Table 1 shows one common exterior lighting related problems of the 2001 Mercedes Benz S500.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting problems |
Instrumental cluster light not working.
I was at a stop light on 225 and chambers and when the light turned green as soon as a hit the gas my entire dashboard went blank. I no longer had light and my gauges were not responding either. After doing some research I seen some forums about the recall so I call the manufacturer and was told that even though acknowledged as a safety concern the recall was closed June 2011. I purchased the car June 2010 and no one reached out. I have only one car and I can not drive it because I cant see the speed or if I even have gas. I have kids and like everyone else I work but I can not afford to pay $1800. 00 to fix this and I shouldnt have to. I cant understand how a safety recall can expire. Seems as if there is no true regard to safety.
I have had the car since 2010 in June and I have already had to replace the front driver side ball bearing and joints and they have stopped working once again I was driving last week in traffic at around 5 pm when my entire dashboard went out none of the gauges are working I couldnt see anything.
While driving on the freeway, the back lights in the instrument cluster that illuminate the speed markings started to flicker for a few seconds and then turned off and went dark. Then after a few minuets, the whole instrument cluster went dark and the speedometer stopped working completely. It was impossible to know what speed you are going at.
While driving on a 400 mile trip home in the dark, the entire cluster lighting turned off and speedometer began to fluctuate. The situation was extremely hazardous and I was forced to pull over on a major highway to find out what is wrong. As no fuses or relays were blown out, I had to use a small flashlight to illuminate the cluster to get home.
For the second time the instrument cluster lighting had to be replace by the dealer. It did the same thing it did under the original recall. No lighting in instrument cluster.
I was driving the vehicle on the highway when all of a sudden the entire dash gauge cluster flickered and went totally dark and stopped working. I was so distracted that I almost ran into the car that was in front of me. The interior lighting went out as well. Now, there is no way of knowing the speed of the vehicle or of seeing any of the other important gauges including gear selection. It is impossible to drive the car safely. The mercedes dealer in manhattan and north America mercedes center in NJ says the car is not covered and that the extended warranty for this issue has expired. They have basically said" too bad" for me in a very arrogant and cold manner. Almost like I should be ashamed for asking them to fix it. This is a low miles well cared for vehicle that has always been pampered and garaged. It belonged to my father. The estimated repair price from the dealer for the instrument cluster is over $4,000. 00. The car is currently sitting in my garage unable to be driven. Frankly, I am surprised at mercedes' refusal to fix the car considering that there was a national recall concerning this very issue and that also there was a need for a mb extended warranty to fix this very same lighting/cluster issue. Not to mention the exorbitant price for the S500 both retail and when it was new. I expected when I purchased the car that it would provide the type of reliability and engineering that mercedes claims to have built it's reputation on.