1981 Mercedes-Benz 380 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1981 Mercedes-Benz 380, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- 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.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
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
ENGINE FIRE, CONSUMER STATED THAT HE HAD JUST GOT THE MUFFLER REPLACED THAT DAY. (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT). MJS
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .