The 1993 Mercedes-Benz 500 has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 28,874 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 24 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
IF ONE OF THE HEADLAMP WIPER ARMS BECOMES MISALIGNED, THE WIPER BALDE CAN LODGE IN THE GROOVE UNDER THE HEADLAMP. IF THE WASHERS ARE ACTIVATED WITH THE WIPER BLADE IN THE MISALIGNED AND LODGED POSITION, THE WASHER PUMP WILL RUN CONTINUOUSLY EXPELLING ALL AVAILABLE FLUID.
PUMP OPERATION IN THE ABSENCE OF FLUID CAN CAUSE THE PUMP TO OVERHEAT AND CAUSE A VEHICLE FIRE.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE HEADLAMP WASHER PUMP ON THESE VEHICLES.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Wire harness defect causing short in system smoke inside the vehicle while driving on a county road immediately pulled over cutting other drivers off just to get vehicle in a safe and secured location.”
“Engine light on due to faulty engine wiring harness. Many electrical problems, insulation cracked all throughout harness. Requires replacement!! *tr”
“" extremely dangerous engine wire harness " I believe the faulty wire harness coating was manufactured from 1991 to 1996 by mercedes benz. The plastic coating that protect the wires from touching as they go to eight fuel injectors, completely dissolve in many areas.....causing a multitude of…”
“My mechanic told me on 11/3/2007 that the wire harness on my 1993 mercedes 500 sel could cause fire or death to my family and that mercedes benz u.s.a. Knows about the faults in the wire harness and knows the people are in danger and have yet to do a recall on years (1992 through 1996) please help…”
“When my 1993 mercedes benz 500 sel warms to its normal running temp. It begins to act as if it is not getting fuel. It cuts out intensely and then dies out completely. This is very dangerous when pulling out anywhere. I was told that it is the fuel injection wiring harness. When the car finally…”
“1993 mercedes benz 500sel wiring harness failure- insulation on wiring became brittle and began to fall off. Shorts in wiring lead to trouble lights coming on and needed to be replaced. *jb”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1993 mercedes-benz 500 sel. The contact stated that the vehicle would stall sporadically without warning. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic where the contact was advised that the vehicle had overheated and caused several wires to melt. The vehicle was not repaired.…”
“1993 mercedes benz 500e engine wiring harness insulation cannot stand up to the heat of the engine and loses its insulation, creating an engine malfunction and possible fire hazard.*ak”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1993 Mercedes-Benz 500 as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.