Instrument Panel problems of the 2001 Mercedes Benz 500

2001 benz s-500. Speedometer cluster malfunction. Cluster flickers on and off.

I was driving at night and the instrument cluster lighting began flickering, and after a couple of minutes went completely dark. The consequence of this failure is hazardous, the driver has no information as to the status of any of the car's systems. All of the following gauges and displays are disabled and nonfunctional as a result: fuel gauge, vehicle temperature, mph, rpm's, the gear the vehicle is in, turn signal operation, as well as, all of the warning lights and displays. Additionally, the steering wheel controls which provide the driver certain systems information, and the ability to operate the radio, cd player, telephone and volume are disabled due to the failure of the instrumentation cluster. This is a very dangerous condition for the driver and vehicle as you are basically "driving blind". I have not yet fixed the instrumentation cluster (also referred to interior lighting) and I can provide any necessary additional information.

Recall id#06v02800 - I replaced my instrument cluster after the recall date but because my vehicle number does not fall within a range, mercedes will not reimburse me for the repair. I have a 2001 s500.