vehicle signal
U.S. public vehicle records

1997 Mercedes Benz SL320: complaints, problems and recalls

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

3 owner complaints analyzed

1 distinct recall campaigns

150,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 1997 model year. Data snapshot: . 1 complaints include usable failure mileage.

This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Electrical System:Wiring is the most frequently named component, appearing in 2 of 3 complaints (66.7%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
TopicMatching reportsShare of complaints
Electrical and battery issues133.3%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Electrical System:Wiring
2
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine
2
Seat Belts
1
Seat Belts:Pretensioner
1
Component breakdown data
CategoryCount
Electrical System:Wiring2
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine2
Seat Belts1
Seat Belts:Pretensioner1

Electrical System:Wiring: 2; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 2; Seat Belts: 1; Seat Belts:Pretensioner: 1

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000
0
25,000 to 49,999
0
50,000 to 74,999
0
75,000 to 99,999
0
100,000 to 149,999
0
150,000 and above
1
Reported problems by failure mileage data
CategoryCount
Under 25,0000
25,000 to 49,9990
50,000 to 74,9990
75,000 to 99,9990
100,000 to 149,9990
150,000 and above1

Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 1

150,000 and above miles has the most reports with usable mileage (1). 2 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2003
2
2019
1
Complaints over time data
CategoryCount
20032
20191

2003: 2; 2019: 1

Pattern summary

Electrical System:Wiring leads the component reports. Electrical and battery issues appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Examples from the source records

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10015179 · 2003-03-31 (March 31, 2003)

BURN SMELL COMING FROM ELECTRICAL HARNESS BOX. MR THE HARNESS BOX WAS LOCATED IN THE TRUNK. THE VEHICLE ALSO HAD AN OIL LEAK. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10015179 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10015883 · 2003-04-22 (April 22, 2003)

WHILE PARKED IN A GARAGE THE CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TO USE THE KEYLESS ENTRY REMOTE BUT IT DID NOT UNLOCK THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER THEN TRIED TO START THE VEHICLE BUT IT WOULD NOT START. THE CONSUMER THEN OPENED THE TRUNK AND AT THAT TIME THE CONSUMER SMELLED A STRONG BURNING ODOR. THE CONSUER THEN NOTICED THAT THE BLACK BOX, IMMEDIATELY ABOVE THE BATTER, BURNED. TEH VEHICLE ALSO LEAKED OIL. *AK *NLM

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10015883 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11194968 · 2019-04-09 (April 9, 2019)

AT A SLOW 5 MPH PARKING LOT SPEED THE SEAT BELT TENSIONING DEVICES IGNITED. THE SRS SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED. THERE WERE NO IMPACTS, PREVIOUS COLLISIONS, OR ANY REASON FOR THESE PRE-TENSIONING DEVICES TO ACTIVATE. IT WAS STARTING AND MY WIFE'S CHEST HURT FOR A FEW DAYS AFTER.

Owner-reported narrative. 150,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11194968 at NHTSA ↗

Recall history

1 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.

99V327000 · Air Bags:Frontal

Reported: 1999-11-22 (November 22, 1999)

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. CORROSION OF THE ELECTRICAL IGNITION FILAMENT OF THE AIR BAG GAS GENERATOR MODULE CAN OCCUR IF THE VEHICLE IS OPERATED IN AREAS OF FREQUENTLY HIGH HUMIDITY.

Consequence: CORROSION OF THE IGNITION FILAMENT CAN RESULT IN THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG BEING DEPLOYED UNINTENTIONALLY.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG MODULE.

NHTSA campaign record ↗