AI Damage1999 Mercedes-Benz SLK230: common problems
Owners of the 1999 Mercedes-Benz SLK230 filed 59 complaints with NHTSA, most often about visibility and exterior lighting. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 59
- involving a crash
- 2
What fails most often
- 1 Visibility 37% of all complaints
- 2 Exterior lighting 27% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 24% of all complaints
- 4 Equipment 5% of all complaints
- 5 Fuel system 5% of all complaints
- 6 Engine 3% of all complaints
- 7 Powertrain 3% of all complaints
- 8 Structure 3% of all complaints
- Visibility: 22 complaints (37% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Exterior lighting: 16 complaints (27% of all).
- Electrical system: 14 complaints (24% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Equipment: 3 complaints (5% of all).
- Fuel system: 3 complaints (5% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 59 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility | 22 | 1 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| Equipment | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Structure | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 4 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
I,, was at the intersection of i35 and schertz parkway, in schertz. When the light changed, I saw no vehicles entering into y lane, so I proceeded to cross the intersection. I felt a big hit, and at first I couldnot figure out what had happened. Ifelt my face bleeding and hurting.
This vehicle stops dead in the road while driving and will not restart until it sits several minutes or more. It does not do this every time it is driven but this is very dangerous. After doing research, we find this is a common problem with this model, as well as a few other models of mercedes.
The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The contact coasted to the side of the roadway. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after approximately 10- 15 minutes. The failure recurred approximately 20 times.
While driving 70 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after a few minutes and continued driving. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired.
1999 slk230 mercedes benz. Consumer states problem with bridgestone potenza tires the consumer stated almost from the day he purchased the tires, one of them had a slow leak. His mechanic checked it a number of times, but was unable to ascertain the source of the leak.
The mirrors fail losing their ability to provide dimming against rear approaching headlights causing the driver to either be blinded or to have to turn the mirror up and have no rear view capability. I know of many documented cases of these mirrors failing including my own.
This is a report about unusual fogging up of all vehicle windows if the a/c is switched off while driving. This makes the car undriveable without a/c being on all the time or having to open windows due to lack of visibility through the windshield.
The failure of this component has many symptoms but one serious symptom is complete loss of power at highway speeds which can be dangerous. I am hoping that you don't actually have to wait for crashes and deaths before you investigate.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 4,893 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 13% most complained about).
On average one model year of the SLK230 has 23 complaints (7 years in the data). This year has 59, above average.
What to check before buying
- Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
- Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1999 Mercedes-Benz SLK230?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: visibility, exterior lighting, electrical system. Total complaints: 59. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: headlights and tail lights (27%), smoke, burning smell, fire (10%), stalls while driving (8%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1999 Mercedes-Benz SLK230?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1999 Mercedes-Benz SLK230 from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1999 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.