RoadVitals

1999 Mercedes-Benz 170

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
2
Latest Jul 30, 2012
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1999 Mercedes-Benz 170, most frequently naming the visibility category. 3 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Visibility2100.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Visibility
Filed Jul 30, 2012

THE INSIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR IN MY 1999 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK 230 (R170 MODEL) IS A SELF-DIMMING MIRROR THAT HAS NO MANUAL BACKUP. THE MIRROR CONTAINED A FLUID WHICH LEAKED OUT CAUSING THE SELF-DIMMING MIRROR TO FAIL TO PROVIDE DIMMING AGAINST REAR APPROACHING HEADLIGHTS RESULTING IN THE DRIVER TO EITHER BE BLINDED OR TO HAVE TO TURN THE MIRROR AWAY WHICH GREATLY ELIMINATES REAR VIEW CAPABILITY IN THE INTERIOR. THERE ARE MANY DOCUMENTED CASES OF THESE MIRRORS FAILING IN VARIOUS MAKES AND MODELS AS A RESULT OF USUALLY FROM THE INTERNAL FLUID LEAKING. THIS SPECIFIC CAR, THAT I PURCHASED NEW, HAS BEEN CONSTANTLY GARAGED AND SELDOM DRIVEN AT NIGHT. THIS VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 25,000 MILES. GIVEN THE LOW ROAD-HEIGHT OF THE DRIVING POSITION, LIGHTS FROM BEHIND, WITH NO WAY TO DIM THE MIRROR, POSE A VERY DANGEROUS HAZARD AT NIGHT. THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE COMPELLED TO REPAIR THE MIRROR, AND IF SUCH DEFECT IS AS COMMON AS IT APPEARS, THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE FORCED TO REPLACE THE AUTO-DIMMING MIRROR WITH A MIRROR THAT ALSO HAS THE CAPABILITY OF MANUAL DIMMING SHOULD THE AUTO-DIMMING FEATURE FAIL AGAIN. *TR

NHTSA ID
10468354
Incident
Jul 25, 2012
Mileage
24,200 mi
Visibility
Filed Jan 6, 2009

THE INSIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR IN MY 1999 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK 230 (R170 MODEL) IS AN ELECTRO CHROMIC SELF-DIMMING MIRROR THAT HAS NO MANUAL BACKUP. THE MIRROR CONTAINED A FLUID WHICH LEAKED OUT CAUSING THE SELF-DIMMING MIRROR TO FAIL TO PROVIDE DIMMING AGAINST REAR APPROACHING HEADLIGHTS RESULTING IN THE DRIVER TO EITHER BE BLINDED OR TO HAVE TO TURN THE MIRROR AWAY WHICH GREATLY ELIMINATES REAR VIEW CAPABILITY IN THE INTERIOR. THERE ARE MANY DOCUMENTED CASES OF THESE MIRRORS FAILING IN VARIOUS MAKES AND MODELS AS A RESULT OF USUALLY FROM THE INTERNAL FLUID LEAKING. I CONTACTED THE OEM MIRROR MAKER, AND SPOKE WITH A STEVE CHENLO, FROM MAGNA DONNELLY (HIS DIRECT LINE IS 616-786-7495), WHO REFUSED TO TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THE PROBLEM. HIS ADVICE WAS TO PURCHASE ANOTHER MIRROR AT APPROXIMATELY $200, AND PAY FOR INSTALLATION, WHICH WAS APPROXIMATELY $100 FROM THE DEALERSHIP. ABOUT A YEAR AGO, I HAVE DOCUMENTATION THAT MAGNA DONNELLY WAS REPLACING THESE MIRRORS FOR FREE BUT STOPPED FOR UNKNOWN REASONS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10253961
Incident
Jul 1, 2008
Mileage
85,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

463040

STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:PUMP

FLOW NOISES FROM AREA OF POWER STEERING PUMP AND/OR FOAMING OF POWER STEERING OIL IN RESERVOIR. *TT

PB473108

FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:PRESSURE RELIEF DEVICES

SUBJECT REGARDING REPLACEMENT OF ORVR (ON BOARD REFUELING VAPOR RECOVERY) PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE. *TT

PSIMBNA82112

VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS

VARIOUS INFORMATION ON INSTALLATION OF CD CHANGER AND CELULAR TELEPHONE ( CTEL ) SYSTEMS FOR 129, 170 AND OTHER MODELS. *YC

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Mercedes-Benz 170 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2004000—
2003100—
2002000—
2001000—
2000000—
1999Viewing200—
1998000—
1997000—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.