Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class Complaints

40 consumer complaints on file.

#11761772September 2, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY
While driving on the highway the roof polycarbonate top started to buffet at speed prompting a rapid deceleration of the car for fear of the roof flying off. The car has been evaluated at the Mercedes dealer which stated that the roof was delaminating. I am now unable to drive to convertible with the top up for fear of a mechanical failure placing other motorists at risk of flying debris.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11745474June 21, 2026
AIR BAGS, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The anti whip lash prevention malfunctioned and the headrest was launched forwards
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11735326May 3, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE
While passing a vehicle on a two lane road, my vehicle lost power and went into limp mode nearly causing a head on accident. The check engine light came on and i immediately went to O'Reilly's Auto parts store and had their OBD scanner read the code. AP0002 code was read. I immediately returned home and the check engine light automatically cleared. I scanned the OBD again and found code P0002 and a second code P000277 that was listed as stored and current Both codes refer to an issue with the high pressure fuel pump. I just recently purchased this vehicle with 35170 miles. I had the OBD scanned prior to purchase, there were no codes at that time so we purchased the vehicle. We've since put 1000 miles on the vehicle and without any warning, this issue suddenly happened. I have done some research and Mercedes offered an extended 120000 mile/10 year warranty that addressed this exact issue, however, that warranty is now up due to the age of the vehicle. This issue put us and others at server risk of a major accident do to this issue happening with no warning. I haven't tried to reproduce the scenario that occurred, however the codes remain on the OBD computer.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11730750April 13, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I am submitting this complaint to report a serious high‑pressure fuel system failure on my 2015 Mercedes‑Benz SLK 250 equipped with the M274 2.0L turbocharged engine, which resulted in a sudden and dangerous loss of propulsion. While accelerating to pass another vehicle at roadway speed, the engine abruptly lost power, stalled, and the vehicle immediately entered limp mode, leaving me exposed to active traffic with no warning and unable to complete the maneuver safely. The incident triggered diagnostic fault code P000277, consistent with a fuel pressure or fuel control system malfunction. This failure created an immediate safety hazard, as loss of engine power during acceleration significantly increases the risk of rear‑end or side‑impact collisions. Of particular concern is that Mercedes‑Benz has previously acknowledged fuel system safety defects in the same M274 engine family, as documented in NHTSA Safety Recall Campaign No. 18V‑837, which addressed known vulnerabilities in the fuel delivery system that could lead to engine malfunction. Although my specific vehicle may not have been included in that recall, the symptoms and failure mode I experienced are consistent with those known fuel system issues. A sudden and complete loss of engine power during normal driving conditions represents an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety. I respectfully urge NHTSA to investigate this failure pattern to determine whether additional vehicles using this engine platform are affected and to take appropriate action to prevent injuries or fatalities. Can you please give me a document so I can go to Mercedes and get this fixed? this first happened in June 2024 and I am since clearing the code myself and I just found out this problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11698623November 10, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
THIS IS THE PROBLEM I AM HAVING WITH MY VEHICLE: Nature of the Problem: The recall involves the ESC system software, which may incorrectly keep the brakes slightly applied. This can cause the brake components to heat up over time, potentially affecting braking performance and increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, the dragging brakes may overheat, raising the risk of a fire. Recall Initiation: The recall began on June 9, 2017. Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is responsible for notifying owners and will update the ESC system software free of charge. I GOT THIS INFORMATION WHEN I DID A SEARCH FOR MY PARTICULAR PROBLEM. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, MY BRAKES GO "SOFT" AND I HAVE TO PUSH THE BRAKE PEDAL WAY DOWN TO STOP THE CAR. ALSO, THEY HEAT UP AND SOMETIMES SMOKE. THIS HAPPENS ONCE IN A WHILE NOT ALL THE TIME. THE LAST TIME WAS YESTERDAY 10/09/2025 I CALLED MERCEDES AND THEY TOLD ME MY VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED ON THE RECALL FOR SOME REASON. THEY TOLD ME TO REPORT THE PROBLEM HERE AND HAVE MY VEHICLE ADDED TO THE RECALL. THANK YOU
