1999 Mercedes-Benz SLK230 problems
Owners have filed 77 complaints with NHTSA about the 1999 Mercedes-Benz SLK230. Wipers, windshield & visibility is the most reported problem area, at 30% of complaints. Next are lighting (25%) and electrical system (19%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 77 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Wipers, windshield & visibility 30% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 6 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 6 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 67,000 miles 46 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 7 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 6 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 6 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 10 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 6 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 7 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 2 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 46 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 66,000 miles. For wipers, windshield & visibility specifically, the median reported mileage is about 61,000 miles (17 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 6 complaints mention a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire; 6 injuries reported.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
For my slk 230 1999 , sport package, the red and black interiors, fade away constantly , the red paint on dash and center console is very delicate, it will scratch all the way deep enough to see the black original color of the same... Cardan joints have been changed four times and keeps breaking , I have a brand new one in my trunk because the 4th one is already broken...then the asr light turns on" avoiding for the asr system to work properly, can become very dangerous on wet road..
When the vehicle was started the dashboard caught on fire. The fire department determined that the fire was started by an electrical short under the dash. The vehicle could not be driven. *scc *nlm
Re: NHTSA campaign # 05v-505. The manufacturer indicated in a letter to NHTSA that it would start owner notification no sooner than second quarter of 2006. It is now third quarter 2006 and when asked, the manufacturer still says there are no active recalls on this vehicle. I feel that the manufacturer needs to provide an updated schedule for compliance with this recall campaign.