Mercedes BENZ CLA Class Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data
Comparing used Mercedes BENZ CLA Class options? We analyzed 10 model years (2017–2026) using real NHTSA complaint and recall data so you can spot stronger years, avoid riskier ones, and know what to inspect before buying.
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Model-year trends show patterns — they can't tell you whether this car was crashed, flooded, or rolled back. A VIN check can.
- Accident & damage history
- Odometer rollback records
- Open recalls & title brands
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the Mercedes BENZ CLA Class has 161 owner complaints and 0 safety recalls across model years 2017–2026. The most reported issue area is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. 2019 drew the most complaints; 2022 drew the fewest.
- Make
- Mercedes BENZ
- Model
- CLA Class
- Model years analyzed
- 2017–2026 (10 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 161
- Safety recall campaigns
- 0
- Crash-related complaints
- 13
- Fire-related complaints
- 1
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2019 (51 complaints)
- Best model year (fewest complaints)
- 2022 (4 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- Reliability signal
- Poor
By model year
Mercedes BENZ CLA Class: which years to avoid & which to buy
Based on total NHTSA owner complaints per model year. Higher complaint counts indicate a riskier year to buy used — lower counts suggest a cleaner reliability record.
These years have the most owner complaints. Inspect carefully and always run a VIN check.
These years have the fewest owner complaints on record — lower risk starting points.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA NCAP crash test ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
NCAP crash test ratings for this model are not yet loaded or this vehicle was not tested in the years analyzed. NHTSA tests a subset of new vehicles each year. Check nhtsa.gov/ratings directly for the latest results.
What the complaint data suggests
PoorThe MERCEDES BENZ CLA CLASS has 161 NHTSA complaints and 0 recalls on record. 13 complaints involve crash-related incidents. This data reflects owner-reported issues submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- 161 total complaints filed with NHTSA
- 0 federal recall campaigns
- 13 crash-related complaints on record
- Review NHTSA complaint history for the most-reported components
- Check recall completion status at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Verify service records for frequently complained components
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with elevated complaint rates.
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with fewer reported issues.
- Run a VIN check on the specific vehicle you are considering
- Verify all open recalls are completed at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Request service records for the most-reported complaint components
- Have a certified mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase
Problems by model year (best vs. worst)
Source: NHTSA public complaints database. Updated: Aug 2026
Safety recalls
NHTSA safety recalls
0 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
No NHTSA recalls were found in our database for this model. Always verify open recalls using your specific VIN on NHTSA.gov.
Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2017–2026. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
Common problems
What goes wrong most often
The vehicle systems owners complain about most, ranked from all 161 NHTSA complaints — these are the areas to inspect first on a used car.
Owner complaints
NHTSA complaint reports
161 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
I was driving on the highway at 9:30 AM in about 65 degree whether in a 2022 Mercedes Benz CLA equipped with a panoramic sunroof. I got on the exit ramp which was directly under a highway bridge when suddenly I heard a single, loud bang. I look up and realized that my sunroof had completely shattered and I all could see was the bare sky above the windscreen. Luckily, there was no one in the passenger seat and no other drivers around me because I suddenly swerved due to the shocking nature of the incident. My vehicle is only 2.5 years old, and I bought it brand-new. In addition, I keep it maintained at a local Mercedes-Benz dealership. There was absolutely no indication that this was going to happen. The sunroof is not used often, and there were no signs of weakness or cracking.
While traveling on the highway (approximately 70mph) the panoramic sunroof exploded into countless tiny pieces of glass. Nothing hit the sunroof (no visible damage from any falling object on the sunscreen under the sunroof), nor did the vehicle hit anything. Completely random. This is apparently a common issue.
