2001 Mercedes-Benz SLK problems & reliability
19 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2001 Mercedes-Benz SLK, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 8, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (4 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility | 6 | 32% |
| Electrical System | 3 | 16% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 2 | 11% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 11% |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 11% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 11% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 5% |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 5% |
| Power Train | 1 | 5% |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 12 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“While driving under 30 mph, vehicle randomly applies front or rear brake causing a loud braking squeal and causing the car to buck or pitch to one side. It has occurred from a stopped position as I started to accelerate, but 90% of the time it occurs at speeds under 30-35 mph while just driving in a simple or long…”
Electronic Stability Control (esc) · filed Jun 1, 2013
“Rear brake lamps failed over and over since vehicle purchased in 2001. Dealer replaced bulbs numerous times and last replaced l & r bulbs on 12/29/2006 at 29005 miles. In april 2007 a safety recall was issued for rear brake lamps failure. Rear lamps failed once again at 39697 miles and vehicle was brought in to…”
Exterior Lighting · filed Jul 9, 2012
“The esp light comes on, the car pulls to right and the speed pedal does not work. It happens while accelerating and almost had an accident due to lack of power to cross a major intersection. The esp light comes on and automatically disables the speed/gas pedal. *tr”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Dec 5, 2011
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION
Defect Petition DP05007 · opened Nov 7, 2005 · closed Mar 27, 2006
- BRAKE LAMP FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE05051 · opened Sep 22, 2005 · closed Dec 2, 2005 · led to recall 05V505000
- SUDDEN ENGINE SHUT DOWN
Investigation SQ01010 · opened Sep 25, 2001 · closed Feb 4, 2002
Technical service bulletins
3 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2001 Mercedes-Benz SLK.
Mercedes: corrosion protection coatings for brake components and hardware may be damaged and or stripped away if highly concentrated acid based cleaners are used. Once the corrosion protection is damaged or removed the…
TSB-42-10-109 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 15, 2009
Check engine light on / fault codes fc1200 / fc1208 stored in me-sfi control unit. Mercedes-benz model c230, c280, c350, slk280, slk350, clk350, clk550, e350, e550, cls550, s600, and sl550. Equipped with m272 engine or…
033008 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2008
On some vehicles, upon release of the brake pedal and / or application of the accelerator pedal, there is a 1-2 second delay until the actuator moves to the new accelerator pedal input position. This delay is integrated…
50012 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 22, 2001
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2001 Mercedes-Benz SLK has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2001 Mercedes-Benz SLK?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.