10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 1
Average Mileage:
230,144 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2004 Mercedes-Benz SL500:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #4

Jul 032014

SL500 8-cyl

  • 795,908 miles
Driving on freeway and hit bump on freeway the abc lights come on vechicle hard to cotrol here rubbing, vehicle to low flashes went straight to dealer.

- El Segundo , CA, USA

problem #3

Jul 242009

SL500

  • 19,000 miles
Addendum info to original complaint #10308437 shows that mb service advisor J. steach advised M.B. not responsible as driver should "miss" potholes. Engineering analysis shows that it is not possible for driver to steer around potholes. At 70mph mb SL500 travels 103 ft/sec and it is not possible to observe the pothole hazard and categorize as safety risk at speeds of 70mph(103ft/sec) react physiologically and actuate steering system -all in less than one second-one half second each for human response and same for mechanical actuation-insufficient time to avoid pot hole hit. Dark or low light conditions render pothole miss impossible. In any case, the improperly engineered soft low strength alloy wheel design leads any prudent vehicle driver into a crash trap. Wheel, tire, suspension damage evident-needs corrected immediately at expense of mercedez-Benz.. wife whiplash due to severe abrupt unanticipated forces in bringing vehicle to safe stop. I have neck soreness and aggravation of previous neck injury likely.

- Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, USA

problem #2

Jul 242009

SL500

  • 19,000 miles
My Mercedes Benz sl 500 2004 came with car new alloy wheels are improperly designed and engineered to meet minimum safety requirements. Recently at near speed limit hit a 2-3" pot hole in road. Soft metal alloy rf wheel bent, "Z" rated michelan tire blew, follow-on control problem placedwife and me in serious risk of roll-over and worse before my mb SL500 could be brought to safe stop. Right rear alloy wheel also similar failure recently. This mb failure will kill many less skilled drivers. Needs corrected asap. This car unsafe to drive at high speed or out of town remote areas. Old part available. Satisfactory safety fix not known to me. Torrance ca. Mb dealer refused correction. This car is a death trap!!

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #1

Jan 282009

SL500

  • 86,666 miles
In 12-06 I bought a 2004 Mercedes Benz S500. Since than I took the car back the dealer more ten times the latest was 1-09 for the same reason the air matic defected orcompressure leak, pressure sensor malfunction, air matic valve block defective. Some time they found the air matic compressors w/ external leak cause the suspension to be low. In May 2008 for leak in the compressor they told me it was fixed. Again in July 2008 air matic compressor again leak. Aug 2008 they told me it relay defective the airmatic pump was stuck and the airmatic pump did not pass pnumatic test again they told me the dealer charged $821.03.jan2009 airmatic valve block defective again charged $765.89.I think some completely wrong with this car, but the dealer and the head of the Mercedes Benz do not want to hear me the car cost me alot of moneys and every other month I must find money to fixed the same thing over and over again that not fair.

- Wyandanch, NY, USA