2009 Mercedes-Benz SL500 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 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL500, 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
- Body & structure266.7%
- Visibility133.3%
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
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
Yesterday 9/17/2022, while driving my 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL550 on the expressway with my wife as passenger, we heard and felt a very loud explosion. Shattered glass was entering the vehicle. I managed to pull off the expressway at the next exit. The retractable hardtop panoramic glass roof had exploded. Shattered glass fragments were all over the vehicle interior. Glass fragments also damaged the paint of the rear deck lid and spoiler of the vehicle. Fortunately, my wife and I did not suffer major injury. I called my auto insurance company and filed an auto damage claim. Since this incident was on a Saturday, the insurance adjuster would not contact me until the next business day. My auto was drive-able, I was still able to retract the convertible roof and the weather was nice for our 15 mile ride home.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MERCEDES SL500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHENEVER THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN SUNNY WEATHER, THE SHIFTER WOULD HEAT UP TO TEMPERATURES IN EXCESS OF 150 DEGREES MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO SAFELY OPERATE THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP WHERE THE CONTACT WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO SOLUTION TO THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 15,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 20,000. UPDATED 11/03/10 *BF UPDATED 11/04/10 THE CONSUMER STATED THE PROBLEM IS NOT ISOLATED. UPDATED EVOQ 11/09/10
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
Yesterday 9/17/2022, while driving my 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL550 on the expressway with my wife as passenger, we heard and felt a very loud explosion. Shattered glass was entering the vehicle. I managed to pull off the expressway at the next exit. The retractable hardtop panoramic glass roof had exploded. Shattered glass fragments were all over the vehicle interior. Glass fragments also damaged the paint of the rear deck lid and spoiler of the vehicle. Fortunately, my wife and I did not suffer major injury. I called my auto insurance company and filed an auto damage claim. Since this incident was on a Saturday, the insurance adjuster would not contact me until the next business day. My auto was drive-able, I was still able to retract the convertible roof and the weather was nice for our 15 mile ride home.
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 .