Mercedes-Benz SLC 300 problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
3 owner complaints analyzed
2 distinct recall campaigns
70 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2018 to 2020 model years. Data updated: . 1 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.
This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.
Owner-reported patterns
Most common problems
Electrical System is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 3 complaints (33.3%). A complaint can name multiple components.
Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic
Matching reports
Share of complaints
Steering behavior
1
33.3%
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
Under 25,000
1
25,000 to 49,999
0
50,000 to 74,999
0
75,000 to 99,999
0
100,000 to 149,999
0
150,000 and above
0
Reported problems by failure mileage data
Category
Count
Under 25,000
1
25,000 to 49,999
0
50,000 to 74,999
0
75,000 to 99,999
0
100,000 to 149,999
0
150,000 and above
0
Under 25,000: 1; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (1). 2 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
2017
1
2022
1
2025
1
Complaints over time data
Category
Count
2017
1
2022
1
2025
1
2017: 1; 2022: 1; 2025: 1
Pattern summary
Electrical System leads the component reports. Steering behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
TWO KEY SAFETY SYSTEM WARNINGS ARE NOT DETECTIBLE UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS: 1) STEERING WHEEL SHAKE IF YOU DRIFT OUT OF LANE IS NOT FELT DRIVING UNDER NORMAL HIGHWAY CONDITIONS. 2) AUDIBLE ALARM IF YOU ACTIVATE THE TURN SIGNAL WITH A CAR IN YOUR BLIND SPOT CAN NOT BE HEARD OVER THE NOISE OF THE AIR CONDITIONER OR RADIO UNDER NORMAL VOLUME. I HAD 3 MEMBERS OF THE DEALERSHIP TECH/SERVICE DEPARTMENT TEST DRIVE THE CAR AND ALL AGREED THAT THE PROBLEM IS AS I DESCRIBED. HOWEVER THEY ALSO SAID "THAT'S THE WAY IT IS" AND THERE IS NO FIX.
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
3 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
33.3%Usable mileage1 / 3 records
100.0%Valid incident date3 / 3 records
100.0%Valid filing date3 / 3 records
100.0%Ordered incident and filing dates3 / 3 records
Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.
Problems by model year
Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.
The check engine light is on in my 2019 SLC (only 42K miles) and the car is emitting a lot of smoke from the exhaust pipe and it is hesitating while driving it. I almost got rear ended. I took it to the dealership and the fault code comes back as: P052E71 - The valve crankcase ventilation has a malfunction. The actuator is blocked. I searched online and this appears to be a very common and expensive issue on all Mercedes models. It goes out often in them and the dealer says it is NOT covered under the MB warranty. As it is an emissions issue, I…
The check engine light is on in my 2019 SLC (only 42K miles) and the car is emitting a lot of smoke from the exhaust pipe and it is hesitating while driving it. I almost got rear ended. I took it to the dealership and the fault code comes back as: P052E71 - The valve crankcase ventilation has a malfunction. The actuator is blocked. I searched online and this appears to be a very common and expensive issue on all Mercedes models. It goes out often in them and the dealer says it is NOT covered under the MB warranty. As it is an emissions issue, I…
TWO KEY SAFETY SYSTEM WARNINGS ARE NOT DETECTIBLE UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS: 1) STEERING WHEEL SHAKE IF YOU DRIFT OUT OF LANE IS NOT FELT DRIVING UNDER NORMAL HIGHWAY CONDITIONS. 2) AUDIBLE ALARM IF YOU ACTIVATE THE TURN SIGNAL WITH A CAR IN YOUR BLIND SPOT CAN NOT BE HEARD OVER THE NOISE OF THE AIR CONDITIONER OR RADIO UNDER NORMAL VOLUME. I HAD 3 MEMBERS OF THE DEALERSHIP TECH/SERVICE DEPARTMENT TEST DRIVE THE CAR AND ALL AGREED THAT THE PROBLEM IS AS I DESCRIBED. HOWEVER THEY ALSO SAID "THAT'S THE WAY IT IS" AND THERE IS NO FIX.
Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.