Sunroof shattered and exploded while driving
I was driving on the 210 interstate freeway at about 60mph. I saw that the cars around 0.25 miles in front of me had stopped due to traffic jam so i started braking. The second I started braking my boyfriend in the passenger seat realized the car wasn't slowing down so he told me you need to brake. So I started pressing the brakes hard and when I was around 10 cars away, I realized that I have already pressed the brake pedal all the way down and couldn't go any further but the brake still wasn't braking and didn't work. So I hit the car in front of me. Therefore the accident was caused by the brakes not functioning. My passenger and I was put in danger because of this as well as the person I hit. Luckily it was only minor injuries. Only I had bruises on my leg. I have found several articles stating that the same exact make and model have been recalled because of their brakes also failing. Before the accident, I realized that the brakes would make noise when I braked sometimes, so I brought the car to Mercedes dealership and mentioned to them to see if there was a problem, but they took a quick look at the inside of my car and told me everything is fine. There was no warning lamps messages or any other symptoms before the problem.
the seal around my driver side rear light is not sealed correctly there is water precipitation in my lamp
On Friday, September 27, around 12 pm, while driving on i880S near Union City, California, something horrific happened. The sunroof of my 2021 Mercedes CLA 250, with just 49,000 miles, suddenly exploded without any warning. The sound was so loud and violent, it felt like a gunshot. I was immediately overwhelmed with fear and panic as I struggled to process what was happening. In my rearview mirror, I could see shards of glass scattering across the road behind me. When I looked up, I was horrified to see that the remaining glass was hanging in dangerous shards just above my head, barely held in place by the sunroof cover. I shudder to think what might have happened if that cover hadn’t been there—if it had fallen, I would have been covered in glass. And if there had been passengers or children in the car, the consequences could have been unimaginable. This experience left me deeply shaken and traumatized. I now have a lingering fear of sunroofs, and I no longer feel safe in my own vehicle. It’s not just the incident itself, but also the aftermath. When I brought the car to the dealer, despite still being under warranty, I was told this issue wouldn’t be covered. I was referred to MBUSA customer support, but after researching, I’ve seen numerous forums where others with Mercedes CLA and GLA models experienced the same problem and were similarly denied coverage. This is more than a manufacturing defect – it’s a significant safety hazard. This incident could have led to severe injuries, or worse. I urge the NHTSA to investigate this issue before someone gets seriously hurt or killed. This isn’t just about my car – it’s about ensuring the safety of all drivers and passengers in vehicles with sunroofs like mine.
Read 14 more owner reports
Our car has lost power to accelerate on 4 occasions on the highway. The first instance was in October of 2023, the second instance was in November of 2024 (and was brought immediately to the dealership and they said the fix wasn't available yet), the third instance was in March of 2024 and the most recent incident occurred in June of 2024. For example, the car will be moving at a speed of 60 mph and it will suddenly start flashing lights in the car with a warning signal that the "car is unable to reserve". The car then instantly loses the ability to accelerate and you can push the pedal all the way down and it will not go faster. There is an issue with either the engine, the power train or the speed control, or some combination. The car will not go above 20 miles per hours. These instances have almost caused us to get rear-ended by other vehicles as we suddenly lose the ability to accelerate. It is extremely dangerous and we've been fortunate to be near off-ramps to get off. The problem has been confirmed by Mercedes Dealerships with friends of ours who have experienced the same problem with a different model. They claimed that Mercedes USA had not found a fix yet, but refused to provide us with a loaner car until this death trap of a car was fixed.
Date of occurrence: 03/05/2024 Subject: Formal Claim Regarding Traffic Safety Issue with 2021 Mercedes Benz CLA 250 I am writing to formally submit a claim regarding a recent traffic safety incident involving my 2021 Mercedes Benz CLA 250. While driving to my destination, I encountered a sudden loss of power and inability to accelerate. To ensure the safety of myself and other drivers, I activated my emergency lights and cautiously proceeded at a limited speed of approximately 30 mph, accompanied by a strained engine sound. Understanding the potential risks associated with this issue, I immediately pulled over in a safe location and had to drive the vehicle with caution to my home where I then arranged for my vehicle to be towed to the service department. Upon inspection, the service department informed me that the problem stemmed from a software malfunction, for which Mercedes has not yet released an updated version. Given the nature of this incident and the potential safety hazards it poses, I am deeply concerned about the safety of driving my vehicle on the freeway or to any destination. I kindly request your assistance in addressing this matter promptly and ensuring the necessary steps are taken to rectify the software malfunction. Please let me know the next steps in the claims process, any additional documentation or information required, and the estimated timeline for resolution. I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to a swift resolution. Thank you.
