2005 Mercedes-Benz SLK350 problems
NHTSA has received 36 complaints about the 2005 Mercedes-Benz SLK350, and 14% of them involve brakes. Next are suspension (14%) and drivetrain & axles (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 36 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 14% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 5 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 11 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 57,000 miles 17 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 | 0 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 5 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 5 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 3 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 0 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 4 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 17 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 57,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 5 complaints mention a crash; 3 complaints mention a fire; 11 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 95% of model years in our database.
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.
The brake lines are rusted from the rear sub Frame that was rusted And caused an accident. They told me the sub frame was the only item covered but that they could only bolt it and not weld if and then the exhaust and brake lines (rusted too bad to describe) weren’t covered and since I couldn’t afford it they only repaired the subframe and left the rest hanging ! My brakes failed on the way home. No one was injured but I can’t believe they let me go home with that condition!
Ignition switches inadvertently turn from "run" to "accessory" position while car is driven and I have to restart the car to keep going. I woke up to read in the newspaper today (2/28/2014) that there is a recall on the GM faulted ignition deaths and the same exact problem described is in my car and still exists in this vehicle. I love this car but it scares me. I told the local new car dealership on this and they said it would cost about $2,000.00 to fix it and I should wait till it gets worse before fixing it.
The contact owns a 2005 Mercedes-Benz SLK-350. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle eventually came to a rolling stop on the side of the road. In addition, the parking brake was activated; however, but failed to activate as intended. The contact stated that the low brake fluid warning light was illuminated. The contact refilled the brake fluid reservoir.
Other model years of the SLK350
- 2016
- 2015
- 2014
- 2013
- 2012
- 2011
- 2010
- 2009
- 2008
- 2007
- 2006
- 2005