2005 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class owner complaints

Just got off the high way and drive onto a local street, the car would not shift into any gear forward or reverse. End up having to tow the car. Luckily it didn't happen while I was at the highway. *tr

First incident I was driving down a mountain (malibu canyon road) around 10:30pm and the automatic transmission went out of gear by itself and I had no forward control. The engine revved but the transmission was not engaged. I was going downhill but it took me awhile to find a place to pull off the road. There was no cellphone service in that location so I waited for a few minutes to flag someone down. No one came by so I restarted my car and was able to get it back into gear. The second incident my wife and I were driving on the 101 freeway at approximately 65mph and the transmission disengaged from drive and went into neutral without any warning. We nearly got rear ended and by luck were able to coast to an off ramp. Upon reaching the bottom of the off ramp, I turned off the engine a

transmission lines popping off popped off at 60 miles per hour tensed me up it stared smoking pushed the safety hazzard lights on and was able to limp it off the highway its happened 3 times after i repaired them afraid to even drive it now.no no no

I bought a car in december of 2004 from Mercedes benz and never had any problems until a year later. I started to get transmission problems, the car would start jerking when I come to a stop, and the RPM on the car would go higher than normal when I step on the gas petal after coming to a complete stop. I have brought the car into autobahn numerous of times to try and get this problem fixed, but the problem keeps occurring and never seems to be fixed completely. The first time around they had replaced my transmission, and fixed the tap threads on the new transmission housing, the second time around they updated our software and control unit, and the third time they checked our control unit, installed a electrohydraulic control unit, the forth time around they did a adaptation perform, and

the conductor plate along with its speed sensor is faulty. Luckily I just exit the highway, the transmission just stopped working, can't drive forward or reverse and when I apply gas on either D or R, just the RPM speed up as if the car is in neutral. I was stranded on the middle of the road. this happened a few time. after turning off the car and turn it back on usually reset it for a little bit. the first time, I have to replace the transmission.

Dt: the contact stated the car was burning an excessive amount of oil. The vehicle used two quarts of oil at only 5, 500 miles. The dealership test drove the vehicle and found that the valves were not seated. Also, at times while pressing the accelerator pedal the vehicle will not move it will only rev the engine. The dealership was contacted, they told her the next time this occurred to shut the engine by putting the car in park and turning the key to the off position. There have been no repairs made to the transmission because the dealership did not have enough information to make any corrections. *ak updated 2/24/2006 - the vehicle was towed tot he dealer on 1/26/2006 and told that there was a problem with the transmission. The vehicle was left at the dealer for the repairs to be ma

Took my car in, it would not go into reverse, then the engine was winding out really hi on the tachometer, Mercedes said it was the valve body module in transmission, ok- then they told me my engine balance shaft was not working and the labor was 5628.00 they have not yet quoted me a price on the parts for either issue. Said the engine will just seize up when driving, I looked this up on internet and there seems to be a class action suit going on with this balance shaft issue.is this a safety issue they overlooked possibly ? Miles as low as 62k having same issue. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Excessive oil consumption 7 - 8 quarts in 6800 miles . *nm

improper heat treatment of the balance shaft spocket causing the balance shaft to worn out resulting in advance timing of the CAM. Mercedes acknowledges it's an known issue but don't cover cost of fixing it. Once ecu detected timing is off, it will stop the transmission from accelerating without any warning. Happened to me on a highway, good thing the car still have some momentum and was able to pull to the shoulder while others cars are coming from behind.

My vehicle has excessive rust issues that I’m being told by the dealership will compromise my safety. There is currently an extension of warranty for only the subframe in rear, but the rust is extended beyond that and is applied to the components needed to be removed in order to replace the subframe. Such as the exhaust pipe and brake lines as well. All are corroded to a high degree up to and including complete brittle material Disintegration. Exhaust and rear brake line cost make it impossible for me to have the vehicle brought back to safely drivable conditions. I have to get to work daily or my family will not eat or have a roof but at a cost of more than what the car is even worth I have no choice but to choose and compromise my safety and those around me or food and shelter for my fam

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!

The rear subframe is corroded to the point of about to fall off and subsequently anything that is attached. Mercedes has extended a warranty on the subframe which is excellent, but only the subFrame? What about the touching bits like the bolts and screws among other items that are connected to it. So now because I cannot afford the $5,000.00 needed for the other rusted pieces that are brittle and likely to fall off when the subframe is replaced, then they won’t do it. So I must jeapordize my safety as I have to get to school and work.

A few days after a scheduled service visit at a local Mercedes-Benz (MB) dealer I noticed a creaking sound coming from the rear of my 2005 SLK350 that continued to get louder as time went by. I scheduled another appointment for post-inspection and I received the unfortunate news that corrosion of the subframe had resulted in a critical fracture rendering the vehicle unsafe to drive and that I was actually lucky to have not been involved in an accident from the mechanical failure. It is clear from the undercarriage photos that corrosion was localized to subframe junctions where other areas/parts in the vicinity did not experience debilitating fracture damage. I was surprised that a recently-serviced vehicle was now deemed unsafe to drive and required an entire rear subframe replacement. A

As i was driving (on a bridge) the convertible top/roof gushed and dumped an incredible amount of hydraulic fluid/oil right in my face unexpectedly! This came out of the blue. I had just raised it since it began to rain. The combination of raining weather and being on a one lane bridge and then having that spew into my face rendered me unable to see and had Me swerving almost off the bridge as the other lane had vehicles driving. I almost wrecked and was left with highly painful eyes. In truth it could have lead to death without question had I not had a towel in my passenger seat to wipe my face. I’m now terrified to drive it but have to. Please help, especially if any others are having the same issue, which seems to be the case. I could have had an accident or worse had an accident with o

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Mercedes benz slk350. The contact stated that there was a strong odor of fuel inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,000.

The fuel gauge is working erratically. After filling up with fuel, gauge shows 3/4 full. Next morning, shows full. After driving 25 miles into work, fuel gauge show 1/4 full. End of the day, fuel gauge shows 1/2 full or empty. The reading can be almost anywhere and is unreliable. I have had to resort to tracking mileage and filling up before running out of fuel. The car has run out of fuel on a few occasions causing the car to lose power and speed on a major highway which is very unsafe. *tr

Car continues to roll at stop light after I apply pressure to brake to stop car. Must stop car further away from car in front to prevent possible contact. *nm

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. The contact stated that the vehicle was almost involved in two crashes because of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the contact was informed that the repair was not covered under warranty. In

The emergency brake line caught fire underneath the arm rest compartment. Traced the line back to rear tires and nothing electrical could be seen touching brake cable line. So no obvious reason why cable would ignite. I was parked in car port stall after a short trip to a friends house.

Side marker bulbs constantly burning out. Purchased car in 2012, and every annual inspection need to replace bulbs. But after about two weeks, they burn out again. Was told by mechanic wiring in light assembly defective. Cost to replace assembly estimated $150 per side/$300 for both - excluding labor. If assembly defective, feel I should not absorb cost to replace. An obvious Mercedes defect.