Known Recalls

Model year record

2005 MERCEDES BENZ SL Class

1 recall campaign on file for this model year. 3 owner complaints on file.

Recalls

Recall campaignNHTSA 05V133000

Service brakes, hydraulic

Component
Service brakes, hydraulic
Manufacturer
MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC.
Vehicles affected
204,000
Reported to NHTSA
2005-04-01
Owners notified
2005-08-08

Defect description

ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, THE SENSOTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL (SBC) SYSTEM MAY PREMATURELY SHIFT TO THE HYDRAULIC BACK-UP FUNCTION MODE, DUE TO DETERIORATION OF THE WIRING HARNESS CONNECTION, OR DUE TO PREMATURE FAILURE OF THE HYDRAULIC PUMP.

Safety risk

IN THE HYDRAULIC BACK-UP MODE, THE DRIVER HAS BRAKING POWER SUFFICIENT TO STOP THE VEHICLE, ALTHOUGH GREATER BRAKE PEDAL PRESSURE IS REQUIRED AND THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVEL WILL BE NOTICEABLY LONGER.

Manufacturer remedy

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A BRACKET AND REPLACEMENT GROUND WIRE TO THE SBC PUMP UNIT ON ALL VEHICLES FREE OF CHARGE. ADDITIONALLY DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE SBC PUMP UNIT IN SL VEHICLES PRODUCED DURING A LIMITED PRODUCTION PERIOD. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 8, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MERCEDES-BENZ AT 1-800-367-6372.

Owner complaints

A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.

ComponentComplaintsMedian mileage
Air bags: frontal134,581 mi
Suspension: front119,000 mi
Vehicle speed control134,581 mi

The 2004 model has about half as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.

Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.