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ProblemsByVin Index / 2006-MERCEDES-BENZ-SL-CLASS / COMPLAINTS
Full complaint record · NHTSA

2006 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class owner complaints

18 complaints filed with NHTSA on this vehicle . Showing the 300 most recent — grouped by category for scanning.

suspension 4 complaints shown

4 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $900 · see suspension cluster analysis →
12/12/2014 29,000 mi ODI #10663955.0

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Mercedes benz sl500. While driving approximately 25 MPH, a loud noise emitted from the front end of the vehicle and the active body control warning light illuminated. The contact merged the vehicle over to the emergency lane. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact was made aware that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 08v405000 (suspension). The approximate failure mileage was 29,000.

06/06/2013 43,000 mi ODI #10515546.0

We bought a good car so the car can last with few issues but we have had lots of maintenance on this car and last one was the malfunction of the suspension and this cost us over $1800 to get fix. I believe this should be a recall item from Mercedes benz as lots of people are having the same problem and this is a very expensive fix for the consumer. My car only has 43k miles and we have replaced 3 sets of tires and it is so expensive to replace. We have other major issues with tire pressure errors and have taken in for service many times. *tr

02/12/2020 65,000 mi ODI #11308750.0

The 2006 mb sl500's are prone to abc (active body control) failures. Mercedes benz is aware of this issue, but they will not offer any assistance in repairing it. The cost to repair this system is approx. $4,000. If the vehicle is in motion, it is very possible that the driver may lose control of the car. The abc system affects both the air suspension, and braking. It could lead to a catastrophic accident, resulting in injury or death. I was fortunate in that I was not on the highway when the failure occurred.

01/16/2009 12,550 mi ODI #10255378.0

Change tire and jack would not hold it weight and buckled inward dealer and Mercedes benz not taking responsibility that the jack need to be recall and pay for the damage cause by the drop due to jack failure. *tr

brakes 4 complaints shown

5 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $450 · see brakes cluster analysis →
12/07/2020 68,000 mi ODI #11378227.0

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Mercedes benz sl500. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the ABS warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to astorg motor company located at 2908 7th st, parkersburg, wv 26102, who replaced the ABS brake compressor. Later while driving, the message stop pump brakes, was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed back to the same dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 68,000.

04/16/2019 125,000 mi ODI #11196708.0

On 04/14/2019 while driving, red dash warning lights came on warning of lost braking and to stop. At the same time two separate warning sounds filled the cars cabin. I tried the brakes, no response, I down shifted, and stood both feet on brakes and finally shifted to neutral to come to complete stop. Turned car off warning sign and warning sounds continued after engine was turned off. Opened hood, clicking and wurling sounds were coming from the sbc braking system. Call m/b the following day and had vehicle towed to nearest m/b dealer. Dealer found no faults. Afraid to drive. Dealer will not do any work on car w/o codes to verify problem.

04/09/2018 ODI #11082909.0

2006 sl 500. Consumer writes in regards to sbc warning cluster illuminated and brake failure. *ld the consumer stated the brakes failed while driving causing the vehicle to roll through an intersection. The consumer limped three blocks home. Fault codes c25ds, c26de, c26bb, and c233d in the sbc system. *js

01/11/2010 54,000 mi ODI #10299007.0

I have a 2006 Mercedes benz sl500. I have had numerous issues with the vehicle which were all covered under warranty. On 12-6-2009 I had a total brake failure. Luckily I was in a stopped position and the car started moving forward. The brake pedal was full pressed to the floor and the emergency brake did not work. Mercedes benz of greenway plaza(houston) 713-986-6600 did the repair. I was advised by kevin graves(my service advisor) that there was a recall and all repairs were covered under a extended recall warranty. On 1-7-2010 the exact same issue occurred, only this time I was moving in a elevated parking garage. I immediately down shifted to first and stood on the brake and pushed the emergency brake. Luckily again I was moving a very low speed and coasted to a stop. Mercedes b

electrical 3 complaints shown

3 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $850 · see electrical cluster analysis →
10/29/2015 85,000 mi ODI #10787102.0

