Mercedes-Benz S-Class: which model years to avoid
Complaint and recall totals for every Mercedes-Benz S-Class model year we track, ranked by severity.
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls | Crashes | Fires | Severity | Most-reported system |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 71.4 Medium | ENGINE |
| 2014 | 25 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 128.0 High | UNKNOWN OR OTHER |
| 2015 | 51 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 207.8 High | UNKNOWN OR OTHER |
| 2016 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27.6 Low | UNKNOWN OR OTHER |
| 2017 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 Low | UNKNOWN OR OTHER |
| 2018 | 29 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 96.6 High | ENGINE |
| 2019 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 62.5 Medium | UNKNOWN OR OTHER |
| 2021 | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 218.2 High | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM |
| 2022 | 46 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 47.8 Medium | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE |
| 2023 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100.0 High | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE |
Across 10 model years, the 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class carries the highest severity index (218.2, driven by electrical system), while the 2017 is the cleanest at 0.0.
Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs. Complaint counts are not normalised by units sold; a high-volume seller will attract more filings than a rare trim.