Table 1 shows two common power train related problems of the 2003 Mercedes Benz SL500.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Transmission Not Go Into Gear problems | |
| Power Train problems |
Gear shift mechanism stuck in park. Can not shift gears or can not move car creating a dangerous possibility of an accident.
It has been nearly two years I have stopped driving my 2003 mercedes Sl500, although I only have about 80,000 miles on the car. This is due to abc warning light(red display: please drive carefully)comes on intermittently and the car drives very bouncy and it feels the car has no shocks, definitely feeling it would be unsafe to drive. The diagnostic message comes up saying "visit workshop". This is the third time this abc pump issue is stopping me from driving the car, since it first appeared when I had 29,000 miles on the car which was under manufacturer warranty (50,000 miles or four years) and the dealership replaced the abc pump and also replaced the engine mounts. The abc red light appeared again when I had about 51,000 miles on the car. It happened also the engine mounts were in need of replacement again. As the warranty was only for 50,000 miles, mercedes refused to repair the abc pump and the engine mounts under warranty and finally I agreed to a 50% cost to me to have repairs done. I expressed my opinion that the abc pump and the engine mounts had engineering and manufacturing defect and they should have 50,000 miles warranty as the original warranty, from the time of replacement. Regrettably, same abc malfunction and engine mounts became an issue at 78,000 miles and now the dealer and mercedes refuse to replace the abc pump and engine mounts under warranty and have given an estimate of $7336. 36 for the necessary replacement of parts, including labor, but excluding taxes. To divert attention from abc pump, the dealer is now referring to the problem as "power steering pump"I have extensively researched the issues and it appears the mentioned problems with my car are prevailing issues with other mercedes 2003 sl 500, and there are 100's of owners who feel mercedes is not taking responsibility for replacement and repair of these defective parts under warranty. My car is unsafe to drive. There should be a recall by mercedes to fix these dangerous to drive cars.