There are 1 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2013 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Classin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
SIGNIFICANT TIMING CHAIN RATTLE WHILE DRIVING IN THE 2200-2900 RPM RANGE. ENGINE HAS LESS THAN 70K MILES AND IT SEEMS THAT THE CHAIN HAS STRETCHED OR IS TENSIONER IS FAILING. MERCEDES CLAIMS THEY CANNOT FIND SOURCE OF RATTLE AND REFUSES TO FIX IT, BUT ONLINE FORUMS INDICATE THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE FOR THIS ENGINE. I FEEL THEY ARE DEFERRING THE ISSUE UNTIL THE WARRANTY EXPIRES. I FEEL EARLY FAILURE OF THE TIMING CHAIN OR RELATED PARTS IS IMMINENT.
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