Skip to content
SuspensionPart report

2006 Mercedes-Benz SL500 Suspension Problems

Complaints
4about this part
Share
31%of 13 total for the year
Median mileage
36,000miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 4 complaints about the suspension of the 2006 Mercedes-Benz SL500, 31% of the 13 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 36,000 miles.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“The 2006 mb SL500's are prone to abc (active body control) failures. Mercedes benz is aware of this issue, but they will not offer any assistance in repairing it. The cost to repair this system is approx. $4,000. If the vehicle is in motion, it is very possible that the driver may lose control of the car. The abc system affects both the air suspension, and braking. It could lead to a catastrophic accident, resulting in injury or death. I was fortunate in that I was not on the highway when the failure occurred.”

NHTSA complaint #11308750, filed 2020-02, 65,000 miles

“We bought a good car so the car can last with few issues but we have had lots of maintenance on this car and last one was the malfunction of the suspension and this cost us over $1800 to get fix. I believe this should be a recall item from mercedes benz as lots of people are having the same problem and this is a very expensive fix for the consumer. My car only has 43k miles and we have replaced 3 sets of tires and it is so expensive to replace. We have other major issues with tire pressure errors and have taken in for service many times.”

NHTSA complaint #10515546, filed 2013-06, 43,000 miles

“Change tire and jack would not hold it weight and buckled inward dealer and mercedes benz not taking responsibility that the jack need to be recall and pay for the damage cause by the drop due to jack failure.”

NHTSA complaint #10255378, filed 2009-01, 12,550 miles

“The contact owns a 2006 mercedes benz SL500. While driving approximately 25 MPH, a loud noise emitted from the front end of the vehicle and the active body control warning light illuminated. The contact merged the vehicle over to the emergency lane. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact was made aware that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 08v405000 (suspension). The approximate failure mileage was 29,000.”

NHTSA complaint #10663955, filed 2014-12, 29,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Suspension: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2006431%
2005211%
20042147%
20033443%

Other parts of the 2006 Mercedes-Benz SL500

Brakes
4 complaints
Electrical system
1 complaints
Exterior lighting
1 complaints
Latches, locks and linkages
1 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
1 complaints
Vehicle speed control
1 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2006 Mercedes-Benz SL500

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology