Mercedes-Benz S-Class

259 complaints across 6 scored model years and 38 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · Mercedes-Benz S-Class Full report

Grade 2010–2021

2021 vs model median 2.7×

Model median3× median

Driver Assist 9

Electrical 9

Engine 7

Avoid

2015 · 2021

Best

2010 · 2019

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2010	0.39×	12	A
2014	1.34×	20	D
2015	1.47×	17	D
2018	0.66×	16	C
2019	0.45×	11	B
2021	2.69×	49	F
2022 P	3.77×	89	F
2023 P	0.58×	12	A

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What it costs to run

EPA figures for the most recent model year on record.

EPA fuel economy and drivetrain
Combined MPG	20
City / Highway	16 / 26
Engine	4L, 8 cyl
Drive	Rear-Wheel Drive
Annual fuel cost	$4,000

Recalls

38 campaigns on record, 1 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Treat that as a minimum. NHTSA's lookup does not answer to this model's published name, so its campaigns are collected one trim at a time and the list may be short of the full count.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
21V058000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE	2018–2021	1,292,258
22V365000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE	2019, 2021	242,722
19V787000	COMMUNICATION	2014, 2015	24,226
26V216000	POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:UNIVERSAL JOINT	2018, 2019	24,092
21V197000	STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS	2014–2019	15,096
20V173000	ENGINE	2018, 2019	9,791
22V167000	EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BACK UP LIGHTS	2021	9,156
17V816000	LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH	2018	8,700

+ 30 further campaigns

Recall work is free at any franchised dealer, whoever owns the car and however old it is. Check a specific car’s VIN on NHTSA’s register before you buy — an unrepaired campaign is among the most commonly missed items on a used vehicle. One campaign here carries a Park It or Park Outside warning, which means NHTSA advised owners to stop driving or parking the vehicle indoors until the work was done.

Others in Full-Size Cars

Same body and size class. Each grade describes that model against its own history — these are not ranked against each other.

Other models in the same segment
Model	Years to avoid	Grade
Acura RLX	none flagged	C
Audi A6	2019	C
Audi A7	2019	C
Audi A8	none flagged	C
BMW 5 Series	20112012	C
BMW 7 Series	2012	B
Buick Lacrosse	20112012	C
Cadillac XTS	2013	C

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2021 S-Class

Complaints in window: 49
Severity-weighted: 83.5
Model median (weighted): 31
vs model median: 2.69×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 13
Open investigations: 0

Score 17.7 F