Total Complaints
10 filings
MERCEDES-BENZ SLK230 · model year
2002 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK230
10 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2002MERCEDES-BENZSLK230 carries 10 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 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 2002 SLK230 is service brakes with 2 filings, followed by electronic stability control (esc) (2) and power train (2). 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 2002 SLK230. 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.
10
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 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 |
|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES | 2 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 2 |
| POWER TRAIN | 2 |
| ENGINE | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20220928ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The transmission on my 26700 miles car did not shift and the car wouldnât move on the intersection as well as on the highway where the car would just roll without accepting the gas pedal. Most dangerous on the intersection where cars behind mine would just go without making sure my mercedes is moving(which it didnât). The mechanic mentioned that transmission fluid may have contaminated other parts of the engine and contaminated various sensors giving erroneous readings error codes all related to electrical issues. There are fault codes suggesting that the ECU, PCM, SRS, and ABS are not correctly working. In addition, common problem occurring in MB vehicles are the radios are faulty and not working. The car has until 2020 been almost exclusively serviced by Mercedes Benz in Fort Washington / PA where at the crfax report one can see that the radio, ECU have been meddled with before at this service location. This should proof the longstanding assertion as expressed in different MB fo
20220928POWER TRAIN
The transmission on my 26700 miles car did not shift and the car wouldnât move on the intersection as well as on the highway where the car would just roll without accepting the gas pedal. Most dangerous on the intersection where cars behind mine would just go without making sure my mercedes is moving(which it didnât). The mechanic mentioned that transmission fluid may have contaminated other parts of the engine and contaminated various sensors giving erroneous readings error codes all related to electrical issues. There are fault codes suggesting that the ECU, PCM, SRS, and ABS are not correctly working. In addition, common problem occurring in MB vehicles are the radios are faulty and not working. The car has until 2020 been almost exclusively serviced by Mercedes Benz in Fort Washington / PA where at the crfax report one can see that the radio, ECU have been meddled with before at this service location. This should proof the longstanding assertion as expressed in different MB fo
20200825UNKNOWN OR OTHER
THE HEADLINER/CEILING OF THE CAR IS FALLING APART. PARTICULARLY THE CLOTH UNDER THE SUNROOF ALL CAME OFF WITH THE ADHESIVENESS IS LOST AND DIRECTLY FALLS ONTO ONES'S FACE WHILE DRIVING AND IT COULD BE FATAL. MERCEDES DEALER ACKNOWLEDGED THE ISSUE BUT DID NOT AUTHORIZE A COVERED REPAIR. THIS IS REAL SAFETY CONCERN AND THERE CAN BE CHOKING OR OTHER UNDESIRED DISTURBANCE WITH THE HANGING HEADLINER PART WHILE DRIVING. THE ADHESIVE MATERIALS EXPOSED AND THE TINY PARTICLES COULD BE INHALED INTO LUNGS, WHICH COULD BE OTHER UNDESIRED DAMAGE STEMMING FROM THE FALLING HEADLINER CLOTH. THIS HAPPENED WHEN I WAS DRIVING AND OPERATED THE SUNROOF OPENING. THE HEADLINER CLOTH LANDED ON MY FACE AND I WAS ABLE TO CONTROL THE CAR AND TAKE IT TO SAFETY AND TEMPORARILY HELD THE CLOTH IN PLACE.
Mileage: 115,600
20200326ENGINE
MY GEAR SHIFTER IS DEFECTIVE AS I HAVE PROBLEM TAKING IT OUT OF GEAR STATIONARY TO DRIVE AND ALSO THE CAR DOES NOT KNOW WHAT GEAR I SHIFT INTO CAUSING HIGH ENGINE REVIVE IN THE ENGINE AND SOMETIMES THE CAR WILL NOT DRIVE AS IT WON'T MOVE IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC ON THE LOCAL ROADS AND HIGHWAY WHILE IN MOTION FROM DRIVING.ALSO THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON.
Mileage: 146,000
20200326POWER TRAIN
MY GEAR SHIFTER IS DEFECTIVE AS I HAVE PROBLEM TAKING IT OUT OF GEAR STATIONARY TO DRIVE AND ALSO THE CAR DOES NOT KNOW WHAT GEAR I SHIFT INTO CAUSING HIGH ENGINE REVIVE IN THE ENGINE AND SOMETIMES THE CAR WILL NOT DRIVE AS IT WON'T MOVE IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC ON THE LOCAL ROADS AND HIGHWAY WHILE IN MOTION FROM DRIVING.ALSO THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON.
