RoadVitals

1974 Mercedes-Benz 450SL Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

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.
1
Latest Oct 3, 2017
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
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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.
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What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1974 Mercedes-Benz 450SL, 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

  • Steering1100.0%

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

Steering

Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

AS THE SECOND, AND RELATIVELY NEW, OWNER OF A LOW MILEAGE VINTAGE MERCEDES, I HAVE BEEN INFORMED IN JUNE 2017 THAT THERE IS AN OPEN SAFETY RECALL FOR THIS MODEL DUE TO A DESIGN FLAW THAT CAUSES CRACKS IN THE SUBFRAME, LEADING TO A POTENTIAL "CATASTROPHIC FAILURE" OF THE STEERING SYSTEM. I HAVE TAKEN ALL THE STEPS RECOMMENDED, INCLUDING TAKING THE CAR FOR ASSESSMENT AT A MERCEDES DEALER IN JULY OF 2017 TO BE TOLD THAT THIS SPECIFIC CAR DOES HAVE A CRACKED SUBFRAME, YET MERCEDES BENZ US IS REFUSING TO HONOR THE OPEN RECALL CAMPAIGN, SAYING THAT NO PARTS ARE AVAILABLE AND THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO TO OFFER ASSISTANCE. THIS REFUSAL HAS LEFT ME BOTH UNABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR SAFELY, OR TO ETHICALLY SELL IT TO ANOTHER COLLECTOR DUE TO THE HIGH RISK INVOLVED, INCLUDING THE POTENTIAL FULL LOSS OF THE STEERING MECHANISM AS THE WHOLE SUBFRAME HAS BEEN KNOWN TO DROP OUT OF THESE CARS WHILE MOVING. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE RECALL WAS ISSUED IN DECEMBER OF 1985 WITH THE RECALL NUMBER OF 1985120001- 851211. ANY ASSISTANCE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED SINCE THE MANUFACTURE IS REFUSING TO SUPPLY A NEW SUBFRAME (AS THEY HAVE BEEN DOING AT AN EARLIER DATE FOR THE SAME MODEL), COVER THE COSTS OF A USED SUBFRAME, OR SUGGEST AN OTHER OPTIONS FOR REPAIR.

NHTSA ID 11031449 · filed Oct 3, 2017

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

Data on this page last refreshed .