IllustrationWIRING HARNESS IS DISINTERGRATING. CAR RUNS VERY ROUGH. VISIBLE BARE WIRES. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND GOES OFF. SMELLS OF BURNING WIRE.
1996 Mercedes Benz SL320
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all SL320 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 2 of 4 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Fuel System, Gasoline. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
0 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
2 reportsMY CAR APPEARS TO OVER HEAT, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY JUST THE TEMP GAUGE JUMPING AROUND ERRATICALLY. THE MECHANIC SAYS IT'S THE WIRING HARNESS - A KNOWN PROBLEM IN THESE CARS WHICH IS BEING IGNORED BY THE MANUFACTURER. *TT
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.