RoadVitals

1998 Mercedes-Benz SL320 Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints 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 Nov 7, 2000
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
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Feb 1, 1999

What this page shows

Our database holds 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1998 Mercedes-Benz SL320. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–3 of 3

Electrical
Filed Nov 7, 2000

BATTERY "EXPLODED" TRYING TO START CAR. BATTTERY ACID WAS SPREYED ALL ABOUT, AND ACRID FUMES FILLED OUR GARAGE. WAS COMPENSATED $2500 BY MERCEDES AND THE DEALER OFFFERED A NEW VEHICAL "AT COST" WHICH WE ACCEPTED. WERE TOLD THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST TIME A BATTERY HAD EXPLODED IN A ML320. THESE BATTERIES AND/OR THE IGNITION SYSTEM NEED TO BE RECALLED. FORTUNATELY NO ONE WAS HURT IN THIS INCIDENT, BUT IT DID OCCUR IN A GARAGE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO GAS LINES AND PILOT LIGHTS FOR THE WATER HEATER AND HOME HEATING UNIT, WITH MY WIFE AND CHILDREN IN THE CAR. THANK GOODNESS THEY DIDN'T ALL BLOW UP WITH THE BATTERY! *AK

NHTSA ID
735940
Incident
Aug 8, 2000
Transmission
Filed Apr 19, 2000
Crash reported

VEHICLE WAS SITTING ON SMALL INCLINE & SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR. ROLLED BACK, JUMPED A CURVE AND WENT INTO A STREET, REARENDING ANOTHER VEHICLE. DEALER WILL BE CONTACTED. *AK

NHTSA ID
860559
Incident
Apr 18, 2000
AirbagsSeat belts
Filed Feb 1, 1999

DRIVER SIDE AIRBAG FAILED. YH PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG FAILED. YH

NHTSA ID
606840
Incident
May 1, 1998

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.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .