2005 Mercedes Benz SL55

Routine

Owners filed 3 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the service brakes, electric. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Service Brakes, Electric1
000
Fuel System, Gasoline1
000
Electrical System1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Electrical System
Filed Feb 22, 2024OR

The BCM in the SL class (Mercedes chassis code r230) fails very often. It catches fire and burns down vehicles in MANY instances. Mercedes is not selling a replacement part because they want to save money. THIS VEHICLE HAS AN ELECTRONIC ASSISTED BRAKING SYSTEM!!! The BCM balances battery loads in the vehicle. When it fails it can make any electronic system in the car malfunction or simply not work. This could be as simple as the car not starting or as severe as it burning down your ENTIRE HOME. I would be okay if they simply sold a replacement part but they DO NOT forcing all owners of this vehicle to drive it despite the condition of that battery module. All I’m asking is for a part to be made. No one has managed to make a replacement or refurbished part but Mercedes who turned their backs on us. They were refurbishing the parts but stopped for some unknown reason. This is dangerous for all owners of the Mercedes SL chassis code r230. Please help you’re the only ones that can.

Fuel System, Gasoline
Filed Jun 29, 202153,000 milesFL

The contact owns a 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL55. The contact stated that the odor of fuel was present inside the cabin of the vehicle and inside the garage. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the fuel tank was cracked and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The cause of the crack was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 53,000.

Service Brakes, Electric
Filed Sep 6, 200717,600 miles00

TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE

3 of 3 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2003
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20072000Routine
20063000Routine
2005 — this page3000Routine
20042000Routine
200311020Routine

Compare every SL55 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.