The 1997 Mercedes-Benz Sl320 has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 4,402 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 9 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. CORROSION OF THE ELECTRICAL IGNITION FILAMENT OF THE AIR BAG GAS GENERATOR MODULE CAN OCCUR IF THE VEHICLE IS OPERATED IN AREAS OF FREQUENTLY HIGH HUMIDITY.
CORROSION OF THE IGNITION FILAMENT CAN RESULT IN THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG BEING DEPLOYED UNINTENTIONALLY.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG MODULE.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“At a slow 5 mph parking lot speed the seat belt tensioning devices ignited. The srs system malfunctioned. There were no impacts, previous collisions, or any reason for these pre-tensioning devices to activate. It was starting and my wife's chest hurt for a few days after.”
“At a slow 5 mph parking lot speed the seat belt tensioning devices ignited. The srs system malfunctioned. There were no impacts, previous collisions, or any reason for these pre-tensioning devices to activate. It was starting and my wife's chest hurt for a few days after.”
“While parked in a garage the consumer attempted to use the keyless entry remote but it did not unlock the vehicle. The consumer then tried to start the vehicle but it would not start. The consumer then opened the trunk and at that time the consumer smelled a strong burning odor. The consuer then…”
“While parked in a garage the consumer attempted to use the keyless entry remote but it did not unlock the vehicle. The consumer then tried to start the vehicle but it would not start. The consumer then opened the trunk and at that time the consumer smelled a strong burning odor. The consuer then…”
“Burn smell coming from electrical harness box. Mr the harness box was located in the trunk. The vehicle also had an oil leak. *jb”
“Burn smell coming from electrical harness box. Mr the harness box was located in the trunk. The vehicle also had an oil leak. *jb”
“Chrome tire wheel is loose. Yh”
“A/c failure.”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 Mercedes-Benz Sl320 as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.