Mercedes-Benz bulletin NCU - 2025020002
What it saysMercedes-Benz AG, the manufacturer of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, has determined that on certain Model Year (“MY”) 2023 – 2025 S-Class (223 platforms) vehicles, a fault code would not be cleared and persist in the permanent… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Mercedes-Benz filed this with NHTSA as an emissions communication dated Mar 27, 2025, about the power train. It names 9 model years across Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-Maybach (2023–2025). An emissions communication is not a safety recall — there is no NHTSA campaign number and no federal requirement — but it is usually work the manufacturer pays for on the vehicles it names; the dealer checks the VIN against the manufacturer’s list.
One page for every brand it was filed under. Each brand’s bulletins: Mercedes-Benz · Mercedes-Maybach.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationPicked out of NHTSA’s summary below, word for word. The document itself is the record, and the dealer checks the VIN.
Mercedes-Benz AG, the manufacturer of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, has determined that on certain Model Year (“MY”) 2023 – 2025 S-Class (223 platforms) vehicles, a fault code would not be cleared and persist in the permanent memory (Mode$0A) of Drivetrain Control Unit along with the illumination of the check engine Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) due to a repair of the starter line after a break/failure. This issue has no impact on exhaust emissions and fuel consumption. MBUSA will conduct an Emission Service Campaign. An authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer will update the drivetrain control unit software on the affected vehicles. Affected customers will be notified via First Class letter to have the update performed on their vehicle.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCU - 2025020002 | Emissions | Mar 27, 2025 | 11016039 | PDF, 433 KB |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themMercedes-Benz 5 model years
Also filed against model years this site has no page for: 2023 Mercedes-Benz AMG S 63 E 4MATIC+; 2024 Mercedes-Benz AMG S 63 E 4MATIC+.
Mercedes-Maybach 4 model years
Also filed against: 2023 Mercedes-Maybach S 580 4MATIC; 2024 Mercedes-Maybach S 580 4MATIC; 2023 Mercedes-Maybach S 680; 2024 Mercedes-Maybach S 680.
A vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 3 model years this bulletin names have filed 18 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 8 of them name Electrical System, Power Train — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
I am reporting a recurring transmission/drivability issue with my 2024 Mercedes-Benz S580. The vehicle has been experiencing a harsh, abnormal shift between approximately 3rd and 4th gear at around 25–35 mph during normal acceleration. The shift feels like a sudden jerk or hesitation and does not feel consistent with normal operation.
2024 Mercedes-Benz S-Class · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Feb 20, 2026 · ODI 11719416
The control unit in my 2024 Mercedes 2580e triggers an increased number of system resets as part of fallback behavior. The increased number of resets resulted in the digital instrument cluster's display temporarily cutting out, and I had an entirely blank cluster.
2024 Mercedes-Benz S-Class · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA May 11, 2026 · ODI 11737040
Electrical System malfunction with total electrical shutdown: Going in the street at about 35mph driven by a choffer and two passengers in the back seats , the right back seat passenger was using “relaxing massage”.controlled through the seat’s screen.
2025 Mercedes-Benz S-Class · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Aug 20, 2026 · ODI 11758302
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the power train
Source: same model, same component group30 other manufacturer communications filed against these Mercedes-Benz models under the same component group (power train), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Mercedes-Benz list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| LI27.00-P-073124 | Service bulletin | Sep 26, 2026 | Complaint Customer complaints relating to automatic transmission 725.0 (NAG3 Classic /9G‑TRONIC automatic transmission) and 725.1… |
| LI35.31-P-080353 | Service bulletin | Sep 14, 2026 | Complaint Whining / humming noises (described as foghorn‑like) from the drivetrain in the rear axle area during cornering. (figure 1) On the… |
| LI27.10-P-075869 | Service bulletin | Sep 14, 2026 | Complaint Only vehicles with a variable transfer case are affected. This can be identified through control unit N45 or N15/7 in the quick te… |
| NCU - 2026060005 | Service campaign | Sep 11, 2026 | Issue The transmission control unit (VGS) in the automatic transmission does not comply with our currently valid specifications in the vehic… |
| LI 27.10-P-080851 | Service bulletin | Aug 29, 2026 | Complaint Intermittent shift feel or thud/clunk noise perceived, such as a brief jerk or transmission reaction during certain driving situat… |
| LI27.00-P-075630 | Service bulletin | Aug 5, 2026 | Complaint This document is intended as a pre-case diagnostic reference for transmission related concerns. It will also ensure that if a case… |
| LI27.00-P-080840 | Service bulletin | Aug 4, 2026 | Complaint Mercedes-Benz USA is currently experiencing limited availability of transmission fluid specification ATF 236.17 due to a global su… |
| LI33.30-P-080490 | Service bulletin | Aug 3, 2026 | Complaint Leakage/oil leakage at drive pinion sealing ring (input shaft) (Figures 1-2) Minor leakage/slight seepage at coupling flange nut a… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-Maybach, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Mercedes-Benz NCU - 2025020002 a recall?
No. A emissions communication is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the NCU - 2025020002 repair free?
A emissions communication is usually paid by the manufacturer on the vehicles it names, within the terms and time limit the document sets; the dealer checks the VIN against the manufacturer’s list.
Which vehicles does NCU - 2025020002 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 9 model years across 2 brands (Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-Maybach): 2025 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, 2024 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, 2023 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, 2023 Mercedes-Benz AMG S 63 E 4MATIC+, 2024 Mercedes-Benz AMG S 63 E 4MATIC+, 2023 Mercedes-Maybach S 580 4MATIC and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.