2005 Mercedes-Benz Sl Class 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 2005 Mercedes-Benz Sl Class, 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
- Airbags133.3%
- Driver assistance133.3%
- Suspension133.3%
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
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES SL600. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE PRECEDING VEHICLE STOPPED ABRUBPTLY. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL; HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE DID NOT SLOW DOWN OR STOP. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE, AND THE FRONT AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. HE SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES TO HIS FACE. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED $14,000 WORTH OF DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 34,581 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 34,592. UPDATED 12/10/08 *CN
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES SL600. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE PRECEDING VEHICLE STOPPED ABRUBPTLY. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL; HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE DID NOT SLOW DOWN OR STOP. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE, AND THE FRONT AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. HE SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES TO HIS FACE. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED $14,000 WORTH OF DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 34,581 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 34,592. UPDATED 12/10/08 *CN
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
2005 MERCEDEZ BENZ C230 SPORT TYPE HAS A LOW FRONT END. IN FLORIDA WHEN YOU PARK IN A PUBLIC PARKING LOT THE FRONT OF THE CAR IS AGAINST A CONCRETE TIRE STOP. YOU ARE GOING OUT FOR THE EVENING WITH ANOTHER COUPLE YOU DROP OFF THE 3 PEOPLE AT THE DOOR AND PARK AGAINST THE CONCRETE PIECE STOP. AFTER YOU LEAVE AND ALL FOUR PEOPLE GET INTO THE CAR THE WEIGHT OF FOUR PEOPLE WILL LOWER THE CAR SO THE FRONT END DRAGS OVER THE CONCRETE STOP AND YOU BACK UP AND SHEAR OFF THE FRONT END. CAUSING DAMAGE IN THE TUNE OF $$$$ *JB
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 .