Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Every model year 2016–2027: recalls, owner complaints, NHTSA crash ratings and EPA efficiency side by side, each value traced to the file it came from.

12 Model years 2016–2027

92 Recalls NHTSA campaigns, all years

200 Complaints owner reports, all years

A Newest grade 2027 Safety Signal

2020 Best on record cleanest filed year

The 2027 S-Class →Which years to avoid Compare it

2027 Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Active NHTSA advisory on 1 model year of the S-Class — park outside or do not drive. The year rows below carry it.

Every Mercedes-Benz S-Class model year

Source: NHTSA · EPA · one row per year

Year	Powertrains	Safety	Recalls	Complaints	Crash	Best efficiency
2027	Hybrid Gas	A	0	0	—	23 mpg
2026	Hybrid Gas	A	0	1	—	23 mpg
2025	Plug-in hybrid Hybrid Gas	B	3	2	—	24 mpg
2024	Hybrid Gas	C	3	5	—	24 mpg
2023	Plug-in hybrid Hybrid Gas	D	9	10	—	23 mpg
2022	Hybrid Gas	F	10	46	—	24 mpg
2021	Hybrid Gas	F	17	35	—	24 mpg
2020	Plug-in hybrid Gas	D	6	9	—	23 mpg
2019	Plug-in hybrid Gas	F	13	17	—	23 mpg
2018	Gas	F	14	26	—	22 mpg
2017	Plug-in hybrid Gas	D	10	20	—	26 mpg
2016	Plug-in hybrid Gas	D	7	29	—	26 mpg

Which model year the record favours

Source: recalls and complaints per year on the road

Years to avoid, with the reasons →Best on the record 2020

On the filed record so far, the 2020 is the cleanest S-Class year we hold, and the 2022 the one to check hardest. The 2022 carries a standing park-outside or do-not-drive advisory, which outranks every other number on this page.

Both figures are divided by the number of years the car has been on sale, because otherwise the oldest year on the page loses every time simply for having been around longer. The current model year and any year under three on the road are left out: their records are not finished.

Year	Safety Signal	Recalls /yr	Complaints /yr
2020	D	1	2
2017	D	1.1	2
2019	F	1.9	2
2023	D	3	3
2021	F	3.4	7
2016	D	0.7	3	1 critical
2018	F	1.8	3	1 critical
2022	F	2.5	12	Advisory

What changed year to year

Source: computed from the filed record

2026: dropped plug-in hybrid; best combined mpg 24 → 23; 6 → 4 EPA configurations
2025: added plug-in hybrid; 4 → 6 EPA configurations
2024: dropped plug-in hybrid; best combined mpg 23 → 24; 5 → 4 EPA configurations
2023: added plug-in hybrid; best combined mpg 24 → 23; 4 → 5 EPA configurations
2022: 7 → 4 EPA configurations
2021: added hybrid; dropped plug-in hybrid; best combined mpg 23 → 24; 13 → 7 EPA configurations
2020: 15 → 13 EPA configurations
2019: added plug-in hybrid; best combined mpg 22 → 23; 14 → 15 EPA configurations
2018: dropped plug-in hybrid; best combined mpg 26 → 22; 12 → 14 EPA configurations
2017: 9 → 12 EPA configurations

Common questions about the Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Which Mercedes-Benz S-Class year is the best used buy?

On the recall record, the 2020 S-Class comes out top of the years before the current one: Safety Signal grade D (69/100), 6 recalls and 9 owner complaints on file. That ranks paperwork, not condition — a specific car's history and service record still decide it.

What Mercedes-Benz S-Class years should I avoid?

2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 have the weakest recall records in this range — one carries an active park-outside or do-not-drive advisory. The year pages list every campaign, its severity and whether a repair exists yet. Every S-Class model year ranked, with the reasons.

How many recalls does the Mercedes-Benz S-Class have?

Across model years 2016–2027, NHTSA has posted 92 recall campaigns for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. They are counted per model year in the table above, because a campaign almost never covers the whole run — it covers a build range.