2002 Mercedes-Benz SLK problems & reliability
25 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2002 Mercedes-Benz SLK, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility | 7 | 28% |
| Electrical System | 5 | 20% |
| Exterior Lighting | 4 | 16% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 12% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 8% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 4% |
| Equipment | 1 | 4% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 4% |
| Power Train | 1 | 4% |
| Seats | 1 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 14 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The auto dimming rear view mirror turned black and I cannot see out of it dealer wants like $800 to replace it. There are many people on the forums with the same problem, also the auto dimming drivers side mirror has a similar problem and can't see out of that either, again many people on the forums complain about…”
Electrical System · filed Oct 21, 2013
“Visual impairment due to "lava lamp/ distorted bubble" effect in auto-dimming rearview and side mirror. I never realized so many other people were having this problem and didn't realize that this website existed. I would have filed my complaint a long time ago. I've never heard of replace a rearview mirror before. One…”
Visibility · filed May 31, 2011
“The inside rear view mirror in my 2002 mercedes-benz slk32 is a self-dimming mirror that has malfunctioned. The mirror contains some kind of fluid that leaked out onto my center console and then the dimming effect no longer worked, leading to an unsafe condition at night. There is no manual backup with this mirror, it…”
Visibility · filed Jan 31, 2011
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- BRAKE LAMP FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE05051 · opened Sep 22, 2005 · closed Dec 2, 2005 · led to recall 05V505000
Technical service bulletins
2 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2002 Mercedes-Benz SLK.
Mercedes: corrosion protection coatings for brake components and hardware may be damaged and or stripped away if highly concentrated acid based cleaners are used. Once the corrosion protection is damaged or removed the…
TSB-42-10-109 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 15, 2009
Check engine light on / fault codes fc1200 / fc1208 stored in me-sfi control unit. Mercedes-benz model c230, c280, c350, slk280, slk350, clk350, clk550, e350, e550, cls550, s600, and sl550. Equipped with m272 engine or…
033008 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2008
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2002 Mercedes-Benz SLK has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2002 Mercedes-Benz SLK?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.