1974 Mercedes-Benz 450SL 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 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.
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.
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 .