Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 18, 2026.
Fuel economy
16–23 mpgcombined; city 13–21, highway 21–27; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$17,500–$25,150U.S. average; Ohio $16,490–$23,700 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA overall safety rating
Not ratedNHTSA has no overall rating for this year
Owners have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA about the 2023 SL-Class. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Electrical system
1
1
0
0
Forward collision avoidance
1
1
0
0
Steering
1
1
0
0
What the columns count
Complaints: complaints that name that part. One complaint can name several parts, so the rows overlap and don't add up to the total.
Crashes and Fires: complaints that report one. Two owners can file about the same event, and NHTSA doesn't link them, so these count reports, not events.
Injuries: the number of people the complaints say were injured.
None of these columns shows that a part caused a crash, fire or injury: they're what owners reported, unverified.
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2023 SL-Class over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
Electrical system: wiring
NHTSA campaign 25V255000 · reported May 12, 2025 · 443 vehicles potentially affected across the whole campaign
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the main fuse boxes, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 6, 2025. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2025050003/4.
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2023-2024 C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, SL, GLC, EQE SUV, EQE, EQS SUV, and EQS vehicles that were incorrectly repaired under recall 24V-115. An incorrect fuse box that was not designed for the vehicle may have been installed.
Risk: An incorrect fuse box can result in a sudden loss of drive power or a loss of critical safety functions such as the restraint systems or instrument cluster, increasing the risk of a crash or injury. Additionally, there could be an increased risk of a fire.
NHTSA campaign 24V115000 · reported Feb 16, 2024 · 31,848 vehicles potentially affected across the whole campaign
Remedy: Dealers will replace the main fuse boxes, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 5, 2024. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2024030008.
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2023-2024 C300, AMG C43, S580e, S580, Maybach S580, Maybach S680, AMG SL43, AMGSL63, GLC300, EQE350, EQE500, EQS450, EQS580, AMG EQS, 2023 S500, AMG SL55, AMG EQE, 2024 E350, E450, AMG C63e S, CLE300 Coupe, CLE450 Coupe, and GLC300 Coupe vehicles. The 80-Amp fuses may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can cause the fuses to fail.
Risk: An 80-Amp fuse that fails can result in a sudden loss of drive power or a loss of critical safety functions such as the restraint systems or instrument cluster, increasing the risk of a crash or injury. Additionally, there could be an increased risk of a fire.
NHTSA campaign 23V880000 · reported Dec 21, 2023 · 79,676 vehicles potentially affected across the whole campaign
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 28, 2024. Owner notification letters will be mailed in phases, on February 23, 2024, April 19, 2024, June 28, 2024, August 9, 2024, October 1, 2024, and December 2, 2024. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 23V-445.
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2021-2024 GLE, GLS, C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, SL, GLC, CLS, AMG GT, and G-Class vehicles. Please refer to MBUSA's recall report for specific vehicle details. The fuel pump may shutdown, causing a loss of drive power.
Risk: A loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.
NHTSA campaign 23V676000 · reported Oct 6, 2023 · 5,326 vehicles potentially affected across the whole campaign
Remedy: Dealers will secure the electrical wiring harness for the starter and alternator, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 20, 2023. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2023100014.
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2022-2023 AMG SL55 and AMG SL63 vehicles. The electrical wiring harness for the starter and alternator may not be secured properly, which can result in a short circuit and a loss of drive power or cause the harness to overheat.
Risk: A loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash, and an overheated electrical wiring harness can increase the risk of a fire.
NHTSA campaign 23V445000 · reported Jun 26, 2023 · 143,551 vehicles potentially affected across the whole campaign
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 14, 2024. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2023070012.
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2021-2023 C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, CLS, SL, GT, GLC, GLE, GLS, and G-Class vehicles. Please refer to MBUSA's recall report for specific vehicle details. The fuel pump may shutdown, which can result in a loss of drive power.
Risk: A loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 242 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2023 SL-Class, the latest on Sep 26, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: electrical system (116), power train (30), structure (26), engine (23), exterior lighting (14).
NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.
Maintenance
Oil
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2023 SL-Class.
EPA class: minicompact cars. EPA greenhouse gas score: 3–5 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
AMG SL43 Rear-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic 9-spd
Premium Gasoline
21 / 27 / 23
AMG SL55 4matic Plus All-Wheel Drive
4.0 L, 8 cyl, turbo
Automatic 9-spd
Premium Gasoline
13 / 21 / 16
AMG SL63 4matic Plus All-Wheel Drive
4.0 L, 8 cyl, turbo
Automatic 9-spd
Premium Gasoline
14 / 22 / 16
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 18, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 18, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 18, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 18, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data