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ProblemsByVin Index / 2013-MERCEDES-BENZ-SL-CLASS / COMPLAINTS
Full complaint record · NHTSA

2013 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class owner complaints

18 complaints filed with NHTSA on this vehicle , including 1 reporting a crash, fire, injury, or fatality. Listed by category, newest first within each section.

steering 5 complaints shown

5 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $700 · see steering cluster analysis →
12/29/2021 ODI #11445443.0

Our power steering went out all of a sudden. We took this to our mechanic who said it was a recall for the power steering. Fletcher Jones Mercedes' looked at the vehicle did a computer update recall and said the power steering is not covered. The car is very unsafe and we need this fixed.

12/09/2024 60,000 mi ODI #11629693.0

The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power steering assist functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V899000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

06/01/2021 65,000 mi ODI #11419160.0

The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550. The contact stated while the vehicle was being serviced at a tire shop, he was informed that the power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the steering assembly needed to be replaced. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V899000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

04/27/2019 31,000 mi ODI #11204099.0

My car was manufactured in 12/12. I took my car in last year because suddenly my power steering quit working on me. My husband man-handled the steering and drove it 70 miles to the nearest dealership in lubbock, tx. They said it was a computer error and hooked up a device and said they updated the computer software, no parts replaced. Today, suddenly my power steering quit working again. I read online there is a recall but my VIN doesn't show up as recalled. I can't drive it because no power steering but more importantly it says it can catch on fire. The vehicle was in motion, leaving our 1/4 mile driveway and turning. I refuse to go in and have them do a computer reset and not replace the part that could catch on fire, becauses my VIN is not on the recall list. This is twice in l

04/27/2019 31,000 mi ODI #11204106.0

My car had 30,000 miles on it when the steering mechanism quit working up and down. It turns out the problem is in the form of improper installation. There was nothing wrong with the part. Part no. 231 460 02 31. This problem occurred at the factory. The technician over shot the adjustment length on installation, causing the power steering wheel adjustment up and down to occur intermittently. It gets stuck in the up position making it very difficult to exit the car, especially if you are a big person. All my husband had to do to fix it was readjust the length and it was fixed. There are thousands of complaints where owners are paying for new parts and installations and there is nothing wrong with the original part. Unless you fixed it yourself you would not know this. Please look

powertrain 4 complaints shown

4 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $2,500 · see powertrain cluster analysis →
09/04/2017 28,000 mi ODI #11021314.0

Traveling on I-5 in stop and go traffic 0- 60 MPH when transmission started shifting roughly. It then shifted to neutral and would not respond to shifter inputs. I was in the second lane from the right doing 10 or 15 MPH. I was able to force my way into the right lane and off to the shoulder. I put the transmission in sport and paddle shifter mode with no response from the shift selector. Thinking this is a computer problem I rebooted by shutting car off and restarting. All functions returned to normal. Took to dealer where I got very good service but it turns out there was a Mercedes bulletin regarding this problem. It required a software update that has appearently fixed the problem. What happened to me was very minor when compared to what could have happened losing power on the freeway

07/04/2018 ODI #11109568.0

The car suddenly slow down in highway goes to limp mode for example from 69 to 35 miles is very dangerous I have to get off the highway

04/12/2024 ODI #11582692.0

Started the vehicle and used the gear selector to shift to Drive. Car did not go into gear. Towed to dealer. Dealer found faulty “ism module.” Apparently a very common issue with these cars. So common that the part is in an “indefinite back order.” The replacement part is also revised because Mercedes knows there was a manufacturer defect with the existing part. I am being charged more than $1600 on a part that the manufacturer has already acknowledged was faulty and created a replacement for it.

01/02/2014 1,200 mi ODI #10558190.0

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Mercedes benz sl550. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the paddle shifters were operated and the connector plate failed without warning. The contact mentioned that the vehicle failed to accelerate. On another occasion the contact stated that while coming to a complete stop, the vehicle lurched forward without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was unable to be replicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer informed him that the sudden lurch when the vehicle came to a stop was the way the vehicle was designed. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 1,200 and the current mileage 9,000. The VIN was not available.

engine 3 complaints shown

3 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $3,100 · see engine cluster analysis →
11/30/2021 ODI #11442087.0

Cam sensor seals failed which leaked oil into the wire harness, O2 sensors, and ECM. This happens to be a common problem with M278 engine. The repair was $10,217 to fix this issue. The car would not pass emissions without this repair. Could oil into the electrical system pose a fire hazzard?

