1998 Mercedes Benz SL Class

Routine

Owners filed 12 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the equipment › electrical › radio/tape deck/cd etc.. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails

Component	Reports		Crashes	Fires	Injuries
Visibility › Defroster/Defogger/Hvac System	1		0	0	0
Tires	1		0	0	0
Suspension › Front	1		0	0	0
Structure › Body	1		0	0	0
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Power Assist › Vacuum	1		0	0	0
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Power Assist	1		0	0	0
Power Train › Automatic Transmission › Park/Neutral Start Interlock Switch	1		0	0	0
Fuel System, Other › Storage › Tank Assembly › Filling/Charging	1		0	0	0
Fuel System, Other	1		0	0	0
Fuel System, Gasoline › Delivery › Fuel Pump	1		0	0	0

What owners reported

Newest filings

Tires

Filed Nov 8, 2010FL

PURCHASED NEW MICHELIN SPORT TIRES DOT GUDL 275/35 ZR 18 ON11/3/2010 AND FOUND OUT THAT THE MANUFACTURING DATE WAS 1107. THESE TIRES WERE OVER 3 YEARS OLD AND SHOULD HAVE NOT BEEN SOLD AS NEW. THE TIRE DEALER ACCEPTED MY COMPLAINT AND REPLACED THEM WITH 0909 TIRES. THE OLD ONES WERE BEING RETURNED TO THE DISTRIBUTOR BUT I HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING IF THEY ARE GOING TO BE RESOLD OR DESTROYED. SHOULDN'T THERE BE GUIDELINES MAKING SURE 3 YR OLD TIRES ARE DESTROYED AND NOT SOLD AS NEW? *TR

Suspension › Front

Filed May 29, 200925,319 milesCA

PURCHASED 1998 MERCEDES BENZ SL 600 FROM MBZ SAN FRANCISCO DEALERSHIP ON 4/22/09. IMMEDIATELY REPORTED EXCESSIVE AND DANGEROUS BOUNCING OF FRONT END. REPORTED DEFECT DEALER TOOK NO ACTION. TOOK CAR TO MBZ OF OAKLAND WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED BAD FRONT SUSPENSION PRESSURE CELLS WHICH CLEARLY EXISTED AT TIME OF SALE. OAKLAND MBZ COMPED DIAGNOSTIC. HAVE MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO HAVE SF MBZ CORRECT PROBLEM, BUT THEY WANT ME TO PAY FOR THE WORK AND HAVE IGNORED MY LETTERS. *TR

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Power Assist › Vacuum

Filed Mar 27, 200324,870 milesFL

THE BRAKE SYSTEM VACUUM BOOSTER DID NOT HOLD THE VACUUM AND CAUSED A HISSING NOISE WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT NEVER ILLUMINATED TO INDICATE A PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED A REFUND FOR A PORTION OF THE REPAIR COST. PH *NLM

Visibility › Defroster/Defogger/Hvac System

Filed Sep 8, 1999CA

HEATING, A/C, AND RADIO FAILURES.

Fuel System, Other › Storage › Tank Assembly › Filling/Charging

Filed Sep 8, 1999CA

GAS TANK FUEL SENDING UNIT.

Fuel System, Other

Filed Sep 8, 1999CA

GAS GAUGE.

Structure › Body

Filed Sep 8, 1999CA

HARD TOP. CD PLAYER. PHONE. WOOD TRIM PAINT. MOST PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN DEALER ERRORS.

Exterior Lighting › Tail Lights

Filed Feb 1, 1999CA

TAIL LIGHT FAILED.

Fuel System, Gasoline › Delivery › Fuel Pump

Filed Feb 1, 1999CA

FUEL PUMP FAILED.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Power Assist

Filed Feb 1, 1999CA

VACUUM LINE DOOR/COUPLER FAILED. MJS

Equipment › Electrical › Radio/Tape Deck/Cd Etc.

Filed Feb 1, 1999CA

ANTENNA FAILED. *YC

Power Train › Automatic Transmission › Park/Neutral Start Interlock Switch

Filed Sep 8, 1998MI

VACUUM FAILED RESULTING IN LEAKAGE AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON.

12 of 12 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 1998

Year	Complaints	Recalls	Fires	Assessment
2013	0	1	0	Routine
2009	0	1	0	Routine
2006	0	1	0	Routine
2005	2	1	0	Routine
2004	3	3	0	Routine
2003	9	3	1	Routine
2002	1	0	0	Routine
1998 — this page	12	0	0	Routine
1997	2	2	0	Routine
1996	2	3	0	Routine

Compare every SL Class year →

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.