The 1979MERCEDES-BENZ450SLC carries 2 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort.
Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities.
No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1979 450SLC is vehicle speed control with 2 filings.
Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 15 investigation files overlapping the 1979 450SLC.
Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
2
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Total Complaints
2 filings
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
Component
Count
Crashes
Fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
2
1
0
Recent Complaints
20020502CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
WHILE PARKING HER VEHICLE INSIDE OF THE PARKING LOT. WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED FORWARD AND HIT A TREE AND BANK BUILDING. *JB *YH
20010921VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
WHEN ENGINE WAS STARTED, IT RAN AT FULL THROTTLE DUE TO A NYLON BUSHING FAILURE, THE NYLON BUSHING WAS NOTED TO BE COMPLETELY DISINTEGRATED. *SLC
Compare 1979MERCEDES-BENZ450SLC to Similar Vehicles
How many complaints does the 1979 MERCEDES-BENZ 450SLC have?▼
The 1979 MERCEDES-BENZ 450SLC has 2 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1979 MERCEDES-BENZ 450SLC?▼
The most-complained component for the 1979 MERCEDES-BENZ 450SLC is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include various components.
Is the 1979 MERCEDES-BENZ 450SLC safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no
number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1979 MERCEDES-BENZ 450SLC; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our
editorial standards & corrections policy, the
methodology behind these numbers, or
report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.