The contact owns a 2002 Mercedes-Benz S600. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the active body control warning light illuminated, after which the front suspension lowered to the ground, preventing the vehicle from being driven. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the hydro-pneumatic suspension pump and high-pressure hose. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 07V263000 (Suspension, Engine, and Engine Cooling) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 98,000.
The worst 2002 Mercedes Benz S600 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Engine6
- Electrical3
- Suspension3
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Engine6
- Electrical3
- Suspension3
Recalls 1
Suspension
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles, corrosion may occur in the inner steel portions of the active body control's (abc) high-pressure distribution hose due to extensive exposure to heat and humidity. Over time, corrosion may deteriorate the inner steel portions of the hose.
- Risk
- This may result in abc hydraulic fluid leakage. Under some circumstances, leaking hydraulic fluid may come in contact with hot engine components and lead to a possibility of fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install new, corrosion resistant abc high-pressure distribution hoses. The recall began august 31, 2004. Owners should contact mercedes-benz at 1‑800‑367‑6372.
Recall number 04V228000 · Recall details
See all 1 recalls for the 2002 Mercedes Benz S600
Defect investigations
Air suspension system failure
The subject s-class vehicles contain a compressed air suspension system that uses air struts on each of the four wheels in lieu of traditional springs and shock absorbers.these air struts use compressed air to support the weight of the vehicle and control ride height.in the event of the loss of air from the system, an alert will flash on the instrument cluster warning the driver to either drive carefully or to stop the vehicle.the vehicle ride height can be reduced by as much as 105 mm below normal ride height before the full load of the vehicle for that wheel comes to rest on a steel rod, with a rubber stop on the end, located in the shock absorber.this rest-stop condition is designed such that there is no impact on vehicle control.mercedes-benz (mbusa) supplied video showing a vehicle in this condition operating under several different situations including evasive maneuvers demonstrating the ability of the vehicle to be controlled effectively with a ride height reduced to the minimum.only those complaints to odi and mbusa that alleged a steering interference during a reduced ride height condition were counted in this resume failure report.some complaints alleged that with a reduced ride height and a stop now warning message there was a rubbing noise when turning, but the ability to steer the vehicle was not compromised.a sampling of warranty claims submitted by mbusa did not reveal any indicating a loss of control due to an airmatic system failure.there was one crash reported by mbusa to odi but the information available indicated that it related to suspension systems and it was not possible to verify that the incident was related to an airmatic system failure. Further use of agency resources in this matter does not appear to be warranted.the agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles and will take further action in the future if warranted.this preliminary evaluation is closed.
PE07042
Technical service bulletins for the 2002 Mercedes Benz S600 50
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Repeat workshop visit for vehicle vibration while braking from 60MPH. NOTE: Although the symptom is...
- Clanking noise from the area of the speakers in the doors
- Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end)
- There are several types of complaint about noises or poor windshield wiper wiping performance: A: Wiper...
- Headlamp, front fog lamp leaky or fogged
- Headlamp, front fog lamp leaky or fogged
- Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end)
- Headlamp, front fog lamp leaky or fogged
- Headlamps leaking or fogged
- Vehicle with atypical reduced heat output
What 2002 Mercedes Benz S600 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Abc line started leaking second time in 4 years exactly replaced it back in 2013 almost cost me 1500 and now its back doing the same problems the car is to low on the ground and can't not drive whats so ever
Massive oil leak. Oil cooler. Back of engine.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercedes-benz s600. While driving various speeds, the lights, gauges, and meters on the instrument cluster failed to function. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the instrument cluster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Massive oil leak. I have been told that it's everything from oil pressure valves to the oil cooler. Mb... What's the problem?? I need help and none of the san diego mb dealers can fix properly.
The car was leaking oil and hydraulic fluid. The car would not raise up and was leaking oil as fast as it was put in. It was not drivable. Could not fix it I had to park it.
Oil leak from oil cooler seems to be a chronic problem on this model car.
Oil cooler leak on my 2002 s600, and I found out that this a very common problem on these cars (2000-2002 v12 engines) and a very expensive repair that mercedes benz should cover or at least a large percentage of the repair. I just found out about your website so I decided to file a complaint. I took the car to the mercedes benz dealer and they diagnosed it and said the rear main seal needed to be replaced. I paid over $1100.00 for this repair and took the car back 3 times within a week and a half because the oil leak continued only to find out the oil cooler is what is leaking and not the rear main seal.
The mercedes s600 has a design flaw that causes a major oil leak from the oil cooler that is embedded inside the engine. This requires the intake and heads to be removed to replace the oil cooler at a cost of approximately $5k. Special care must be taken to clean the oil from the wiring harness, transmission and areas that has been soaked by the oil leak. This problem seems to re-occur every 50-100k miles. As a known problem, mercedes has not assumed any responsibility for this problem.
While driving vehicle suddenly car began to lose all power, check engine light came on, car began running rough. Took to dealership and they reported that the oxygen sensor was faulty and both right and left coil packs and that they need to replace the spark plugs again, at a total cost of $3875.00 this seems very disturbing considering they already replaced the spark plugs and wires because they were defective parts from the factory under warranty but now refuse to take resposibility for the coil packs even though they admit there is an issue with these high ignition systems. Only 14275 miles on vehicle.
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Questions about the 2002 Mercedes Benz S600
Is the 2002 Mercedes Benz S600 reliable?
Owners have filed 11 complaints about the 2002 Mercedes Benz S600, 2.2 times a typical S600 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2002 Mercedes Benz S600?
Engine and cooling, with 6 complaints, typically around 98,000 miles. Next is electrical (3).
How many recalls does the 2002 Mercedes Benz S600 have?
1 recall, covering suspension.
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