2005 Mercedes-Benz SL600 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 SL600, 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
- Airbags125.0%
- Brakes125.0%
- Electrical125.0%
- Transmission125.0%
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
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). SOMETIME AGO I WROTE YOU ABOUT COMPUTER PROBLEMS IN MY MERCEDES BENZ. YOU RESPONDED THAT YOU WILL INVESTIGATE IT AND SHARE THE RESULT WITH ME. HAVE NOT HEARD FROM YOU SINCE. ANYTHING NEW? *TR THE CONSUMER STATED HE WAS EXPERIENCING COMPUTER PROBLEMS. THE CONSUMER WANTED TO KNOW THE STATUS OF HIS COMPLAINT. THE CONSUMER CHECKED THE INJURY BOX AND CRASH BOX, BUT DID NOT INDICATE ANY TYPE OF ACCIDENT IN THE COMPLAINT. UPDATED IVOQ 04/28/10.*JB UPDATED 09/01/10
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
THIS IS A COMPLAINT ON THE SBC SENSOTRONIC BRAKING SYSTEM. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL FROM MERCEDES AND IT IS NOT. IT IS LISTED AS AN "ISSUE" THAT THEY HAVE SPECIFICALLY EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 10 YEARS JUST FOR THIS SYSTEM. IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. THE BRAKING SYSTEM FAILED OUT OF NOWHERE WHILE I WAS EXITING THE FREEWAY! AN ALERT CAME ON AND TOLD ME TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE FULLY WHICH I WAS UNABLE TO DO! I WAS PRESSING IT AS HARD AS I COULD AND THE CAR WAS NOT STOPPING. I HAD TO PULL THE CAR INTO THE DITCH NEXT TO THE RAMP TO AVOID HITTING THE CAR THAT WAS STOPPED IN FRONT OF ME. LUCKILY I HAD ALREADY SLOWED DOWN WHERE IT WOULD STOP RUNNING INTO THE SHRUBS ON THE SIDE. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS! MERCEDES SHOULD DEFINITELY DEAL WITH THIS! I HAD NO IDEA ABOUT ANY OF THIS AND NOW LOOKING IT UP ONLINE I SEE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WITH VERY SIMILAR STORIES ABOUT THIS SYSTEM. I AM SURPRISED THERE ISN'T A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT YET ON THIS. I MAY ATTEMPT TO FILE ONE AS THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS PRODUCT. CLEARLY MERDEDES AS A COMPANY KNOWS THIS AS THEY HAVE LISTED IT AS A "PROBLEM" FOR MY VIN #, BUT THEY HAVE NOT ISSUED IT AS A RECALL, WHICH I BELIEVE IS A GROSS ABUSE OF POWER FROM A HUGE COMPANY. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND IS PROBABLY CAUSING ACCIDENTS RIGHT NOW AS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF CARS WITH THIS DEFECTIVE SYSTEM ARE ON THE ROAD.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). SOMETIME AGO I WROTE YOU ABOUT COMPUTER PROBLEMS IN MY MERCEDES BENZ. YOU RESPONDED THAT YOU WILL INVESTIGATE IT AND SHARE THE RESULT WITH ME. HAVE NOT HEARD FROM YOU SINCE. ANYTHING NEW? *TR THE CONSUMER STATED HE WAS EXPERIENCING COMPUTER PROBLEMS. THE CONSUMER WANTED TO KNOW THE STATUS OF HIS COMPLAINT. THE CONSUMER CHECKED THE INJURY BOX AND CRASH BOX, BUT DID NOT INDICATE ANY TYPE OF ACCIDENT IN THE COMPLAINT. UPDATED IVOQ 04/28/10.*JB UPDATED 09/01/10
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
DT: CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING HER VEHICLE ON THE FREEWAY THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE VEHICLE DID ACT UP A COUPLE OF TIMES IN THE PAST. THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY WILL NOT TAKE IT BACK OR FIX THE TRANSMISSION UNDER WARRANTY. THE REPAIRS WILL HAVE TO BE PAID BY THE CONTACT. *AK
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 .