10/31/2018 74,000 mi ODI #11144468.0

My vehicle has a cam seal leak that leaked oil into the wiring harness and wiring harness and other components need to be replaced -- the bill is $10,800 --- this cam seal was a recall issue for the c class and from what I read seems to be the same or similar issue --- not an ordinary wear and tear issue - this is should be a recall issue and Mercedes should fix -- the check engine light came in and they said engine would not have started and I would have been stranded -- it is currently being fixed at the dealer at my expense

03/28/2025 ODI #11651239.0

I was driving on a country road when all of a sudden my car lost power all the warning lights camo on the dashboard. Smoke started billowing out from the back and front of the car. It turned off and I only coasted about a 100 feet. I could not safely pull off to the side of the road as the car had no power. Thankfully the road was not very busy and the tow truck collected the vehicle. Upon further inspection I saw a lot of oil on the road and the mechanics were able to confirm that the engine block was cracked and there were 2 large holes. Upon further research I was able to find a lot of similar cases with this specific M278 Mercedes engine and premature failures that happen because of bad cylinder coating. In later engines they update the cylinder lining to a more durable steel sleeves.

wheels 3 complaints shown

3 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $400 · see wheels cluster analysis →
08/20/2015 14,472 mi ODI #10749993.0

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Mercedes benz sl550. While driving at 10 MPH, the instrument panel indicated that the front driver side tire needed air. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the wheels were removed and it was diagnosed that all four tires were cracked and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 14,472. The VIN was not available.

04/30/2017 33,500 mi ODI #10981492.0

Tire was losing 1-2 pounds of air a day. Took to costco to fix what I believed was a tire leak. Upon exam costco found that wheel had a crack in it that was causing problem and told me that they see several of these cracks each year on Mercedes. I then took car to Mercedes dealer and bought a new wheel. Mercedes would not warranty wheel altho car still under warranty say I must have caused crack. I never hit anything that could have caused the crack. Mercedes dealer acknowledged that there was bo evidence of any damage to wheel or tire. I take very good care of car. No damage to tire. It was rt rear wheel. Mercedes would not give me back the cracked wheel after I bought the new one. They seem to have cars on road with defective wheels that could give at any time.

04/27/2019 31,000 mi ODI #11204109.0

Auto moving and not moving. My husband is ocd and very particular about our vehicles. I had a flat tire on a run flat and damaged my left driver's side back wheel. We decided to replace all 4 tires and that wheel. My spouse removed all 4 wheels from vehicle, cleaned and inspected each wheel and we carefully put them in the back of our truck. I took them to alderson Mercedes in lubbock. I watched as monte the service adviser carefully removed all 4 wheels. Later in the day alderson calls and says that the right back wheel has a crack in it and needs to be replaced. I'm flabbergasted as I knew it didn't before I brought it. But its a he said she said. Upon researching the internet for complaints of Mercedes benz wheels cracking I found a lot of them, enough for a class action suit.

electrical 1 complaint shown

08/19/2024 ODI #11609568.0

Had some issues with turn signals and a check engine light. My car is a 2013 SL63 AMG with 22700 miles. It sits in garage 95 percent of the time under cover. Took car to dealer and they replaced both batteries it fixed al of the lights except my turn signal. I asked the dealer why didn't you check the turn signal I got no response. I had to drive to Louisville the next day and on the way home I noticed my headlights were out and had to drive 75 miles with only fog lights. I took it to another mechanic who took the bumper off and was shocked and how much water was in my headlights and in my electrical components. He said I'm lucky the car didn't shut down or catch fire and sent me pictures of water and a brown sludge he said was some kind of manufacture fix to absorb water in the lens. He s

suspension 1 complaint shown

06/07/2024 ODI #11593024.0

The rear subframe experienced excessive levels of rust which caused the rear left side to suddenly collapse. After the collapse, the car would fish tail at low speeds (i.e., less than 15 miles per hour). I am thankful that the collapse did not happen when traveling at higher speeds such as an expressway, which would have certainly caused an accident. The Mercedes Benz dealer refused to cover the cost of the work to replace/repair the subframe. The dealer stated that they would cover the cost under an “extended warranty” if the car was manufactured for the US, but, as I found out, the car was made for Canada based on the VIN #. This is the case even though the subframe in this model had the same rusting issue in the US and in Canada. Additionally, I purchased the car in Florida. I am surp

brakes 1 complaint shown

04/08/2020 36,800 mi Crash ODI #11320598.0

Jun 2017: annual service. Ask to have brakes checked because brake pedal was travelling down to the floor. Jun 2018: annual service. Complaint: brake pedal would hit the floor and as it traveled down further, the engine acceleration ticked-up, at which time I released the brake pedal and re-applied the brakes successfully. Jun 2019: annual service: strong complaint: ditto jun 2018 except as the brake pedal approached the floor, the engine acceleration was increasing. 12 mar 2020: accident: time 0645 am pst, traveling west-bound on a near-straightaway (slight 5-degree curve to the left) at 40 MPH in a 50 MPH zone on a 6-lane roadway, in far-right lane with 8-car-lengths to the car ahead, I applied the brakes as the cars ahead of me slowed to a stop in the right lane. I cont

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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