The contact owns a 2008 Mercedes-Benz S550. The contact stated while driving 35-40 MPH, the message "SAFETY" was temporarily displayed on the instrument panel. Additionally, the contact stated while starting the vehicle on several occasions, the message " SAFETY " was displayed on the infotainment system screen. The check engine warning light was illuminated, and the messages "Active Head Lamp Inoperative" and "Service Required. Do Not Shift Gears" were displayed. The contact also stated that upon shifting into drive (D), the gear shift indicator displayed that the transmission was in park (P). The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into the intended gear and had become undrivable. An independent mechanic replaced the battery; however, the failure persisted. The mechanic informed the contact that the computer needed to be reset. The vehicle was not repaired. The used car dealer was notified of the failure. The Mercedes-Benz dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 176,310.

- Inglewood, CA, USA

Mercedes Benz, S550, 4matic, 2008. I was stopped at a red light. When the light turned green and I was moving forward at about 15-20 miles per hour, the car came to a sudden stop. The vehicle behind me almost ran into my back since there were no brake lights illuminated when this unfortunate malfunction took place. I immediately looked the control panel for any malfunction alarm and there were none. The root cause of the problem was front differential seize up without any warning. There were the right amount of oil in the reservoir so the problem was no due to lack of lubrication. The car was repaired by mb dealer and I was given a bill for (hold on to your pants) $8,252. I called mb customer service to find out if there are any recall on this malfunction. I was told none reported. I have a hard time believing that I am the only one with this problem. I almost came to a decision to sign over the title and have them sell the car to recover the repair cost. Obviously the dealer is not at fault here. However you would expect that a car of this caliber would be better designed and supported. As you have guessed I am unhappy with my mb. By the way if you are trying to sign on for mb online owner community and want to choose the username "unhappy", you can't. it is already taken. Try it with some #S.

- Pittstown, NJ, USA