2013 Mercedes-Benz SL 3.5L Petrol · BU13 XLX

DVSA campaigns R/2021/277 and R/2021/279 cover SLK cars for the driver's airbag propellant undergoing a chemical change over time under certain climatic conditions, with the airbag replaced as the remedy. The larger campaign alone records 108,486 UK vehicles affected, which shows how many of these cars are still on the road with an old inflator. BBC coverage of the wider Takata recall in October 2025 confirms the programme is still running in the UK, with owners advised to check status on the DVSA service, because an exploding inflator throws metal fragments into the cabin.

Two DVSA campaigns apply to these cars: R/2020/011, covering 5,255 vehicles, for engine emission output requiring improvement, with the engine control unit reflowed and the NOx sensor replaced where needed, and R/2020/243, covering a further 994 cars for the same work. Mercedes specialists describe the everyday consequence of this hardware: an AdBlue warning, a countdown stating the engine will not restart after a set distance, and eventually a car that will not re-start at all once the limit is reached, usually caused by a failed dosing pump, tank heater or NOx sensor rather than an empty tank.