2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Electrical System (5) · Fuel/Propulsion System (3) · Engine (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Mercedes-Benz S400 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (0)
No recalls on record for this model year (campaigns announced since 2010).
Service bulletins (61)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Service Brakes 2026-09-22 · LI42.10-P-078779 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
complaint repeat workshop visit for vehicle vibration while braking from 60mph. note: although the symptom is similar to a tire or wheel vibration, it is usually readily noticeable that it is distinctly different if it happens at all times or only while braking. cause although the cause of the vibra
Structure:body 2026-09-14 · LI82.62-P-078631 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
complaint clanking noise from the area of the speakers in the doors. cause under analysis. remedy to narrow down the cause, first of all remove the door trim. • if the noise continues to occur even with the door trim removed, then continue the diagnosis working towards the speaker and if necessary,
Structure:body 2026-08-06 · LI82.62-P-078631 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
complaint clanking noise from the area of the speakers in the doors. cause under analysis. remedy to narrow down the cause, first of all remove the door trim. • if the noise continues to occur even with the door trim removed, then continue the diagnosis working towards the speaker and if necessary,
Power Train 2026-07-14 · LI35.30-P-058566 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end). the noise is heard once in each instance when changing direction of travel. note: sound file in attachment cause if the complaint is eliminated by experimentally loosening the outboard collar n
Electrical System 2026-05-26 · LI82.85-P-080507 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
complaint after successful commissioning of the hermes control unit (n112/9) with xentry diagnosis dvd 03/2026, the message "sos - service not activated" appears on the instrument cluster. in addition, the following two conditions are also met: • hermes (n112/9) control unit: event code b15ce00 is a
Visibility/Wiper 2026-05-19 · LI82.30-P-059239 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
complaint there are several types of complaint about noises or poor windshield wiper wiping performance: a: wiper blades squeaking, chattering, shuddering b: the windshield is not wiped completely (streaking) c: during the downward movement water is pulled back onto the windshield from the a-pillar
Showing the 6 most recent of 61 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2022-08-30 · Vehicle Speed Control“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. request…”
2021-01-03 · Engine · 115,000 mi“power electronic control unit malfunction. car will not crank/ no start. car was stationary-parked.…”
2020-11-18 · Electrical System · 100,009 mi“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. …”
2020-10-05 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 87,000 mi“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 drive…”
2020-09-02 · Electrical System · 109,000 mi“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 …”
2020-02-04 · 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 …”
2019-12-06 · Power Train · 70,000 mi“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: …”
2019-12-03 · Unknown Or Other · 47,426 mi“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 el…”
2019-01-08 · Electrical System · 37,000 mi“i have a 2010 mercedes s400 that was purchased new in nyc and i was promised a 10yr/150k mile warranty because of a carb adoption ny and 10 other states were involved in. my vehicle has only 37k miles and is never been crashed or painted. i went to mercedes of manhattan located on 770 11th ave nyc, ny 10019. my vehicle was denied this warranty cove…”
2016-07-29 · Engine · 61,000 mi“the s400 hybrid has a habit of stalling when in a stop position. this requires a complete re-start at a stop light or after having come to a complete stop. in addition the air conditioning shuts off and does not come back on until you stop for a few minutes and re-start the vehicle. the car stalling is very un-safe. the car stalls at a stop p…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.