Mercedes Benz SL500
Owners filed 225 complaints across 15 model years of the Mercedes Benz SL500. The 2003 drew the most (80).
Which Mercedes Benz SL500 years should you avoid?
Not enough of the record to single a year out. Fewer than 4 Mercedes Benz SL500 model years have at least 25 complaints and are old enough to judge, so any ranking would be noise. The table below has every year as filed.
How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →
Every Mercedes Benz SL500 model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 2 | 0 | — | — | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2006 | 13 | 0 | — | — | Suspension | Routine | |
| 2005 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 1 | Service Brakes | Routine | |
| 2004 | 45 | 0 | 3 | 4 | Suspension | Fatalities reported | |
| 2003 | 80 | 0 | 3 | 2 | Suspension | Routine | |
| 2001 | 3 | 1 | — | — | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2000 | 2 | 1 | — | — | Interior Lighting | Routine | |
| 1999 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | Power Train | Routine | |
| 1998 | 6 | 1 | — | — | Visibility/Wiper | Routine | |
| 1997 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 2 | Air Bags › Side/Window | Routine | |
| 1996 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 1995 | 22 | 1 | 3 | — | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 1994 | 8 | 1 | 2 | — | Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood | Routine | |
| 1993 | 6 | 1 | 1 | — | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 1992 | 2 | 1 | — | — | Electrical System › Instrument Cluster/Panel | Routine |
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, October 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.