There are 4 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL-Classin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Started the vehicle and used the gear selector to shift to Drive. Car did not go into gear. Towed to dealer. Dealer found faulty “ism module.” Apparently a very common issue with these cars. So common that the part is in an “indefinite back order.” The replacement part is also revised because Mercedes knows there was a manufacturer defect with the existing part. I am being charged more than $1600 on a part that the manufacturer has already acknowledged was faulty and created a replacement for it.
THE CAR SUDDENLY SLOW DOWN IN HIGHWAY GOES TO LIMP MODE FOR EXAMPLE FROM 69 TO 35 MILES IS VERY DANGEROUS I HAVE TO GET OFF THE HIGHWAY
TRAVELING ON I-5 IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC 0- 60 MPH WHEN TRANSMISSION STARTED SHIFTING ROUGHLY. IT THEN SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL AND WOULD NOT RESPOND TO SHIFTER INPUTS. I WAS IN THE SECOND LANE FROM THE RIGHT DOING 10 OR 15 MPH. I WAS ABLE TO FORCE MY WAY INTO THE RIGHT LANE AND OFF TO THE SHOULDER. I PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN SPORT AND PADDLE SHIFTER MODE WITH NO RESPONSE FROM THE SHIFT SELECTOR. THINKING THIS IS A COMPUTER PROBLEM I REBOOTED BY SHUTTING CAR OFF AND RESTARTING. ALL FUNCTIONS RETURNED TO NORMAL. TOOK TO DEALER WHERE I GOT VERY GOOD SERVICE BUT IT TURNS OUT THERE WAS A MERCEDES BULLETIN REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. IT REQUIRED A SOFTWARE UPDATE THAT HAS APPEARENTLY FIXED THE PROBLEM. WHAT HAPPENED TO ME WAS VERY MINOR WHEN COMPARED TO WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED LOSING POWER ON THE FREEWAY AND I BELIEVE THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL ON SUCH A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM. COMPUTER FAULTS THAT WERE FOUND WERE P060600,P073000, P073200, P07300, P073400, P07350008
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 MERCEDES BENZ SL550. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE PADDLE SHIFTERS WERE OPERATED AND THE CONNECTOR PLATE FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE. ON ANOTHER OCCASION THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP, THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE REPLICATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER INFORMED HIM THAT THE SUDDEN LURCH WHEN THE VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP WAS THE WAY THE VEHICLE WAS DESIGNED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,200 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE 9,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026