AutoUtility currently tracks 34 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Electrical System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 10 complaints (29.4% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 2 filings cite a crash, 3 report one or more injuries, 1 reports one or more fatalities. The 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class belongs to the 7th Generation (W223) platform.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
10 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
8 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
8 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
8 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"Shock air leaking front right side. The car has 31,000 miles and is 5 years old. Is this to be expected?"
"The vehicle lost acceleration and the check engine light came on. I took the vehicle to Mercedes dealership. They quoted that the Camtronic actuator has failed and needs to be replaced. Cost $9000. I have now seen online a recall for 2021 mercedes s580's for CAMTRONIC actuator failure issue...."
"False warning message for right taillights/brake lights/signal light in rear lamp."
"Three wheels had rim a total of eight cracks that lead to one tire unable to hold air. Loss of air in tire can lead to crash. Mercedes service inspected car after first crack was noticed by Discount Tire when they diagnosed deflation in tire. Mercedes service reported that two additional wheel rims..."
"Car was in for recall Dec 7,2025 to Mercedes Benz of Rockville Centre service 110 Graham Avenue Hempstead Ny they are having difficulties with the recall it is now Dec 30, 2025 still not repaired they told me it was a parts problem they ordered parts twice now they are saying it might be a software..."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 51 | 6 | 5 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 29 | 0 | 6 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 22 | 0 | 10 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 29 | 2 | 12 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 16 | 1 | 11 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 7 | 0 | 0 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Current Page | 34 | 2 | 16 | Current |
| 2022 Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 46 | 0 | 9 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 12 | 1 | 5 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 6 | 0 | 2 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2026 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 24 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,COMMUNICATION | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class is Electrical System, appearing in 10 records (29.4% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Engine & Cooling (8) and Wheels & Tires (8).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 34 consumer defect complaints and 16 safety recall campaigns for the 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, 2 filings cite a crash, 0 cite smoke or fire, and 3 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.