MERCEDES-BENZ SL550 · model year

2011 MERCEDES-BENZ SL550

4 NHTSA complaints, 3 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2011MERCEDES-BENZSL550 carries 4 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 3 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2011 SL550 is air bags with 1 filings, followed by structure:body (1) and engine (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 15 investigation files overlapping the 2011 SL550. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

4
Complaints
3
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

4 filings

Crashes Reported

3 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
AIR BAGS1
STRUCTURE:BODY1
ENGINE1
WHEELS:RIM1

Recent Complaints

20230224WHEELS:RIM

The contact owns a 2011 Mercedes-Benz SL550. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the dashboard suddenly illuminated red indicating that the tire air pressure was alarming. The contact also felt an imbalance with the weight of the vehicle as if one side of the vehicle was lower than the other. The contact discovered that the rims had fractured. The failure had occurred while driving on roads with rough surfaces. The contact had taken vehicle to a body shop to repair the rims by welding the fractures a total of 4 times. The contact was told that the fractures occurred due to the factory rims being fragile, causing the rims to fracture easily. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 39,000.

Mileage: 39,000

20150731CrashAIR BAGS

ON JULY 10, 2015 DURING 5 PM TRAFFIC MY WIFE WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN FROM THE TURNING LANE INTO OUR COMPLEX WHERE WE LIVE, UPON MAKING HER LEFT TURN, SHE HAD TO CROSS TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC, BOTH LANES HAD STOPPED TO ALLOW HER THROUGH SAFELY, AS SHE WAS CLEARING THE SECOND LANE LOOKING AS SHE PROGRESSED, NO ONE WAS IN THE OUTER LANE TURNING INTO OUR COMPLEX, A MAN PULLED OUT OF LINE AND ATTEMPTED TO ALLUDE TRAFFIC BY GOING AROUND IT AND STRUCK HER CAR IN THE PASSENGER DOOR, HE NEVER HIT HIS BRAKES TO STOP AND WAS ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE THROUGH A TURNING LANE WHICH ENTERS OUR COMPLEX ONLY, THERE IS A SIGN STATING THAT THIS LANE IS FOR ENTERING THE COMPLEX AND HAS MARKINGS ON THE ROAD THAT SHOWS WHERE THE LANE BEGINS FURTHER PAST OUR TURN IN ENTRANCE, INSTEAD HE WAS GOING TO DRIVE OVER THE MARKINGS TO AVOID WAITING IN TRAFFIC. MY WIFE'S CAR WAS HIT HARD ENOUGH TO BREAK BOTH MOTOR MOUNTS AND CAUSE THE ROLL BARS TO POP UP, BUT THE AIRBAG NEVER DEPLOYED, THE OTHER DRIVER'S BAGS ALL DEPLOYED UP F

Mileage: 19,000

20150731CrashSTRUCTURE:BODY

ON JULY 10, 2015 DURING 5 PM TRAFFIC MY WIFE WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN FROM THE TURNING LANE INTO OUR COMPLEX WHERE WE LIVE, UPON MAKING HER LEFT TURN, SHE HAD TO CROSS TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC, BOTH LANES HAD STOPPED TO ALLOW HER THROUGH SAFELY, AS SHE WAS CLEARING THE SECOND LANE LOOKING AS SHE PROGRESSED, NO ONE WAS IN THE OUTER LANE TURNING INTO OUR COMPLEX, A MAN PULLED OUT OF LINE AND ATTEMPTED TO ALLUDE TRAFFIC BY GOING AROUND IT AND STRUCK HER CAR IN THE PASSENGER DOOR, HE NEVER HIT HIS BRAKES TO STOP AND WAS ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE THROUGH A TURNING LANE WHICH ENTERS OUR COMPLEX ONLY, THERE IS A SIGN STATING THAT THIS LANE IS FOR ENTERING THE COMPLEX AND HAS MARKINGS ON THE ROAD THAT SHOWS WHERE THE LANE BEGINS FURTHER PAST OUR TURN IN ENTRANCE, INSTEAD HE WAS GOING TO DRIVE OVER THE MARKINGS TO AVOID WAITING IN TRAFFIC. MY WIFE'S CAR WAS HIT HARD ENOUGH TO BREAK BOTH MOTOR MOUNTS AND CAUSE THE ROLL BARS TO POP UP, BUT THE AIRBAG NEVER DEPLOYED, THE OTHER DRIVER'S BAGS ALL DEPLOYED UP F

Mileage: 19,000

20150731CrashENGINE

ON JULY 10, 2015 DURING 5 PM TRAFFIC MY WIFE WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN FROM THE TURNING LANE INTO OUR COMPLEX WHERE WE LIVE, UPON MAKING HER LEFT TURN, SHE HAD TO CROSS TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC, BOTH LANES HAD STOPPED TO ALLOW HER THROUGH SAFELY, AS SHE WAS CLEARING THE SECOND LANE LOOKING AS SHE PROGRESSED, NO ONE WAS IN THE OUTER LANE TURNING INTO OUR COMPLEX, A MAN PULLED OUT OF LINE AND ATTEMPTED TO ALLUDE TRAFFIC BY GOING AROUND IT AND STRUCK HER CAR IN THE PASSENGER DOOR, HE NEVER HIT HIS BRAKES TO STOP AND WAS ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE THROUGH A TURNING LANE WHICH ENTERS OUR COMPLEX ONLY, THERE IS A SIGN STATING THAT THIS LANE IS FOR ENTERING THE COMPLEX AND HAS MARKINGS ON THE ROAD THAT SHOWS WHERE THE LANE BEGINS FURTHER PAST OUR TURN IN ENTRANCE, INSTEAD HE WAS GOING TO DRIVE OVER THE MARKINGS TO AVOID WAITING IN TRAFFIC. MY WIFE'S CAR WAS HIT HARD ENOUGH TO BREAK BOTH MOTOR MOUNTS AND CAUSE THE ROLL BARS TO POP UP, BUT THE AIRBAG NEVER DEPLOYED, THE OTHER DRIVER'S BAGS ALL DEPLOYED UP F

Mileage: 19,000

Compare 2011MERCEDES-BENZSL550 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2011 MERCEDES-BENZ SL550 have?
The 2011 MERCEDES-BENZ SL550 has 4 NHTSA complaints, 3 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2011 MERCEDES-BENZ SL550?
The most-complained component for the 2011 MERCEDES-BENZ SL550 is AIR BAGS with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STRUCTURE:BODY and ENGINE.
Is the 2011 MERCEDES-BENZ SL550 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.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. 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.