1990 Mercedes Benz SL

Routine

Owners filed 1 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system › wiring. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Electrical System › Wiring1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Electrical System › Wiring
Filed Sep 4, 2007OR

THE ELECTRICAL WIRING IS HARDENED AND BRITTLE AND WIRES ARE TOUCHING EACH OTHER THAT SHOULD NOT. I SPENT 30 YEARS IN THE CAR BUSINESS AND FOUND THAT THE SAME PROBLEM HAS BEEN PRESENT IN VOLVO CARS AND MERCEDES. THE WIRING HARNESS IS SUB OUT TO FRENCH CONTRACTORS AND THE PLASTIC ON THE WIRES HARDENS AND FALLS OFF THE WIRES AND THE VACUUM LINES WHEN IN CONTACT WITH BATTERY ACID EATS THEM UP WHICH WIPES OUT THE DOOR LOCK SYSTEM. SOMEONE SHOULD TAKE THE INCENTIVE AND BRING THEIR STANDARDS UP--- OR HIRE SOMEONE ELSE TO DO THE JOB. MY FIRST MBZ WAS A 190 SL AND I WAS SHOCKED AT THE AVAILABLE PARTS FROM THE FACTORY--THEY WERE GREAT. I HAVE HAD MANY MORE OF THESE CARS AND STILL LOVE THEM. BUT, THE GERMANS BUILD AND ENGINEER GREAT CARS, THEY SHOULD MAKE THE SUBCONTRACTORS BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR SHODDY WORKMANSHIP. DON'T BELIEVE ME? TALK TO INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOPS. *JB

1 of 1 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 1994
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20111000Routine
20071000Routine
20061000Routine
20042000Routine
20033000Routine
199513130Routine
199415130Routine
19932100Routine
19921100Routine
19911100Routine
1990 — this page1000Routine

Compare every SL 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.