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What 29 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Mercedes-benz S-class Hybrid

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (29)Crash / fire / injury (3)Engine (7)Brakes (5)Steering (5)Driver assistance (3)Fuel system (3)Suspension (3)Transmission & drivetrain (2)Airbags (1)Communication (1)Electrical system (1)

3 of 29 complaints match · Driver assistance · clear filters

Dec 20, 2023Driver assistance

Driving on interstate 95 in South Carolina in the high speed lane Saturday December 2 2023 late morning. Adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, self driving modes engaged. No traffic in front, large semi truck next to passenger side about equal to side mirror, I believe it was advancing. Car sounds collision warning beep and executes full emergency barking with seat belt tensioners emergency retraction. The system quickly releases the brakes which may have been the result of me pressing the gas pedal, I am not sure as this all happened in fractions of seconds. I disengaged all self driving and distronic systems including parking sensors and continued on the journey.

NHTSA ODI 11561163

Jun 4, 2019Driver assistance

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 MERCEDES-BENZ S450. WHILE DRIVING 75 MPH WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED, THE AUTOMATIC BRAKING ACTIVATED ON ITS OWN IN TRAFFIC. THE CONTACT HAD TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL TO DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL IN ORDER TO DRIVE SAFELY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MERCEDES-BENZ OF ALEXANDRIA (200 S PICKETT ST, ALEXANDRIA, VA 22304, (703) 341-2100) TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 49,826.

NHTSA ODI 11217774

Dec 8, 2017Seat beltsDriver assistance

THE PRE-COLLISION SAFETY FEATURE GOES OFF WHEN THERE IS NO COLLISION IMMINENT. IT IS FRIGHTENING AND COULD ACTUALLY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT.

NHTSA ODI 11053437

Working with the data? Download all 29 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 14, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2018 Mercedes-benz S-class Hybrid verdict →