Model year record
2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 recalls & problems
The 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 has no safety recalls on file with NHTSA, and 16 owner complaints. The most-reported problem area is electrical system (10 complaints).
Safety recalls
No safety recalls have been filed for the 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400.
Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.
Fuel economy
S400 Hybrid Hybrid
| City / highway | 19 / 25 mpg |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Premium Gasoline |
3.5 L · 6 cyl · Automatic 7-spd · Rear-Wheel Drive · about $3,900/year to fuel
EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.
What owners report
| Problem area | Complaints | Typical mileage* |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 10 | 80,504 mi |
| Engine | 3 | 61,000 mi |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 3 | 69,000 mi |
| Unknown or other | 2 | — |
| Engine and engine cooling | 1 | — |
| EquipmentAppliance › Air conditioner | 1 | — |
| Electronic stability control (esc) | 1 | — |
| Power train | 1 | — |
| Suspension | 1 | — |
| Vehicle speed control | 1 | — |
| Steering | 1 | — |
*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Recent owner complaints
- Suspension
Airmatic Suspension sprung a leak and could not be driven safely due to the vehicle getting severely low where the tire and rim tucked into the wheel well. When the airmatic suspension fails the vehicle can get so low that it can scrape the roadway, hit bumps and damage parts under which can dislodge and cause an severe accident or pile up. Requesting a Nationwide Recall on all Mercedes-Benz vehicles equipped with Airmatic Suspension.
- Electrical system
POWER ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT MALFUNCTION. CAR WILL NOT CRANK/ NO START. CAR WAS STATIONARY-PARKED.
- Electrical system
THE COMPUTER CONTROL UNIT FOR THE HYBRID MOTOR HAS FAILED ON MY AND MANY S400S. THIS CAUSES CAR TO STALL OUT AT STOPLIGHTS OR WHILE DRIVING. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE.
- Fuel/propulsion system
STRONG GAS ORDERS FROM INTERIOR AFTER FILL UP. STATIONARY, IN MOTION, STOPPED. TO THE POINT OF NAUSEA AND LIGHT HEADEDNESS. 2011 IS ON RECALL LIST FOR GAS PUMP AND SENDER REPLACEMENT, PLUS WARRANTY EXTENSION TO 15 YEARS FOR THIS PROBLEM. THIS NEEDS TO ALSO INCLUDE THE 2010 S400 HYBRIDS VEHICLE HAS ONLY 87,000 MILES ON IT, AND CANNOT BE DRIVEN DUE TO POSSIBLE FUEL INGITION AND THE POSSIBILITY OF A CATASTROPHIC FIRE. PLEASE RESPOND WITH THE UTMOST OF HASTE, LIVES ARE AT STAKE. DEATH BY FIRE IS HORRIFIC.
- Electrical system
THE CAR FIRST STARTED TO STOP INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT ANY WARNING AT ALL AT THE TRAFFIC INTERSECTION, THEN I WAS ABLE TO START IT AGAIN AFTER SHUTTING EVERY THING DOWN. THEN A MONTH LATER, THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN BUT THIS TIME I WAS NOT ABLE TO START THE CAR AGAIN. THIS COULD BE A VERY DANGEROUS SAFETY SITUATION IF THE ENGINE SHUTS DOWN WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. MERCEDES ONLY PROVIDED TEMPORARY SOLUTION BY REPLACING THE CAR HYBRID INVERTER POWER ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT THROUGH A CAMPAIGN BULLETIN 2012080004. THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO MERCEDES S400, 2010-2012 YEAR MODEL. HOWEVER, THE MAIN PROBLEM STILL REMAINS AND POSES A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE FOR ALL THE DRIVER AND…
- Electrical system
FIRST THERE WAS NO POWER TO THE CAR SO WE REPLACED THE BATTERY. THEN THE CAR WAS RUNNING AND SHUT OFF ONE DAY AND WOULD NOT RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY WHEN IT WOULD NOT RESTART. WE HAD IT TOWED TO MERCEDES DEALER. THEY ARE STATING IT THE POWER ELECTRONICS MODULE. THERE ARE TWO RECALLS RELATED TO THIS PART BUT WHEN CHECKING THE VIN OURS IS NOT PART OF THEM. THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE. THE MERCEDES DEALER EVEN STATED THERE WERE ISSUES WITH THIS PART THAT'S WHY MERCEDES ONLY MADE THESE CARS FOR TWO YEARS. PLEASE SEE CAMPAIGN NO. 2012080004. *TR
- Power train
WHEN COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP, THE HYBRID SYSTEM SHUTS DOWN THE ENGINE AND FAILS TO RESTART. THIS PLACES THE DRIVER, PASSENGER AND OTHERS AT RISK OF COLLISION AS VEHICLE WILL REMAIN STOPPED IN TRAFFIC. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN KNOWN TO MERCEDES-BENZ AS IF IS A FAILURE OF THE POWER ELECTRONICS MODULE. IT HAS BEEN SUBJECT TO TWO SERVICE CAMPAIGNS: 2012880004 NOVEMBER 2012 2015030006 JUNE 2015 HOWEVER IT APPEARS THAT THE DEFECTIVE PART IS REPLACED WITH A SIMILARLY DEFECTIVE PART. FURTHERMORE MERCEDES-BENZ NO LONGER MAKES THIS PART AVAILABLE FOR THIS MODEL WHICH WAS PRODUCED THROUGH 2013. THIS DEFECTIVE PART THIS MODEL AT HIGH RISK FOR THE SAFETY OF ITS OWNERS, PASSENGERS AND OCCUPANTS OF OTHER…
- Electrical system
2010 S400 HYBRID WONT START FIRST INSTANCE WAS LESS THAN 24 HOUR OF PURCHASING CAR FROM LOCAL DEALER. LIGHTS ALL ON BUT NO CRANK. STARTED AFTER AND TWO WEEKS LATER IT HAD TO BE TOWED BECAUSE IT COMPLETELY WONT START. MBUSA FORUM CHAT AND SEVERAL SOCIAL MEDIA GROUPS ALL AROUND THE WORLD HAS THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL AND IT COMES DOWN TO AN ELECTRONICS POWER MODULE THAT COST MORE THAN WHAT THE CAR IS WORTH TO REPAIR. PLEASE ADVISE!
Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.