We took a road trip to san antonio, tx, on 10/15/2019, and were returning home on 10/17/2019 when the incident occurred. San antonio is about 2 hours away from llano, tx, where we live. We had driven in san antonio traffic for about 45 minutes and stopped for breakfast at ihop around 10:30 am. After leaving ihop, we headed north on the frontage road of highway 281. Almost immediately, we stopped at a red light in the middle lane. As soon as we pulled away, we heard a loud bang that sounded like a gun shot. My husband, glen, was driving and I was in the passenger seat. My seatbelt retracted and I saw and smelled smoke coming from the harness area by my right shoulder. Glen merged over as soon as possible and we pulled over on a side road. We talked about what happened and I googled "mercedes seatbelt explosion" and found that it had happened to others in the past which actually made me feel better about continuing on with our drive home. I could not wear my seatbelt. I thought glen's had also locked up because I checked it when we stopped but later in the trip he tried it and he was able to wear his. One thing we noticed: the check engine light had come on that morning for the first time since december 2017 when we had the car serviced. It went off immediately after the explosion but the SRS light came on.
The worst 1997 Mercedes Benz SL600 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Engine1
- Seat belts1
- Visibility1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Engine1
- Seat belts1
- Visibility1
Recalls 1
Air bags: frontal
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Corrosion of the electrical ignition filament of the air bag gas generator module can occur if the vehicle is operated in areas of frequently high humidity.
- Risk
- Corrosion of the ignition filament can result in the driver's air bag being deployed unintentionally.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the driver's air bag module.
Recall number 99V327000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 1997 Mercedes Benz SL600 12
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Harsh engagement when changing gear range from P to D or R
- Harsh engagement when changing gear range from P to D
- IPhone mobile phone: Various complaints after software update to iOS8
- The noise comes from the front axle
- Height adjustment of electric steering column adjustment is nonfunctional.
- Message in instrument cluster "DISTRONIC PLUSCurrently Unavailable
- Xentry (mercedes): engine warning lamp is currently on or was on and a delay fault of the camshaft adjust...
- Mercedes: corrosion protection coatings for brake components and hardware may be damaged and or stripped...
- Abc visit workshop displayed in instrument cluster and hydraulic fluid leakage
- Mercedes: leaks at steering gear control head connection to high or low pressure lines or leaks at...
What 1997 Mercedes Benz SL600 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl* the contact owns a 1993 (na) mercedes benz sl600. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking oil. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the cylinder head gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 113,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 mercedes benz sl600. The driver side and rearview self dimming mirrors failed. The mirrors appeared to have an oily surface. The dealer stated that the wires failed, but was unsure which wire failed and what repairs were needed. The current and failure mileages were 112,000.
Compare the 1997 Mercedes Benz SL600
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Questions about the 1997 Mercedes Benz SL600
Is the 1997 Mercedes Benz SL600 reliable?
Owners have filed 3 complaints about the 1997 Mercedes Benz SL600, close to a typical SL600 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1997 Mercedes Benz SL600?
Engine and cooling, with 1 complaint. Next is seat belts (1).
How many recalls does the 1997 Mercedes Benz SL600 have?
1 recall, covering air bags.
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