When the car is turned on, the SRS light comes on, the rollbar light on, command center off/on/off/on, windshield wipers don't work, seat warmers/coolers inop, auto headlights inop.....all these problems are connected and intermittent. Reading throught the mb forum and mbworld forum, many sl owners are experiencing the same thing and it all seems to point to the electronic ignition switch. I wrote a letter to mb in january 2015 and they didn't want to help. My independent dealer immediately told me it was the electronic ignition switch (they've seen it before) but they are not authorized to work on ignition switch....it must be the dealer. I took it once to the dealer and they couldn't figure it out. When I called the dealer back months later to try and get it fixed, they argued with

09/02/2010 45,000 mi ODI #10353524.0

Speedometer appears to be displaying/indicating inaccurate speed compare to actual speed of the car. *tr

04/05/2014 16,000 mi ODI #10577552.0

I was driving a 2006 sl65. The car had an electronic braking system. Thus, the brake pedal was connected to a sensor which was connected to a pump which turned the brakes on. Something failed. There were no brakes! Luckily I did not crash despite being on a chicago city street. I was probably on the only street where I would not have crashed. There was a prior recall on older sls for this problem that was supposedly remedied but this should be a never event. This should be investigated. I got rid of the car immediately and the dealer bought it back, but the car was sold again. It is a low volume car and there might be crashes or fatalities. *tr

steering 2 complaints shown

10/10/2007 8,700 mi ODI #10205311.0

Since I took delivery of my brand new Mercedes-benz sl-55, I noticed severe pulling to one side to the point that, after more than 15 minutes of driving, I will have to switch arms to continue applying compensating weight on the steering wheel. After several repair attempts, the pulling decreased but never disappeared. However, other symptoms started surfacing, such as severe uneven tire wear on the front and development of ridges, lump or deformities that cause noise and create a "limping" effect. As more months passed by and tire(s) continued wearing unevenly, the ride got worse; to the point that I loss control of vehicle at 55mph+ a couple of times fortunately without crashes or injury. After those incidents, I minimized the use of the vehicle, and drove slower and more careful; b

09/02/2010 36,000 mi ODI #10353530.0

Steering (overall for car and steering wheel) feels very unstable when going over uneven road surfaces or small bumps. This is specially true when driving at speeds higher than 40mph. *tr

powertrain 1 complaint shown

07/22/2017 76,200 mi ODI #11010119.0

722.9 7-speed transmission has known defect causing vehicle to lock up in gear when driving. Locks into 3rd gear, can happen when you go to pass causing the vehicle to have no power when you try to kick into passing gear. On many occasions I've almost been hit because transmission fails to shift into passing gear. Also will happen when coming up to a red light then, light changes to green and you press accelerator to go but car will hardly go. I was bumped in the rear bumper once, luckily not causing any damage to vehicle.I've also been in many close call accidents when its happens. Mercedes knows about the problem, vehicle was taken to Mercedes-benz of bloomfield hills, service advisor informed me its a very common issue and repair is $2100 to replace the valve body and shift conductor pl

lighting 1 complaint shown

07/07/2006 ODI #10161807.0

HID headlights should be banned from the roads. There is no way the benefits of allowing one car to supposedly see better at night outweigh the risks to every oncoming car they encounter. These lights should at least be outlawed and ideally, manufacturers should be forced to recall vehicles and reimburse the consumer for the costs of the lights. *jb

cruise control 1 complaint shown

03/08/2013 33,000 mi ODI #10502144.0

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Mercedes benz sl500. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH with cruise control engaged, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 33,000 and the current mileage was 33,500. *tr

other 1 complaint shown

02/27/2006 ODI #10151328.0

Dt*: the contact stated while driving at 30mph, the doors automatically unlocked and the passenger's door came open; however no injuries were sustained. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for repairs.

Showing 300 of 18 total complaints. The full federal record is available at nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2006/Mercedes-Benz/SL-Class#complaints.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) owner complaint database. Last synced 2026-07-15. Complaints are owner-submitted and unverified — the existence of a complaint is not proof of a defect, but a pattern of complaints around the same component is a signal worth weighing. Verify any specific filing at nhtsa.gov.
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