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Mercedes-Benz SLKYears to avoid, problems & recalls

NHTSA has 74 owner complaints and 3 safety recalls on record for the Mercedes-Benz SLK.

Years to avoidNoneBased on weighted complaintsBest years—Fewest complaints for their ageOwner complaints74Top: VisibilitySafety recalls31998–2009 model years

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports. Updated daily. How we score years.

Best & worst years

Mercedes-Benz SLK years to avoid

Complaints by model year, colored by the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the SLK median. Tap a year for its full report.

'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
2009Not rated–/1002 complaints · 1 recall2008Not rated–/1000 complaints · 1 recall2007Not rated–/1000 complaints · 1 recall2006Not rated–/1002 complaints · 1 recall2005Not rated–/1006 complaints · 1 recall2004Not rated–/1000 complaints · 1 recall2003Not rated–/1009 complaints · 1 recall2002Not rated–/10025 complaints · 2 recalls2001Not rated–/10019 complaints · 2 recalls2000Not rated–/1003 complaints · 2 recalls1999Not rated–/1006 complaints · 1 recall1998Not rated–/1002 complaints · 1 recall
Complaints by system

Most common Mercedes-Benz SLK problems

All model years combined: 74 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Visibility161
Electrical system131
Exterior lighting120
Power train90
Engine and engine cooling70
Vehicle speed control70
Electronic stability control (ESC)61
Steering40
Service brakes, hydraulic41
9 other systems181
3 recalls

Mercedes-Benz SLK recalls

Newest first. The ring shows the share of affected vehicles repaired, from the manufacturer's latest report to NHTSA.

–Electrical system08V-303 · 2005–2009 · Jul 7, 2008 · 404 vehicles–Exterior lighting: brake lights05V-505 · 1998–2004 · Nov 1, 2005 · 69,278 vehicles–Exterior lighting: headlights02V-152 · 2000–2002 · Jun 13, 2002 · 27,863 vehicles
4 investigations

NHTSA investigations of the SLK

  1. Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureEA21002 · 2012 · still open
    Open
  2. TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTIONDP05007 · 2000–2001 · closed Mar 27, 2006
    No recall
  3. BRAKE LAMP FAILUREPE05051 · 2001–2004 · closed Dec 2, 2005
    Led to recall 05V-505
  4. SUDDEN ENGINE SHUT DOWNSQ01010 · 2000–2001 · closed Feb 4, 2002
    No recall