelerator, but there was to response to pressing the accelerator. The car rpms were increasing but the vehicle was crawling at less than 5mph. This LED to me pulling over and parking the vehicle and turning it off. I waited 5 minutes and then restarted it and it began to work normally. …”
NHTSA complaint #10585032, filed 2014-04, 136,000 miles“My 2007 mb S550 base model stalled as I was merging on to the expressway in heavy traffic. After sitting on side of the road for 20mins, I started the car and it was making a whining noise and when I accelerate the noise gets louder. I drove the car to the nearest Mercedes-Benz dealership. I was told that the transmission needs to be replaced. The car has been serviced with mercedes and only has 100k miles. This will cost $7,800.00 the service guy stated that this should not be happening on this car but unfortunately he stated that he has seen this before.”
NHTSA complaint #11204093, filed 2019-04, 100,000 miles“Vehicle becomes stuck in gear while driving down the road. Will not shift, sometimes you don't have enough power to move quickly. For example vehicle was stuck in 6th gear after leaving the highway. I could not accelerate to move the car. I had to shut the car off to reset the computer to get the car out of 6th gear. This has happened at least 10 times over the past 3 month period. Many other owners of this car have experienced the same transmission failure and that is very dangerous because the car lose power when it is stuck in a gear. …”
NHTSA complaint #10629934, filed 2014-09, 68,400 miles“Without any warning the transmission went out on 2007 mercedes S550 with only 40,000 miles on it. I purchased the vehicle brand new and had maintained service with mercedes and had all the records. The car was a few months out of the manufactures warranty yet I been very well maintained and had low mileage considering I bought it when they first came out in 2006. Mercedes did everything possible to say I had not properly serviced vehicle until I produced all the records, thought they had a system that traced service sine all work was performed by them. …”
NHTSA complaint #10383065, filed 2011-02, 42,000 miles“Without any apparent reason the engine stalled, transmission appear not to be functioning properly. Car return to function normally after being parked for 2 or 3 hours. Today 4/20/2009 car appear to be experiencing the same problem, please notice that dashboard indicator is alerting of any malfunctioning.”
NHTSA complaint #10266259, filed 2009-04, 14,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 11035005Jul 14, 2026Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end). The noise is heard once in each instance when changing direction of…
- 11025648Nov 15, 2025Complaint Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end). The clunk is heard once when changing from forward to reverse…
- 11019018May 21, 2025Complaint Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end). The clunk is heard once when changing from forward to reverse…
- 11013298Jan 16, 2025Complaint Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end). The clunk is heard once when changing from forward to reverse…
- 11013332Jan 15, 2025Complaint Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end). The noise is heard once in each instance when changing…
- 10181124Sep 30, 2020Harsh engagement when changing gear range from P to D or R
- 10181123Sep 22, 2020Harsh engagement when changing gear range from P to D
- 10176661May 1, 20205 to 4 coasting downshift - shift quality concern with cold trans- mission oil on MODEL 217 or 222 in combination with ENGI- NE 278 and TRANSMISSION 722.9 without code 835/498
- 10029504Feb 1, 2009Mercedes: replace transfer case on affected vehicles optimized transfer cases will reduce vibrations when cornering or when parking. Models 203, 211, 220.
- 10027905Oct 1, 2008Mercedes benz: check auxiliary transmission oil cooler thermostat for leaks, replace o rings if necessary.
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
Other parts of the 2007 Mercedes-Benz S550
12 complaintsElectrical system
11 complaintsVehicle speed control
9 complaintsEngine
8 complaintsOther or unknown
6 complaintsFuel system
5 complaintsEngine cooling
4 complaintsAir bags
3 complaintsSteering
3 complaintsBody and structure
3 complaintsBrakes
2 complaintsEquipment
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2007 Mercedes-Benz S550
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