There are 2 owner-reported steering complaints for the 2009 Mercedes-Benz S-Classin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
VEHICLE FAILS TO GO IN PARK AFTER DRIVING ON THE STREET AND ARRIVING AT THE GROCERY STORE.
I WAS DRIVING CAR AND A WARNING LIGHT SHOWED ABS, STEERING, SUSPENSION MALFUNCTION, REFER TO OPERATORS MANUAL. APPROXIMATELY 3 MINUTES AFTER THE LIGHT SHOWED, I PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, THE CARS BRAKES LOCKED UP, THE STEERING WOULD NOT WORK AND THE CAR SWERVED ACROSS THE ROAD INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND I ENDED UP IN A CRASH THAT COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL, BOTH AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. EVEN THOUGH THE CAR IS COMPLETELY DESTROYED AFTER HITTING SEVERAL OBJECTS INCLUDING A TREE, WE ALL WALKED OUT WITHOUT A SCRATCH, HOWEVER HAD THIS HAPPENED AT A SPEED HIGHER THAN 30 MPH I BELIEVE WE WOULD HAVE ALL DIED. THE CAR LOST ALL FUNCTIONALITY OF BRAKES AND STEERING, THE BRAKES APPEARED TO STAY ON AND LOCKED EVEN WHEN MY FOOT WAS NOT ON THEM. I HAVE DRIVEN MERCEDES FOR 30 YEARS AND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM EVER. ON THE GOOD SIDE ALL SAFETY FEATURES WORKED, THE AIR BAGS, THE BODY ALTHOUGH ENDING UP AT THE WINDSCREEN FROM THE FRONTAL CRASH DID NOT SMASH OR POP WINDSCREEN OUT, THE ENGINE DID NOT END UP CRUSHING OUR LEGS, IN FACT NO ONE GOT A SCRATCH ON THEM. AFTER HAVING THE CAR TOWED OUT OF DITCH IT WAS ALSO NOTED BY OTHERS THAT THE STEERING WAS NOT FUNCTIONAL. I WOULD SUGGEST THAT ANYONE WITH THIS CAR GETS IT CHECKED OUT IMMEDIATELY. *TR
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