Model Year Index

Which Mercedes-Benz S-Class years to avoid

Across 6 scored model years, the 2021, 2015 and 2014 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Mercedes-Benz S-Class Full report
F
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.

Year Complaint volume 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 owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2015 D 17 reports · median 11,000 mi

  1. Tires & Wheels 4

    The contact owns a 2015 mercedes-benz s550. While driving, the vehicle began to wobble without warning. The failure occurred twice. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 3

    2015 mercedes benz s-550. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle security systems mechanical and electrical failure accident. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Airbags & Restraints 3

    New vehicle (from mercedes of encino) was being driven in a test drive. Eb on burbank bl-speed limit 50mph--in center lane of 3 eb- mbz salesman reached across driver and set cruise at 40mph and encouraged driver to… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

7 crash · 7 injuries

2021 F 49 reports · median 1,194 mi

  1. Driver Assist 9

    Every mercedes benz manufactured in 2021 has a defective hood lens which prevents the adaptive driver assistance system from working properly. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 9

    Upon startup, the back up camera will not display when putting the car in reverse. I could not see if any pedestrians were behind me when backing out of a parking spot. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Engine 7

    The contact owns a 2021 mercedes-benz s580. The contact received a notification for NHTSA campaign number: 21v843000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

4 crash · 8 injuries

The best year for the S-Class

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2010 is the best-scoring S-Class model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 90.3 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2010 0.39× 12 A
2019 0.45× 11 B
2018 0.66× 16 C

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.

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
21V843000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECU/ECM):SOFTWARE 2021 8,669
22V493000 BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION 2021 8,530
22V189000 STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR 2021, 2022 8,396
18V910000 LANE DEPARTURE: LANE KEEP: AUTOMATIC STEERING 2018, 2019 6,200

+ 26 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.

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2021 were reported at a median of 1,194 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Mercedes-Benz S-Class years should you avoid?
2021, 2015, 2014 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Mercedes-Benz S-Class model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class?
2010 is the best-scoring Mercedes-Benz S-Class model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 90.3 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Mercedes-Benz S-Class have?
At least 38 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Mercedes-Benz S-Class model years — a minimum, because NHTSA's lookup does not answer to this model's published name and its campaigns have to be collected one trim at a time. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

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