Saturday, August 8, 2026
RecallGazette

Vehicle problems, recalls & safety intelligence

2003 Mercedes-Benz SL500 vs 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL500

Complaints, recalls, TSBs, investigations and safety ratings side by side, from official federal data. Last verified Aug 8, 2026. Raw complaint counts are not adjusted for sales volume.

Metric2003 Mercedes-Benz SL5002005 Mercedes-Benz SL500
NHTSA complaints8019
Recall campaigns00
Service bulletins (TSBs)4556
Investigations10
Crash reports21
Fire reports32
NCAP overall rating
EPA MPG (combined)1617
Median reported incident mileage62,859 mi

Reported problems side by side

ComponentMercedes-Benz SL500Mercedes-Benz SL500
Suspension342
Electrical System104
Service Brakes86
Fuel System, Gasoline110
Fuel/propulsion System81
Service Brakes, Hydraulic62
Power Train43
Steering60
2003 Mercedes-Benz SL500
2005 Mercedes-Benz SL500

Compare all Mercedes-Benz SL500 vs Mercedes-Benz SL500 years →

Method. Complaints are unique NHTSA reports. A vehicle that sold more units will naturally accumulate more complaints — use shares and read the underlying reports before drawing conclusions.