Mileage: 146,000
20200326VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
MY GEAR SHIFTER IS DEFECTIVE AS I HAVE PROBLEM TAKING IT OUT OF GEAR STATIONARY TO DRIVE AND ALSO THE CAR DOES NOT KNOW WHAT GEAR I SHIFT INTO CAUSING HIGH ENGINE REVIVE IN THE ENGINE AND SOMETIMES THE CAR WILL NOT DRIVE AS IT WON'T MOVE IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC ON THE LOCAL ROADS AND HIGHWAY WHILE IN MOTION FROM DRIVING.ALSO THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON.
Mileage: 146,000
20170911SERVICE BRAKES
I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY DOING ABOUT 55 MPH WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN THE CAR BRAKES BY IT SELF WITH NO WARNING WHATS SO EVER , THAT WAS A VERY SCARY SITUATION I HAD VEHICLES BEHIND ME AND THEY HAD TO BRAKE TOO, THAT WAS FOR ABOUT 3 TO 5 SECONDS , I WAS SHAKING AND SCARE BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HAPPEN, ANOTHER TIME AROUND THE CORNER FROM MY HOUSE AS I WAS TURNING IT DID IT AGAIN FOR LIKE TWO SECONDS, THIS IS VERY SCARY BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHEN IS IT GOING TO DO IT AGAIN.
Mileage: 120,000
20170911ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY DOING ABOUT 55 MPH WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN THE CAR BRAKES BY IT SELF WITH NO WARNING WHATS SO EVER , THAT WAS A VERY SCARY SITUATION I HAD VEHICLES BEHIND ME AND THEY HAD TO BRAKE TOO, THAT WAS FOR ABOUT 3 TO 5 SECONDS , I WAS SHAKING AND SCARE BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HAPPEN, ANOTHER TIME AROUND THE CORNER FROM MY HOUSE AS I WAS TURNING IT DID IT AGAIN FOR LIKE TWO SECONDS, THIS IS VERY SCARY BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHEN IS IT GOING TO DO IT AGAIN.
Mileage: 120,000
20170822SERVICE BRAKES
BRAKES ARE APPLIED UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE TRAVELING DIFFERENT SPEEDS. I HAVE HAD THE CRAP SCARED OUT OF ME THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPENED WHILE TRAVELING AT ABOUT 50MPH. THE CAR LEFT SKID MARKS FOR ABOUT 50FT AND ALMOST CAUSED SOMEONE TO REAR END ME AS WELL AS MY CAR ALMOST GOING SIDEWAYS INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. SOMETHING N EDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THIS VEHICLE. MERCEDES CORPORATE WILL NOT DO ANYTHING NOR WILL THE DEALERSHIP. I AM SO SCARED TO DRIVE IT. I NOW HAVE IT PARKED UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS TO HAVE ME FEEL SAFE TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE AGAIN. I HAVE ATTACHED A PICTURE OF THE SKID MARKS. I HAVE ADDITIONAL BUT IT WON'T ALLOW ME TO ATTACH MORE THAN ONE.
Mileage: 120,800
20170822ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
BRAKES ARE APPLIED UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE TRAVELING DIFFERENT SPEEDS. I HAVE HAD THE CRAP SCARED OUT OF ME THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPENED WHILE TRAVELING AT ABOUT 50MPH. THE CAR LEFT SKID MARKS FOR ABOUT 50FT AND ALMOST CAUSED SOMEONE TO REAR END ME AS WELL AS MY CAR ALMOST GOING SIDEWAYS INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. SOMETHING N EDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THIS VEHICLE. MERCEDES CORPORATE WILL NOT DO ANYTHING NOR WILL THE DEALERSHIP. I AM SO SCARED TO DRIVE IT. I NOW HAVE IT PARKED UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS TO HAVE ME FEEL SAFE TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE AGAIN. I HAVE ATTACHED A PICTURE OF THE SKID MARKS. I HAVE ADDITIONAL BUT IT WON'T ALLOW ME TO ATTACH MORE THAN ONE.
Mileage: 120,800
Compare 2002MERCEDES-BENZSLK230 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2002 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK230 have?▼
The 2002 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK230 has 10 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2002 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK230?▼
The most-complained component for the 2002 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK230 is SERVICE BRAKES with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) and POWER TRAIN.
Is the 2002 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK230 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.