STEERING (OVERALL FOR CAR AND STEERING WHEEL) FEELS VERY UNSTABLE WHEN GOING OVER UNEVEN ROAD SURFACES OR SMALL BUMPS. THIS IS SPECIALLY TRUE WHEN DRIVING AT SPEEDS HIGHER THAN 40MPH. *TR
2006 Mercedes Benz SL55
Owners filed 3 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the steering. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electrical System › Instrument Cluster/Panel | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsSPEEDOMETER APPEARS TO BE DISPLAYING/INDICATING INACCURATE SPEED COMPARE TO ACTUAL SPEED OF THE CAR. *TR
SINCE I TOOK DELIVERY OF MY BRAND NEW MERCEDES-BENZ SL-55, I NOTICED SEVERE PULLING TO ONE SIDE TO THE POINT THAT, AFTER MORE THAN 15 MINUTES OF DRIVING, I WILL HAVE TO SWITCH ARMS TO CONTINUE APPLYING COMPENSATING WEIGHT ON THE STEERING WHEEL. AFTER SEVERAL REPAIR ATTEMPTS, THE PULLING DECREASED BUT NEVER DISAPPEARED. HOWEVER, OTHER SYMPTOMS STARTED SURFACING, SUCH AS SEVERE UNEVEN TIRE WEAR ON THE FRONT AND DEVELOPMENT OF RIDGES, LUMP OR DEFORMITIES THAT CAUSE NOISE AND CREATE A "LIMPING" EFFECT. AS MORE MONTHS PASSED BY AND TIRE(S) CONTINUED WEARING UNEVENLY, THE RIDE GOT WORSE; TO THE POINT THAT I LOSS CONTROL OF VEHICLE AT 55MPH+ A COUPLE OF TIMES FORTUNATELY WITHOUT CRASHES OR INJURY. AFTER THOSE INCIDENTS, I MINIMIZED THE USE OF THE VEHICLE, AND DROVE SLOWER AND MORE CAREFUL; BUT EVEN AT REDUCED SPEEDS HANDLING IS AFFECTED EVEN ON EVERYDAY ON-ROAD CONDITIONS, BUT MORE NOTICEABLE ON CURVY ROADS OR RAINY WEATHER. AFTER THAT, THE CAR CONTINUED RECEIVING SERVICE UNTIL A DEFECT NOTIFICATION WAS SENT TO THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER REPLACED AND BALANCED 2 FRONT TIRES, FRONT THRUST ARMS (2) AND BEARING BUSHES; ALIGNMENT WAS PERFORMED TOO. APPROX. 5000 MILES LATER, THE SAME PROBLEMS WERE BACK AND INTENSIFIED GRADUALLY. THE PROBLEM PERSISTS AS OF 10/10/2007. *TR
3 of 3 complaints, reproduced as filed.
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.