2001 Mercedes-Benz Slk230 Recalls

No recalls on record Updated July 2026

No NHTSA recalls on record for the 2001 Mercedes-Benz Slk230. That means NHTSA has no open safety campaign for this vehicle — it does not guarantee the absence of problems. Owners have filed 41 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electronic stability control (esc). Last updated July 5, 2026.

Complaints by component

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
7
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS
7
SERVICE BRAKES
4
VISIBILITY
4
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
2
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
1
1crashes
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING: REAR COMPARTMENT/TRUNK
1
ENGINE
1
Total complaints41

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 mercedes-benz slk230. While driving approximately 75 mph, the esc warning indicator suddenly illuminated and the esc activated. As a result, the front passenger side brake suddenly activated and the vehicle turned to the right. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired.…”

SERVICE BRAKES · reported 2019-07-31

“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 mercedes-benz slk230. While driving approximately 75 mph, the esc warning indicator suddenly illuminated and the esc activated. As a result, the front passenger side brake suddenly activated and the vehicle turned to the right. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired.…”

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) · reported 2019-07-31

“The car engages the brakes on it's own when I'm driving at speeds above 30mph.”

SERVICE BRAKES · reported 2019-05-17

“More often than not, when I start up my vehicle an indicator for a light out appears on my dash. I have been pulled over several times for a right rear brake light being out. I have replaced the bulb numerous times. I was recommended to look on your web sight and I saw that a recall had been…”

EXTERIOR LIGHTING · reported 2018-10-13

“He engine died while I was driving in traffic. I managed to coast to a corner and get off the main street, there was no warning.I had to leave this car for one day to find it towed by police , and had to call and get it the next day payed 300$ and get it towed again to a mecanic payed 85$ and 100$…”

ENGINE · reported 2018-10-02

“He engine died while I was driving in traffic. I managed to coast to a corner and get off the main street, there was no warning.I had to leave this car for one day to find it towed by police , and had to call and get it the next day payed 300$ and get it towed again to a mecanic payed 85$ and 100$…”

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL · reported 2018-10-02

“He engine died while I was driving in traffic. I managed to coast to a corner and get off the main street, there was no warning.I had to leave this car for one day to find it towed by police , and had to call and get it the next day payed 300$ and get it towed again to a mecanic payed 85$ and 100$…”

UNKNOWN OR OTHER · reported 2018-10-02

“The mercedes benz slk 230 2001 model brakes randomly with the front tires left or right or both, engine performance goes down to super slow for a fraction of a second. The car turns to the left or right and slows down abruptly and only due to my fast reaction I am able to avoid traffic accidents !…”

SERVICE BRAKES · reported 2018-01-29

Defect investigations

Investigation PE05051 Opened 2005-09-22 · closed 2005-12-02

BRAKE LAMP FAILURE

IN ITS LETTER DATED OCTOBER 28, 2005, MERCEDES-BENZ USA STATED THAT IT WOULD CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL TO REMEDY DEFECTIVE BRAKE LAMP ASSEMBLIES IN MODEL YEAR 1998 THROUGH 2004 MERCEDES BENZ SLK VEHICLES.THE BASE OF THE BRAKE LAMP SOCKET CAN BE SUBJECT TO THERMAL DEFORMATION OVER TIME.THIS DEFORMATION CAN CAUSE…

Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2001 Mercedes-Benz Slk230 as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.