RoadVitals

1981 Mercedes-Benz 380

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.
3
Latest May 19, 2023
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.
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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.
1

Overview

Our database contains 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1981 Mercedes-Benz 380, most frequently naming the engine, other / unspecified and steering categories.

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

  • Engine240.0%
  • Other / unspecified120.0%
  • Steering120.0%
  • Suspension120.0%

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

Other / unspecifiedSteeringSuspension
Filed May 19, 2023

Mercedes has acknowledged and agreed to repair at their cost the defect in the subframe connections to the wheel control arms. This structural weakness, once snapped, results in the loss of control, wheels falling off and suspension components dropping to the ground. MBZ agreed to fix this issue on all R107 and C107 cars (US Models 450SL/SLC) from 1973 thru 1980- Mercedes Recall#191185120001, SIL 33/001 Subframe Modification Dated 11/1/85 - but did not include the R107 and C107 between 1981-1985 (US Model 380SL/SLC) that developed the same potential life threatening catastrophic defect. Mercedes did, however, update the the 1986-1989 models with strengthened subframes, a de facto admission of their bad unsafe design. My recently purchased 1981 380SLC was just inspected for this issue and cracks are clearly present, requiring immediate strengthening.

NHTSA ID
11522934
Incident
May 1, 2023
Engine
Filed Jan 31, 2001

THE TIMING CHAIN FAILED, AND THE WHOLE ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED. AT THE TIME, IN 1987, I BELIEVED MERCEDES THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A ONE TIME ISSUE, AND THAT THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO A POOR DRIVER WHO HAD OWNED THE CAR PREVIOUSLY. LAST WEEK, A FRIED OF MINE, HAD A 1986, 380 SL FAIL WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. AFTER MORE INVESTIGATION, I FOUND OUT THAT MERCEDES CHANGED THE DESIGN OF THE TIMING COMPONENT TO USE A DOUBLE INSTEAD OF A SINGLE CHAIN. THE CHANGE WAS MADE LATE IN THE 1980'S. AFTER INVESTIGATING THIS WEB SITE, I SEE THAT THERE IS A HIGH FREQUENCY OF TIMING CHAIN FAILURES ON THE 380 SL MODELS IN THE 1980'S. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A SUMMARY OF ALL THE FAILURES OVER THOSE YEARS, AND I THINK THAT MERCEDES OWES SOMETHING TO ALL OF US WHO HAVE HAD TO REPLACE ENGINES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.*AK

NHTSA ID
740260
Incident
Aug 29, 1987
Engine
Filed Apr 22, 1999
Fire reported

ENGINE FIRE, CONSUMER STATED THAT HE HAD JUST GOT THE MUFFLER REPLACED THAT DAY. (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT). MJS

NHTSA ID
545267
Incident
Mar 19, 1999

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Mercedes-Benz 380 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
1988001—
1987001—
1986102—
1985702—
1984902—
1983100—
1982200—
1981Viewing300—

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.