RoadVitals

1996 Mercedes-Benz SL500 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.
6
Latest Jun 29, 2015
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.
2
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 Apr 11, 2002

What this page shows

Our database holds 6 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1996 Mercedes-Benz SL500. 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 1–6 of 6

ElectricalEngine
Filed Jun 29, 2015
Fire reported1 injury reported

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 MERCEDES BENZ SL500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER, LIFTED UP THE HOOD, AND NOTICED FIRE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE CONTACT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES THAT DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE WIRES CONNECTED TO THE HARNESS MELTED AND CAUSED THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000. UPDATED 07/01/15.*JB

NHTSA ID
10730969
Incident
May 15, 2015
Mileage
98,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Jan 28, 2007

1996 MERCEDES BENZ SL 500 ENGINE STALL WHEN DRIVE ON HIGHWAY DUE TO FAULTY WIRING HARNESS. *JB

NHTSA ID
10180927
Incident
Jan 25, 1996
Mileage
72,000 mi
ElectricalVisibility
Filed Aug 31, 2004

WHILE DRIVING, THE CONSUMER SMELLED A BURNING ODOR, THEN SMOKE STARTED COMING FROM THE INTERIOR REARVIEW MIRROR. *AK THE FAULTY DEVICE WAS DUE TO A TRANSISTOR THAT HAD GONE BAD ON THE ELECTRIC BOARD ON THE INSIDE OF THE REAVIEW MIRROR. *SC *JB

NHTSA ID
10081955
Incident
Jul 14, 2004
Mileage
50,000 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Oct 27, 2003
Crash reported

SUDDEN ACCELERATION CAUSED A CRASH INTO THE REAR WALL OF MY GARAGE.*AK

NHTSA ID
10043616
Incident
Oct 23, 2003
Mileage
112,024 mi
Fuel system
Filed Dec 9, 2002

FUEL LINE LEAKAGE AT FUEL PUMP-SECOND OCCURANCE. DT

NHTSA ID
770657
Incident
Dec 5, 2002
Visibility
Filed Apr 11, 2002

PUMPS RUNS OUT OF WATER, AND WINDSHIELD WIPER KEEPS GOING ON HEADLAMPS. DEALER CONTACTED. *AK

NHTSA ID
8007375

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 .