2003 Mercedes Benz Sl500: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 108 complaints
108
Total Complaints
64,000mi
Median Mileage
SUSPENSION
Top Issue
2
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

50,300 25th Percentile
64,000 Median Mileage
86,498 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SUSPENSION
34
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
10
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
9
SERVICE BRAKES
8
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
8
STEERING
6
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
6
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
5
POWER TRAIN
4
AIR BAGS
4

Severity Assessment

2
Crashes
8
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"VEHICLE HAS BEEN DRIVEN LESS THAN 52,000 MILES AND BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE CATALYTIC CONVERTERS HAVE REQUIRED REPLACEMENT APPROXIMATELY 2 MONTHS APART. RETRACTABLE HOOD HAS NOW FAILED. CONCERNED THAT FAULTY DESIGN IN CATALYTIC CONVERTERS WILL CAUSEREPEAT FAILURES IN FUTURE. CONCERNED THAT RE..."
"TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCEDES BENZ SL500. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE BRAKES FAILED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. WHEN THE BRAKES FINALLY BEGAN TO OPERATE, THE ABS, COOLANT, AND ESP LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER, BUT NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE..."
"2003 MERCEDES BENZ SL500 - BAFFLE BREAKS FREE WITHIN GAS TANK SEEMINGLY CAUSING A SAFETY HAZARD. MERCEDES DOES NOT REPLACE THE TANK FOR FREE IN ALL CASES. GAS TANK NEEDED REPLACED. *TR"

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

SUSPENSION 34 complaints
25th: 54,375 mi Median: 63,429 mi 75th: 82,500 mi
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 10 complaints
25th: 45,500 mi Median: 51,600 mi 75th: 77,050 mi
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 9 complaints
25th: 52,715 mi Median: 66,000 mi 75th: 71,554 mi
SERVICE BRAKES 8 complaints
25th: 76,625 mi Median: 86,999 mi 75th: 90,083 mi
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 8 complaints
25th: 41,075 mi Median: 52,000 mi 75th: 71,954 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 37 FL: 10 TX: 7 GA: 7 MD: 6 NC: 4 OH: 4 LA: 4 NY: 3 WI: 3

Mercedes Benz Sl500 — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
1995390
2004635
2005221

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