The 1991 Mercedes-Benz 500sl has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 14,300 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 3 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC93V0670001993-04-2814,300 affected
Defect
DURING THE REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION OF THE AIR FILTER HOUSING WHILE SERVICING THE VEHICLE, IT IS POSSIBLE TO MISROUTE THE PREFORMED VACUUM HOSE AND DAMAGE THE CHECK VALVE IN THE VACUUM HOSE. IF THE CHECK VALVE IS DAMAGED, LOSS OF SUFFICIENT BRAKE POWER ASSIST WILL OCCUR.
Consequence
LACK OF SUFFICIENT BRAKE POWER ASSIST WILL INCREASESTOPPING DISTANCE AND COULD RESULT IN A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.
Remedy
REPLACE THE PREFORMED VACUUM HOSE WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED PREFORMED HOSE WITH A RELOCATED CHECK VALVE WHICH WILL ELIMINATE THE POSSIBILITY OF THE CHECK VALVE BEING DAMAGED.
Complaints by component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD
1
1fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
1
Total complaints3
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Engine wiring harness failure, multiple systems affected. Car will sputter, stall, not restart. Happens while going down the road, turning corners, coming to a stop, while trying to accelerate from a stop.... The engine wiring harness has bare wires all over the place. Mb refuses to acknowledge…”
“While driving, my 1991 500sl convertible for no apparent reason will not accelerate and the asr light comes on. If I shut down and restart it goes away but will come right back if I goose the gas at all. This happens a lot! Looks like the same problem many people are having with 91-96 various…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1991 Mercedes-Benz 500sl as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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