Failure mileage by component
Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.
Component failure mileage distribution
Component
Mileage range (25th–75th percentile)
Median
Usable records
Examples
Unknown Or Other
Too few reports for a range
70 mi
1 (sparse)
ODI 11025085 · 70 mi
TWO KEY SAFETY SYSTEM WARNINGS ARE NOT DETECTIBLE UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS: 1) STEERING WHEEL SHAKE IF YOU DRIFT OUT OF LANE IS NOT FELT DRIVING UNDER NORMAL HIGHWAY CONDITIONS. 2) AUDIBLE ALARM IF YOU ACTIVATE THE TURN SIGNAL WITH A CAR IN YOUR BLIND SPOT CAN NOT BE HEARD OVER THE NOISE OF THE AIR CONDITIONER OR RADIO UNDER NORMAL VOLUME. I HAD 3 MEMBERS OF THE DEALERSHIP TECH/SERVICE DEPARTMENT TEST DRIVE THE CAR AND ALL AGREED THAT THE PROBLEM IS AS I DESCRIBED. HOWEVER THEY ALSO SAID "THAT'S THE WAY IT IS" AND THERE IS NO FIX.
Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.
Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.
Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples
Monthly complaint and recall timeline
Month
Complaints
Campaigns announced
Examples
2024-11
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2024-12
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-01
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-02
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-03
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-04
1
None
ODI 11652173
The check engine light is on in my 2019 SLC (only 42K miles) and the car is emitting a lot of smoke from the exhaust pipe and it is hesitating while driving it. I almost got rear ended. I took it to the dealership and the fault code comes back as: P052E71 - The valve crankcase ventilation has a malfunction. The actuator is blocked. I searched online and this appears to be a very common and expensive issue on all Mercedes models. It goes out often in them and the dealer says it is NOT covered under the MB warranty. As it is an emissions issue, I…
Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.
This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.
No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.
Equal-age model-year comparison
Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.
2019: 0 complaints · 2020: 1 complaints
Equal observation windows
Model year
Through age 0
Through age 1
Through age 2
2019
0
0
0
2020
0
0
1
Date coverage across each selected cohort
Date basis for all complaints in selected model years
Year
Incident dates used
Filing date fallbacks
Excluded dates
2019
1
0
0
2020
1
0
0
Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.
Components reported together
Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.
Component co-occurrence matrix
Component
Electrical System
Engine
Fuel/Propulsion System
Unknown Or Other
Electrical System
—
0
0
0
Engine
0
—
1ODI 11652173
The check engine light is on in my 2019 SLC (only 42K miles) and the car is emitting a lot of smoke from the exhaust pipe and it is hesitating while driving it. I almost got rear ended. I took it to the dealership and the fault code comes back as: P052E71 - The valve crankcase ventilation has a malfunction. The actuator is blocked. I searched online and this appears to be a very common and expensive issue on all Mercedes models. It goes out often in them and the dealer says it is NOT covered under the MB warranty. As it is an emissions issue, I…
The check engine light is on in my 2019 SLC (only 42K miles) and the car is emitting a lot of smoke from the exhaust pipe and it is hesitating while driving it. I almost got rear ended. I took it to the dealership and the fault code comes back as: P052E71 - The valve crankcase ventilation has a malfunction. The actuator is blocked. I searched online and this appears to be a very common and expensive issue on all Mercedes models. It goes out often in them and the dealer says it is NOT covered under the MB warranty. As it is an emissions issue, I…
Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.
Recurring narrative patterns
Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.
1 patterns with matching reports.
Warning lights and dashboard alerts
1 mentions · 33.3% of complaints
Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).
ODI 11652173
The check engine light is on in my 2019 SLC (only 42K miles) and the car is emitting a lot of smoke from the exhaust pipe and it is hesitating while driving it. I almost got rear ended. I took it to the dealership and the fault code comes back as: P052E71 - The valve crankcase ventilation has a malfunction. The actuator is blocked. I searched online and this appears to be a very common and expensive issue on all Mercedes models. It goes out often in them and the dealer says it is NOT covered under the MB warranty. As it is an emissions issue, I…