Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 1999 record →
THE CONVERTIBLE TOP INTERMITTENTLY WILL NOT GO DOWN. SOMETIMES WHEN IT'S DOWN IT WONT GO UP. SOMETIMES IT GETS STUCK HALF UP AND HALF DOWN. THE REMOTE KEYLESS ENTRY SOMETIMES DON'T WORK FROM EITHER REMOTE. THEN LATER IT WORKS AGAIN. THE TOP NOR THE KEYLESS ENTRY CAN BE DEPENDED UPON TO WORK. *AK
VEHICLE EXPERIENCING ONGOING PROBLEM WITH PULLING TO EITHER SIDE WHENEVER BRAKES WERE APPLIE. VEHICLE BEEN IN /OUT OF DEALER SHOP ON TWO OCCASIONS, AND DEALERINFORMED CONSUMER THAT WAS A NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THAT VEHICLE. *AK
WHILE USING WINDSHIELD WIPERS, AFTER 5 MINUTES WHILE RUNNING, WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD BOUNCE ON GLASS. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATON. *AK
WHEN REMOVING THE FUEL NOZZLE FROM THE FUEL TANK, THE FUEL SHOOTS OUT OF THE TANK AS IF FROM A HOSE. IN MY CASE IT WENT ALL OVER MY FACE AND CLOTHES DUE TO THE POSITION I WAS IN AT THE TIME (HENCE THE PROPERTY DAMAGE AMOUNT). IT APPEARS THAT THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF PRESSURE INSIDE THE TANK. THE DEALER SAID THEY WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE FUEL TANK AS WELL AS OTHER PARTS BECAUSE "FOR SOME REASON" THE FUEL WENT INTO OTHER AREAS OF THE CAR, AND "WE'RE NOT SURE HOW." THE POTENTIAL FOR A MAJOR HAZARD, INCLUDING POSSIBLE INJURIES IS TREMENDOUS GIVEN THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT LEAKING (RATHER SPEWING) FUEL BEING SPILLED ON THE GROUND AND (AS IN MY CASE), ON MY PERSON. I AM GRATEFUL NO ONE WAS SMOKING AND THAT WHEN I STARTED MY ENGINE BACK UP TO LEAVE THE GAS STATION, THAT THERE WERE NO SPARKS. *AK
WHILE PUTTING GAS INTO THE VEHICLE, AND AFTER CONSUMER FILLED UP THE TANK, WHILE REMOVING THE FUEL FILLER, GAS COMING FROM THE VEHICLE SPRAYED OUT ONTO THE OCCUPANT FOR ABOUT 20 SECONDS WHICH IF THERE WAS A SOURCE OF IGNITION, IT MAY HAVE STARTED A FIRE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH CONSUMER DROVE OVER A PIECE OF RUBBER, AND IMMEDIATLEY VEHICLE COMPLETLEY STALLED. ENGINE WILL NOT START. *AK
WHEN REMOVING THE FUEL NOZZLE FROM THE FUEL TANK, FUEL SHOOTS OUT OF THE TANK LIKE A FOUNTAIN. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THERE IS PRESSURE IN THE TANK WHICH CAUSES THE FUEL TO SHOOT OUT OF THE TANK FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS. WIHLE DRIVING HOME FOLLOWING THIS INCIDENT, THE ENGINE BUCKED, SURGED AND STALLED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE VEHICLE IS BEING CHECKED BY THE DEALER. *AK *ML
A/C EXTENSION VALVE FAILED. NLM
ALTERNATOR FAILED. *YC
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 1999 Mercedes Benz SLK230 → · Every SLK230 year → · How the figures are calculated →