Owners have filed 129 complaints on the Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class, covering 2005–2016. The system named most often is Air Bags (2 reports). Worst years by volume: 2007, 2006, 2005; cleanest: 2009, 2016, 2014. 5 reports describe a crash, 2 a fire. On average the car was 7.9 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 129 SLK-Class complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Air Bags 2 Read
The contact owns a 2013 mercedes-benz slk172. The contact stated that the passenger side air bag warning indicator was illuminated. The contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign number: 13V236000 (air bags). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.…
The anti whip lash prevention malfunctioned and the headrest was launched forwards
Fuel/propulsion System 1 Read
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…
Engine 1 Read
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…
Power Train 1 Read
Transmission wouldn't go into gear. Car lost power on freeway. Many repairs last one being electronic gas pedal. *tr ## VIN passed ## mercedes slk350 2012 ##
SLK-Class years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Structure,unknown Or Other | — | — | |
| 2015 | Fuel/propulsion System | — | — | |
| 2014 | Engine | — | — | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2009 | Steering,electronic Stability Control (esc),service Brakes | — | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 2005 | Electrical System,unknown Or Other,service Brakes | 3 | 1 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 80 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.6 |
| Worst single series | 6 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 7.9 years |
A model average of 1.6 hides a worst series at 6. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the SLK-Class?
By complaint volume, 2007, 2006, 2005 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which SLK-Class years are the cleanest?
2009, 2016, 2014 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class have?
129 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2005–2016. Of those, 5 describe a crash and 2 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.