2003 Mercedes Benz SLK230

Routine

Owners filed 5 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the exterior lighting › brake lights. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Service Brakes1
000
Exterior Lighting › Brake Lights1
000
Exterior Lighting1
000
Engine1
000
Electrical System1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Engine
Filed May 9, 2021112,000 milesNE

CONSTANT CODE PO171

Exterior Lighting
Filed Oct 22, 202087,400 milesCA

MY DRIVERS SIDE BRAKE LIGHT HAS BEEN REPAIRED OR REPLACED 11 TIMES. THE RECALL TO FIX IT FAILED AND MERCEDES WONT CORRECT THE TAIL LIGHT SYSTEM. NO BRAKE LIGHT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IN TRAFFIC, IN MAKING LEFT TURNS ESPECIALLY! BRAKING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT LIGHT FUNCTION ON ANY VEHICLE!

Service Brakes
Filed Aug 7, 202056,418 milesMS

WHEN DRIVING AT NORMAL SPEED THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL LOCKS UP. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT 40 MPH (IN TOWN) AND ALSO 65 MPH (ON HIGHWAY), ALMOST CAUSING ME TO HIT ANOTHER CAR AND RUN OFF THE ROAD. ITS HAPPENS TWICE FOR ONLY 3 SECONDS AT A TIME. THE BAS, SAP AND EMERGENCY LIGHTS ALL COME ON AT THIS TIME.

Electrical System
Filed Jul 17, 2020184,000 milesWA

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK230. THE CONTACT STATED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS THE VEHICLE FAILED TO IMMEDIATELY START WHEN TURNING THE IGNITION KEY. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE LOCAL DEALER MERCEDES-BENZ OF BEAVERTON LOCATED AT 9275 SOUTH WEST CANYON RD PORTLAND OR 97225 WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 184,000.

Exterior Lighting › Brake Lights
Filed Sep 16, 201980,347 milesOH

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK230. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS WERE DEFECTIVE. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING TO WORK, A FELLOW MOTORIST FLAGGED HER DOWN AND ALERTED HER THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MERCEDES-BENZ OF NORTH OLMSTED (28450 LORAIN RD, NORTH OLMSTED, OH 44070, 440-716-2700) TO BE SERVICED. THE DEALER FOUND A NAIL INSIDE THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE TIRE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED ABOUT THE BRAKE LIGHT FAILURE AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 05V505000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING). THE MANUFACTURER OFFERED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,347.

5 of 5 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 1999
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20044000Routine
2003 — this page5000Routine
20025000Routine
200131000Routine
200022020Routine
199959010Routine
199834020Routine

Compare every SLK230 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.