There are 5 owner-reported body & structure complaints for the 2006 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Classin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I was traveling on I20 going about 60mph. Car suddenly started fish tailing and thought I had a flat tire. Pulled over, no flats but back driver's side wheel was crooked. Had car towed to service center. Back frame is extremely rusted. My whole wheel could have come off which would have been extremely serious. My car only has 46000 miles and garage kept. No warning signs. I don't drive in wintry conditions. My car has only been inspected by the service mechanic and myself.
Trunk failure. The trunk, when open, may suddenly fall very fast at any time. When you open the trunk it stays open but without warning may suddenly drop hitting you in the head. The trunk is actually quit heavy and can cause serious trauma to a person or damage to the vehicle as it slams down with force.
WENT TO CHANGE A FLAT AND THE TRUNK CAME DOWN ON MY HEAD AND HAD TO GET SEVERAL STITCHES. IT SEEMS LIKE THE TRUNK ON THE SLK55 AMG WILL STAY UP FOR A FEW SECONDS THEN COLLAPSE RIGHT WHEN YOU LEAN INTO THE TRUNK TO GET THE SPARE MAKING THINGS GO FROM BAD TO WORSE A FLAT AND IN NEED OF MEDICAL ATTENTION. *TR
THE TRUNK WILL NOT STAY UP OR OPEN WHEN YOU RAISE IT. IT MAY HOLD FOR A SECOND THEN WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT THAT'S WHEN IT WILL FALL AND HIT YOU ON THE HEAD AND IT IS VERY HEAVY FOR A SMALL CAR. *TR
2006 SLK 280 WIND NOISE ON PASSENGER SIDE AND TOP LEAKING, FIRST EVENT JULY 06 THREE MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING CAR. CAR HAS BEEN IN FOR REPAIR OF TOP LEAKING FOUR TIMES, DEALER UNABLE TO REPAIR. LAST TIME CAR WAS IN MERCEDES SINCE THEIR TECH REP IN TO REPAIR LEAK, TOP STILL LEAKS. *JB
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 25, 2026