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11691757October 6, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
My mechanic says it's the fuel filter and it has been discontinued. I am a single woman and I am now afraid to drive my car. l am stressed about breaking down or being killed. Please help me. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11682301August 22, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, STRUCTURE:BODY
SUNROOF PANEL DETACH AND LET GLASS PANEL LOOSE ON ROADWAY. I FELL THAT MY MODEL SHOULD ALSO BE PART OF THIS CLASSIFIED AS 22V-954. HOWEVER, SINCE IT WAS NOT ON THE LIST SO THERE FORE THEY REFUSED TO RECOGNIZE IT AS BEING ONE OF THERE PROBLEM. I BELIEVE THIS IS AN OVER SIGHT WITH THEM. I REPORTED IT TO THEM AROUND JULY 31 2025 TO THE MERCEDES CARE PEOPLE. THEY TOLD ME THAT SINCE MY CAR DID NOT HAVE A WARRANTY OR AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AND THAT THE CAR WAS OVER NINE YEARS OLD PLUS WITH THE MILEAGE ON THE CAR THAT THIS WAS NOT THERE PROBLEM. MY INSURANCE AGENT TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS A MECHAICAL FAILURE AND THATA THEY WOULD NOT BE COVER UNDER MY POLICY. HOWEVER AFTER READING THIS ARTICLE THEY KNEW THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN TO ANY OF THERE MODEL. I'M ASKING FOR YOUR ASSISTANT TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11592942June 6, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Good afternoon, My GPS just shut down. i've never had a car do this! Its a Becker by Harman [XXX] Modelno. : Becker Map Pilot P/N 2710171 EC:104 Assembly date 2025 Type BMP M077 A 166 900 58 15 ZGS(ZB)001 A 172 901 48 04 zgs(HW)001 A 166 902 10 07 ZGS(SW)001 Can it be replaced? my dealership said they went out of business and can't be replaced? thank you [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11500350January 5, 2023
STRUCTURE:BODY
The roof panel on my car separated from the body of the vehicle during normal highway driving. This failure is similar to recent prior recalls on other Mercedes Benz models where, due to failed glue bonding, sliding panels on those models detached from vehicles during driving conditions. At least one news article described those component failures as being due to a "defect." In my case, the entire roof panel separated from and blew off the car. The loss of a roof from the body of a car during driving conditions creates obvious safety issues for the occupants of the vehicle and for those in other vehicles or otherwise using the road. I have regularly maintained my car at a certified Mercedes Benz dealer and this potential issue was never raised or identified to me.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11496637December 8, 2022
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz SLK250. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the convertible roof cover started to pull away from the cross-support members connected to the windshield. The contact stated that the separation failure of the roof top become more pronounced, and water there was water leaking into the vehicle, causing an electrical short circuit of the convertible roof controls and the courtesy lights located in the overhead panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the convertible top needed to be replaced; however, the convertible roof top was no longer manufactured. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11492157November 3, 2022
WHEELS:RIM
The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK350. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a loud noise was heard coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact stated that as she pulled over and parked the vehicle, the low tire pressure warning light illuminated for the driver's side rear tire. When the contact exited the vehicle, she saw that the rim hub cap had detached from the driver's side rear wheel. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic who removed the tire and sent it to a local dealer. The mechanic at the local dealer made the contact aware of a crack on the side wall. Additionally, the contact stated that the tire was taken to the original place of purchase, and the claims team determined the failure was caused by damage from the rim and advised the contact to call the vehicle manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired; however, the spare tire was installed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11486974September 28, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
The transmission on my 26700 miles car did not shift and the car wouldn’t move on the intersection as well as on the highway where the car would just roll without accepting the gas pedal. Most dangerous on the intersection where cars behind mine would just go without making sure my mercedes is moving(which it didn’t). The mechanic mentioned that transmission fluid may have contaminated other parts of the engine and contaminated various sensors giving erroneous readings error codes all related to electrical issues. There are fault codes suggesting that the ECU, PCM, SRS, and ABS are not correctly working. In addition, common problem occurring in MB vehicles are the radios are faulty and not working. The car has until 2020 been almost exclusively serviced by Mercedes Benz in Fort Washington / PA where at the crfax report one can see that the radio, ECU have been meddled with before at this service location. This should proof the longstanding assertion as expressed in different MB forum that there are many existing electrical and transmission problems with this model throughout the build of this series.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11433988September 23, 2021
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:HEAD RESTRAINT
The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK350. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the front passenger’s side headrest erroneously deployed. During the failure no crash had occurred, and no passenger was seated in the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure but not assistance was offered. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 48,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11415757May 9, 2021
ENGINE
CONSTANT CODE PO171
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11386274January 3, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
VAPOR CANISTER FELL OF UNDERSIDE OF VEHICLE. PART NUMBER 171-470-00-59 AT HIGH SPEED THIS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE CATASTROPHIC AS THE PART IS LARGER THAN THE UNDERSIDE OF THE VEHICLE AND COULD HAVE PUNCTURED GAS TANK IF TANK IS IN REAR CLOSE TO PART. FORTUNATELY I WAS BACKING OUT OF GARAGE AND I WAS ABLE TO STOP AND LOOK. THE IMAGE OF IT UNDER CAR IS WITH CAR ON AN 8 INCH BLOCK OF WOOD
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11385751December 31, 2020
STRUCTURE:BODY
MARS RED PAINT FAILURE-
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11383526December 15, 2020
STRUCTURE:BODY
COMPLAINT CONCERNS THE ROOF TOP PANEL PROBLEM ON A 2013 MERCEDES BENZ SLK 250. THE ROOF ISSUE OCCURRED IN JULY 2020 WHEN THE SLK 250 HAD ABOUT 36,000 MILES. THE ROOF PANEL ON THE CONVERTIBLE TOP SEPARATED FROM THE UNDERLYING CROSS-SUPPORT MEMBER CAUSING THE ROOF PANEL TO EXPAND AND SEPARATE WHICH THEN CAUSES THE FRONT PART OF THE ROOF PANEL TO BOW NOTICEABLY WHEN OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES ARE ABOVE APPROXIMATELY 85 DEGREES. WHEN THE ROOF PANEL BOWS IT CREATES CONSIDERABLE WIND NOISE, AND RAISES POSSIBLE CONCERNS OF WATER ENTERING THE INTERIOR IF DRIVEN WHILE RAINING OR POSSIBLE SEPARATION OF THE ENTIRE ROOF PANEL FROM THE AUTOMOBILE. THE AUTHORIZED MERCEDES BENZ DEALERSHIP OFFERED NO REPAIR OTHER THAN AN ENTIRE ROOF REPLACEMENT AT CONSIDERABLE COST (ABOUT $4,000). MERCEDES BENZ CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS CUSTOMER CARE (ATLANTA, GA) OFFERED NO SOLUTION OR REMUNERATION FOR REPAIR OF THIS STRUCTURAL FAILURE AND POTENTIAL SAFETY CONCERN. I LEARNED OF THE CAUSE OF THE ROOF SEPARATION ISSUE VIA ONLINE RESEARCH, SPECIFICALLY WITH SLK WORLD OWNERS GROUP HAVING THE MOST INFORMATION. THE ROOF ISSUE APPEARS REAL WITH MANY OWNERS ATTEMPTING THEIR OWN RE-GLUING REPAIRS RATHER THAN PAYING SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR A COMPLETE ROOF REPLACEMENT.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11365763October 22, 2020
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
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!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11351233August 25, 2020
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
THE HEADLINER/CEILING OF THE CAR IS FALLING APART. PARTICULARLY THE CLOTH UNDER THE SUNROOF ALL CAME OFF WITH THE ADHESIVENESS IS LOST AND DIRECTLY FALLS ONTO ONES'S FACE WHILE DRIVING AND IT COULD BE FATAL. MERCEDES DEALER ACKNOWLEDGED THE ISSUE BUT DID NOT AUTHORIZE A COVERED REPAIR. THIS IS REAL SAFETY CONCERN AND THERE CAN BE CHOKING OR OTHER UNDESIRED DISTURBANCE WITH THE HANGING HEADLINER PART WHILE DRIVING. THE ADHESIVE MATERIALS EXPOSED AND THE TINY PARTICLES COULD BE INHALED INTO LUNGS, WHICH COULD BE OTHER UNDESIRED DAMAGE STEMMING FROM THE FALLING HEADLINER CLOTH. THIS HAPPENED WHEN I WAS DRIVING AND OPERATED THE SUNROOF OPENING. THE HEADLINER CLOTH LANDED ON MY FACE AND I WAS ABLE TO CONTROL THE CAR AND TAKE IT TO SAFETY AND TEMPORARILY HELD THE CLOTH IN PLACE.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11343969August 7, 2020
SERVICE BRAKES
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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