There are 7 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2004 Mercedes-Benz S-Classin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
CAR STUCK ON PARK, WONT RELEASE GEAR DUE TO FAULTY PLASTIC SAFETY FEATURE THAT CRACKS OVER TIME DUE TO INFERIOR MATERIAL. HAVE TO REPLACE WHOLE GEAR BOX OR REMOVE SAFETY PIN WHICH CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT SINCE LEVER WILL SHIFT WHITOUT PRESSING BRAKE OR IGNITION ON.
WHILE CHANGING GEARS FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR VEHICLE SHIFTED HARSHLY AND ENTERED INTO A LIMP MODE. ONCE AT A CERTIFIED MECHANIC THE PROBLEM WAS DISCOVERED TO BE A CONDUCTOR PLATE AND VALVE BODY WHICH HAS BEEN DISCOVERED TO BE DEFECTIVE ON MOST VEHICLES WITH 6 SPEED TRANSMISSION AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. *TR
TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY NEED REPLACEMENT AFTER ENTIRE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED @ 50,000 MILES. *TR
2 WEEKS AGO THE SHIFTER ON THE CAR STARTED TO GET HARDER AND HARDER TO GET OUT OF PARK. LAST WEEK THE CAR'S SHIFTER WAS STUCK IN PARK POSITION AND DOES NOT MOVE. I HAD TO TOW THE CAR TO A MECHANIC AND THEY HAVE TO REPLACE THE WHOLE SHIFTER. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MERCEDES BENZ S430. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE JERKED WHILE CHANGING GEARS. THE VEHICLE WOULD ALSO UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATE AND DECELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO A SOFTWARE MALFUNCTION WITHIN THE VALVE BODY OF THE TRANSMISSION. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEGAN TO ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP AND THE SOFTWARE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE EVENTUALLY RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN BACK FOR ADDITIONAL REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
ON A MAJOR THOROUGHFARE PROCEEDING TO ACCELERATE AND VEHICLE CUT OFF WHILE DRIVING REMAINING HESITANT WHEN ACCELERATING. DROVE VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP, TEST PERFORMED. IT WAS DETERMINE THAT THERE WAS PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION. PARTS ORDERED AND VEHICLE REPAIRED. *NM
VEHICLE CUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. PROCEEDED INTO AN INTERSECTION, UPON ACCELERATION VEHICLE CUT OFF, NO BREAKS, NO POWER STEERING. VEHICLE WAS PUSHED ACROSS THE ROAD, EVENTUALLY THE VEHICLE STARTED AGAIN AND I DROVE IT DIRECTLY TO THE DEALERSHIP. SERVICE MANAGER INDICATED AFTER A TEST NO PROBLEM AT THIS TIME. *NM
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026