Total Complaints
6 filings
MERCEDES-BENZ SLK230 · model year
2004 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK230
6 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2004MERCEDES-BENZSLK230 carries 6 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 2004 SLK230 is electrical system with 2 filings, followed by exterior lighting:headlights (1) and engine and engine cooling: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 2004 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.
6
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 |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20160112EXTERIOR LIGHTING
BOUGHT CAR WITH 60000 MILES AND AFTER 3 YEARS RIGHT SIDE REAR BRAKE LIGHT STOPPED WORKING. REPLACED BULB AND ADAPTER BUT ALSO HAD TO BEND ADAPTER CONNECTOR PRONGS FOR BETTER CONTACT. SIX MONTHS LATER SAME PROBLEM AND REPLACED WHOLE RIGHT SIDE UNIT. SOME TIME LATER SAME PROBLEM WITH OTHER SIDE. TOOK TO DEALER AND THEY SAID RECALL HAD BEEN DONE. MB OFFERED A $1000 TOWARDS NEW CAR. (FUNNY) REPAIRED WITH SAME ITEM AND SAME DEFECT, I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS RIGHT FOR MB TO GET AWAY WITH.
Mileage: 65,000
20130809ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MERCEDES BENZ SLK230. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE AT A LIGHT, THE ABS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT HER VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED UNDER A MANUFACTURER'S RECALL PERTAINING TO THE SAME ISSUE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000.
Mileage: 160,000
20100628ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
MY BLACK MERCEDES 2004, 230SLK KOMPRESSOR, L4, 2.4L, SUPERCHARGED. VIN [XXX] HAD THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE ME-SFI MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT" CAME ON AND WAS DIAGNOSED AT THE BEVERLY HILLS MERCEDES BENZ DEALERSHIP WITH MISFIRING IN THE ENGINE (DUE TO THE CAMSHAFT SOLENOID AND THE MASS ALRFLOW SENOR (O2 SENOR) WAS DAMAGED, WITH A MAJOR OIL LEAK. I BELIEVE THAT OIL HAS LEAKED INTO THE MASS AIR FLOW SENOR FROM WICKING. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPLACED THE SOLENOID 111-051-01-77-05 AND STARTER LINE 271-150-27--33, PLUG 111-997-01-86-05 AND CABLE TIE 002-997-24-90, BUT NOT THE CLOSING COVER 271-051-00-32 WHICH IS PART OF THE RECALL. A ELECTRONIC DIAGNOSTIC WAS PERFORMED AFTER THE REPAIR WAS MADE WITH A MAJOR OIL LEAK PRESENT AND THE AIR FLOW SENOR DEFECTIVE. I DOUBT THAT THEY CORRECTLY FIXED THE RECALL AS THE OIL LEAK IS FROM THE SAME AREA. MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE RECALL, AS THE CAMSHAFT SOLENOID IS LEAKING OIL INTO THE MASS AIR FLOW SENOR. THE ME-SFI
Mileage: 66,180
20100628ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
MY BLACK MERCEDES 2004, 230SLK KOMPRESSOR, L4, 2.4L, SUPERCHARGED. VIN [XXX] HAD THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE ME-SFI MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT" CAME ON AND WAS DIAGNOSED AT THE BEVERLY HILLS MERCEDES BENZ DEALERSHIP WITH MISFIRING IN THE ENGINE (DUE TO THE CAMSHAFT SOLENOID AND THE MASS ALRFLOW SENOR (O2 SENOR) WAS DAMAGED, WITH A MAJOR OIL LEAK. I BELIEVE THAT OIL HAS LEAKED INTO THE MASS AIR FLOW SENOR FROM WICKING. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPLACED THE SOLENOID 111-051-01-77-05 AND STARTER LINE 271-150-27--33, PLUG 111-997-01-86-05 AND CABLE TIE 002-997-24-90, BUT NOT THE CLOSING COVER 271-051-00-32 WHICH IS PART OF THE RECALL. A ELECTRONIC DIAGNOSTIC WAS PERFORMED AFTER THE REPAIR WAS MADE WITH A MAJOR OIL LEAK PRESENT AND THE AIR FLOW SENOR DEFECTIVE. I DOUBT THAT THEY CORRECTLY FIXED THE RECALL AS THE OIL LEAK IS FROM THE SAME AREA. MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE RECALL, AS THE CAMSHAFT SOLENOID IS LEAKING OIL INTO THE MASS AIR FLOW SENOR. THE ME-SFI
Mileage: 66,180
20100628EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
MY BLACK MERCEDES 2004, 230SLK KOMPRESSOR, L4, 2.4L, SUPERCHARGED. VIN [XXX] HAD THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE ME-SFI MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT" CAME ON AND WAS DIAGNOSED AT THE BEVERLY HILLS MERCEDES BENZ DEALERSHIP WITH MISFIRING IN THE ENGINE (DUE TO THE CAMSHAFT SOLENOID AND THE MASS ALRFLOW SENOR (O2 SENOR) WAS DAMAGED, WITH A MAJOR OIL LEAK. I BELIEVE THAT OIL HAS LEAKED INTO THE MASS AIR FLOW SENOR FROM WICKING. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPLACED THE SOLENOID 111-051-01-77-05 AND STARTER LINE 271-150-27--33, PLUG 111-997-01-86-05 AND CABLE TIE 002-997-24-90, BUT NOT THE CLOSING COVER 271-051-00-32 WHICH IS PART OF THE RECALL. A ELECTRONIC DIAGNOSTIC WAS PERFORMED AFTER THE REPAIR WAS MADE WITH A MAJOR OIL LEAK PRESENT AND THE AIR FLOW SENOR DEFECTIVE. I DOUBT THAT THEY CORRECTLY FIXED THE RECALL AS THE OIL LEAK IS FROM THE SAME AREA. MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE RECALL, AS THE CAMSHAFT SOLENOID IS LEAKING OIL INTO THE MASS AIR FLOW SENOR. THE ME-SFI
Mileage: 66,180
20040615EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
THE NEW HIGH-INTENSITY HEADLIGHTS, THAT ARE BLUISH IN COLOR, ARE EXTRAORDINARILY BLINDING. THIS HEADLIGHT, OBVIOUSLY, SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN APPROVED, AND NEVER USED. PERHAPS IT IS AN IMPROVEMENT TO THE DRIVERS THAT USE THE BLUISH HEADLIGHTS, BUT IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD TO ONCOMING AUTOMOBILES. THEY NEED TO BE BANNED BEFORE (MORE) LIVES ARE LOST. WITH THE NHTSA BEING SO SAFETY CONSCIOUS, I CANNOT FATHOM WHY THESE HEADLIGHTS WERE EVER APPROVED, AND EVEN NOW THAT WE KNOW HOW BLINDING THEY ARE, WHY THEY HAVE NOT BEEN BANNED. YOU REALLY NEED TO RESOLVE THIS PROBLEM. THANK YOU. *LA
Compare 2004MERCEDES-BENZSLK230 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2004 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK230 have?▼
The 2004 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK230 has 6 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2004 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK230?▼
The most-complained component for the 2004 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK230 is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE.
Is the 2004 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.