Auto Recall Watch
U.S. public vehicle records

2013 Mercedes-Benz SL63: complaints, problems and recalls

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

1 owner complaints analyzed

3 distinct recall campaigns

Not available median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2013 model year. Data updated: . 0 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Electrical System is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 1 complaints (100.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
TopicMatching reportsShare of complaints
Electrical and battery issues1100.0%
Steering behavior1100.0%

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.

Electrical System
1
Exterior Lighting
1
Component breakdown data
CategoryCount
Electrical System1
Exterior Lighting1

Electrical System: 1; Exterior Lighting: 1

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000
0
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
CategoryCount
Under 25,0000
25,000 to 49,9990
50,000 to 74,9990
75,000 to 99,9990
100,000 to 149,9990
150,000 and above0

Under 25,000: 0; 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

No usable failure mileage is recorded. 1 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.

2024
1
Complaints over time data
CategoryCount
20241

2024: 1

Pattern summary

Electrical System leads the component reports. Electrical and battery issues appears in 1 complaint narratives. 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.

Examples from the source records

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 11609568 · 2024-08-19 (August 19, 2024)

Had some issues with turn signals and a check engine light. My car is a 2013 SL63 AMG with 22700 miles. It sits in garage 95 percent of the time under cover. Took car to dealer and they replaced both batteries it fixed al of the lights except my turn signal. I asked the dealer why didn't you check the turn signal I got no response. I had to drive to Louisville the next day and on the way home I noticed my headlights were out and had to drive 75 miles with only fog lights. I took it to another mechanic who took the bumper off and was shocked and…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11609568 at NHTSA ↗

Recall history

3 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.

13V542000 · Air Bags:Side/Window

Reported: 2013-11-01 (November 1, 2013)

Mercedes-Benz (Mercedes) is recalling certain model year 2013 SL63, SL550, and SL65 vehicles manufactured January 16, 2013, through April 30, 2013. The affected vehicles are equipped with an occupant classification system (OCS) that may not detect a very light person sitting in the front passenger seat.

Consequence: If the OCS does not detect a very light person sitting in the seat, the passenger side air bag would be turned off. In the event of a crash necessitating side air bag deployment, the passenger would be at an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Mercedes will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger side seat cushion including the OCS. The recall began on December 20, 2013. Owners may contact Mercedes at 1-201-573-0600.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
16V899000 · Steering:Electric Power Assist System

Reported: 2016-12-14 (December 14, 2016)

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 SL550, 2013-2014 SL63 AMG, 2014-2016 E350, 2014 E350 Cabriolet, E350 Coupe, 2014-2015 S550, 2015 E350 Bluetec, 2015-2016 E400, 2016 E550 Coupe, and Maybach S600 vehicles manufactured August 23, 2012, to August 14, 2015. The affected vehicles use an electric power steering system that may have improperly soldered contacts inside the control unit, potentially resulting in the power steering system deactivating while driving.

Consequence: If the control unit pins lose connection, there would be a loss of electric power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash. The increase in pin contact resistance can also increase the risk of a fire, even while the vehicle is parked and ignition is off.

Remedy: MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the electric power steering control unit, free of charge. The recall began October 13, 2017. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
19V787000 · Communication

Reported: 2019-11-01 (November 1, 2019)

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2013-2017 vehicles due to a software fault that may cause the date and time for the emergency call system (eCall) to differ from the actual date and time, potentially relaying an inaccurate vehicle location. For a full list of the affected models visit: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2019/RMISC-19V787-4620.pdf

Consequence: An inaccurate vehicle location may delay emergency responders, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: MBUSA has initiated an Over the Air (OTA) remote update. MBUSA will also notify owners, and dealers will check software for a successful OTA or update the communication module software as needed, free of charge. The recall began December 23, 2019. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2019120008.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
Explore the data

Vehicle analysis explorer

Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.

Data completeness

1 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.

0.0%Usable mileage0 / 1 records
100.0%Valid incident date1 / 1 records
100.0%Valid filing date1 / 1 records
100.0%Ordered incident and filing dates1 / 1 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.

