THE INSIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR IN MY 1999 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK 230 (R170 MODEL) IS A SELF-DIMMING MIRROR THAT HAS NO MANUAL BACKUP. THE MIRROR CONTAINED A FLUID WHICH LEAKED OUT CAUSING THE SELF-DIMMING MIRROR TO FAIL TO PROVIDE DIMMING AGAINST REAR APPROACHING HEADLIGHTS RESULTING IN THE DRIVER TO EITHER BE BLINDED OR TO HAVE TO TURN THE MIRROR AWAY WHICH GREATLY ELIMINATES REAR VIEW CAPABILITY IN THE INTERIOR. THERE ARE MANY DOCUMENTED CASES OF THESE MIRRORS FAILING IN VARIOUS MAKES AND MODELS AS A RESULT OF USUALLY FROM THE INTERNAL FLUID LEAKING. THIS SPECIFIC CAR, THAT I PURCHASED NEW, HAS BEEN CONSTANTLY GARAGED AND SELDOM DRIVEN AT NIGHT. THIS VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 25,000 MILES. GIVEN THE LOW ROAD-HEIGHT OF THE DRIVING POSITION, LIGHTS FROM BEHIND, WITH NO WAY TO DIM THE MIRROR, POSE A VERY DANGEROUS HAZARD AT NIGHT. THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE COMPELLED TO REPAIR THE MIRROR, AND IF SUCH DEFECT IS AS COMMON AS IT APPEARS, THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE FORCED TO REPLACE THE AUTO-DIMMING MIRROR WITH A MIRROR THAT ALSO HAS THE CAPABILITY OF MANUAL DIMMING SHOULD THE AUTO-DIMMING FEATURE FAIL AGAIN. *TR
1999 Mercedes Benz 170
Owners filed 2 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the visibility. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility/Wiper | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsTHE INSIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR IN MY 1999 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK 230 (R170 MODEL) IS AN ELECTRO CHROMIC SELF-DIMMING MIRROR THAT HAS NO MANUAL BACKUP. THE MIRROR CONTAINED A FLUID WHICH LEAKED OUT CAUSING THE SELF-DIMMING MIRROR TO FAIL TO PROVIDE DIMMING AGAINST REAR APPROACHING HEADLIGHTS RESULTING IN THE DRIVER TO EITHER BE BLINDED OR TO HAVE TO TURN THE MIRROR AWAY WHICH GREATLY ELIMINATES REAR VIEW CAPABILITY IN THE INTERIOR. THERE ARE MANY DOCUMENTED CASES OF THESE MIRRORS FAILING IN VARIOUS MAKES AND MODELS AS A RESULT OF USUALLY FROM THE INTERNAL FLUID LEAKING. I CONTACTED THE OEM MIRROR MAKER, AND SPOKE WITH A STEVE CHENLO, FROM MAGNA DONNELLY (HIS DIRECT LINE IS 616-786-7495), WHO REFUSED TO TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THE PROBLEM. HIS ADVICE WAS TO PURCHASE ANOTHER MIRROR AT APPROXIMATELY $200, AND PAY FOR INSTALLATION, WHICH WAS APPROXIMATELY $100 FROM THE DEALERSHIP. ABOUT A YEAR AGO, I HAVE DOCUMENTATION THAT MAGNA DONNELLY WAS REPLACING THESE MIRRORS FOR FREE BUT STOPPED FOR UNKNOWN REASONS. *TR
2 of 2 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Across model years
Worst on record: 1999| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Deaths | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1999 — this page | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.