"How reliable is the 2003 Mercedes Benz Sl Class?"

"Based on 23 NHTSA complaints, the 2003 Mercedes Benz Sl Class has a median complaint mileage of 9132 miles. The most common issue is Service Brakes, Hydraulic."

"What are common problems with the 2003 Mercedes Benz Sl Class?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2003 Mercedes Benz Sl Class is Service Brakes, Hydraulic, accounting for a significant portion of the 23 total complaints filed."

2003 Mercedes Benz Sl Class: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 23 complaints

Total Complaints

9,132mi

Median Mileage

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

9,132 25th Percentile

9,132 Median Mileage

9,132 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Suspension

Heater Core

Automatic Transmission

Door

Wiring

Brake Lights

Tires

Air Bags

Engine

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE HEATER MOTOR HAD BLOWN OUT. THE VEHICLE BOX CAUGHT ON FIRE. *AK THE FIRE MELTED THE MELTED THE WIRING HARNESS. *SCC *JB"

"IN THE RIGHT DOOR PANEL THERE IS A GLUE THAT SEALS THE PANELS TOGETHER. THIS GLUE GIVES OFF TOXIC FUMES. CONSUMER'S WIFE IS CURRENTLY SEEING A NEUROLOGIST FOR PROBLEMS SUFFERED FROM INHALING THE FUMES. THE MANUFACTURER AND THE DEALER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK"

"HYDRAULIC BRAKE FAILURE, TOTALLY UNEXPECTED. CAR IS A MARCEDES BENZ SL500, 2003. ONLY 8,500 K. ON 6-24-04, MB ISSUED A SAFETY BULLETIN (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NO. 04V296000)MB HAS NOT NOTIFIED OWNERS LIKE ME. I RUN A 4-WAY STOP SIGN AND A LARGE PICK-UP TRUCK WAS WITHIN 1 OR 2 FEET FROM HITTING ME ON THE..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

NM: 14 CT: 2 TX: 2 NY: 1 CA: 1 NJ: 1 DC: 1 MD: 1

Who Files Complaints?

73.9%

Original Owners

26.099999999999994%

Second+ Owners

Mercedes Benz Sl Class — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1998	20	-	Radio/Tape Deck/Cd Etc.	0

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28