Component complaint heatmap
Component2013201420152017
Electrical System
1100.0%
ODI 11609568

Had some issues with turn signals and a check engine light. My car is a 2013 SL63 AMG with 22700 miles. It sits in garage 95 percent of the time under cover. Took car to dealer and they replaced both batteries it fixed al of the lights except my turn signal. I asked the dealer why didn't you check the turn signal I got no response. I had to drive to Louisville the next day and on the way home I noticed my headlights were out and had to drive 75 miles with only fog lights. I took it to another mechanic who took the bumper off and was shocked and…

Look up ODI 11609568 at NHTSA ↗

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

Exterior Lighting
1100.0%
ODI 11609568

Had some issues with turn signals and a check engine light. My car is a 2013 SL63 AMG with 22700 miles. It sits in garage 95 percent of the time under cover. Took car to dealer and they replaced both batteries it fixed al of the lights except my turn signal. I asked the dealer why didn't you check the turn signal I got no response. I had to drive to Louisville the next day and on the way home I noticed my headlights were out and had to drive 75 miles with only fog lights. I took it to another mechanic who took the bumper off and was shocked and…

Look up ODI 11609568 at NHTSA ↗

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

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
ComponentMileage range (25th–75th percentile)MedianUsable recordsExamples
No usable records for this analysis.

Complaint and recall timeline

Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.

1 reports2024-112026-10

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
MonthComplaintsCampaigns announcedExamples
2024-110None

No examples available for this selection.

2024-120None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-010None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-020None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-030None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-040None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-050None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-060None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-070None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-080None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-090None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-100None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-110None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-120None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-010None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-020None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-030None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-040None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-050None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-060None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-070None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-080None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-090None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-10 (partial)0None

No examples available for this selection.

Emerging complaint spikes

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.

Age 0Age 1Age 21 reports

2015: 0 complaints · 2017: 0 complaints

Equal observation windows
Model yearThrough age 0Through age 1Through age 2
2015000
2017000
Date coverage across each selected cohort
Date basis for all complaints in selected model years
YearIncident dates usedFiling date fallbacksExcluded dates
2015000
2017000

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
ComponentElectrical SystemExterior Lighting
Electrical System—
1
ODI 11609568

Had some issues with turn signals and a check engine light. My car is a 2013 SL63 AMG with 22700 miles. It sits in garage 95 percent of the time under cover. Took car to dealer and they replaced both batteries it fixed al of the lights except my turn signal. I asked the dealer why didn't you check the turn signal I got no response. I had to drive to Louisville the next day and on the way home I noticed my headlights were out and had to drive 75 miles with only fog lights. I took it to another mechanic who took the bumper off and was shocked and…

Look up ODI 11609568 at NHTSA ↗

Exterior Lighting
1
ODI 11609568

Had some issues with turn signals and a check engine light. My car is a 2013 SL63 AMG with 22700 miles. It sits in garage 95 percent of the time under cover. Took car to dealer and they replaced both batteries it fixed al of the lights except my turn signal. I asked the dealer why didn't you check the turn signal I got no response. I had to drive to Louisville the next day and on the way home I noticed my headlights were out and had to drive 75 miles with only fog lights. I took it to another mechanic who took the bumper off and was shocked and…

Look up ODI 11609568 at NHTSA ↗

—

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 · 100.0% of complaints

Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).

ODI 11609568

Had some issues with turn signals and a check engine light. My car is a 2013 SL63 AMG with 22700 miles. It sits in garage 95 percent of the time under cover. Took car to dealer and they replaced both batteries it fixed al of the lights except my turn signal. I asked the dealer why didn't you check the turn signal I got no response. I had to drive to Louisville the next day and on the way home I noticed my headlights were out and had to drive 75 miles with only fog lights. I took it to another mechanic who took the bumper off and was shocked and…

Look up ODI 11609568 at NHTSA ↗

Matching rule\b(warning light\w*|check engine|dashboard warning\w*|malfunction indicator)\b