On Monday 02/14/2022, after 2-3 minutes driving towards work, at about 25-30mph speed, the front right ball joint broke on the vehicle putting me in danger of losing my life. Due to this ball joint failure, the right front wheel disassembled from the vehicle and it slid-crashed on the car parked on the right side of the street. If it would happen on the highway I would kill myself and put others in the ultimate danger of losing their lives. The car was towed to the Loeber Motors Dealer and Mercedes-Benz LLC. informed about the incident. The the complaint case number 2-25420239808 was started with Mercedes-Benz Customer Care and led by: Susan Executive Referral Manager Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (800) 367-6372 (ext. 6324) This defect should never happen and again, it could be lethal, causing many deaths if with full speed on the highway. Case was completely ignored by Mercedes-Benz LLC. Now it is 03/20/2022 and I still don't have any report on the safety of the vehicle. Mercedes-Benz Dealer Loeber Motors, called me on Friday 03/18/2022 saying "that if I won't tow out the vehicle from their property they will charge me $100 per day for storage - about $3000" - that way they simply forced me to put my case in the hands of my insurance without giving me any word on my vehicle safety. Mentioned earlier Mercedes-Benz Representative - Executive Referral Manager Susan, was refusing to answer my calls and never sent me any reports regarding my case. I consider such failure to be extremely dangerous and the case very serious. There were no earlier signs of any problem. The only thing I could add, 2 days before that happened, I was backing up into the parking spot on the street and I drove over a quite high pile of icy snow. Manufacturer completely ignored the case. Thanks
I slid on snow during a storm and hit head on to an oncoming car and my car has been deemed a total loss. During the crash not a single airbag at all deployed. I hit the windshield and the dash, at least one should have gone off, but none of them deployed in the car
While executing a right turn, the steering wheel became locked. The driver attempted to apply the brakes, but they were unresponsive. Consequently, the vehicle collided with the divider.
During regular use my 2023, Mercedes Cla 250, had a fault in the instrument display in which the display shut off completely. Only the media display remained on, however the media display is completely useless in this scenario, only the instrument display can show the speed in which the vehicle is traveling and the Rpm range in which the vehicle is being accelerated at. I was left stranded, hopeless, and endangered as a result of this catastrophic vehicle failure.
I own a 2023 Mercedes CLA250 VIN: [XXX]. This morning I was driving 50 mph on a road with no traffic, no car in front or behind me, no trees or overhead wires and my sunroof imploded. I have the privacy screen closed which saved me from the shards of glass raining on me. I have included pictures of the roof as well of the poor quality of the glass that is used for the sunroof. I am shocked there is no safety film in that glass to prevent it from shattering. This was a terrible experience- I expected more from a Mercedes. I’m horrified this can happen. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I was driving on hwy 301 in Maryland at 5am. My sunroof exploded. It was like a bomb went off hatterung glass all over my face and body
Exploding sunroof. Dealership will not accept responsibility even though this is a known issue with their cars. This exploded on the highway and could have caused major issues for other drivers and myself with flying glass. There was not any external impact that caused the explosion. Mercedes needs to recall and fix this issue to prevent other accidents.
To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to file a formal safety complaint regarding my 2019 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 involving a leaking fuel rail that caused the vehicle to shut down and become unsafe to operate. The failure of the fuel rail resulted in a fuel leak and engine shutdown. A failure within the fuel delivery system presents a serious safety concern, as it can cause sudden loss of power while driving and poses a potential fire hazard if fuel comes into contact with hot engine components. During the repair process, I was informed that the necessary replacement component, Fuel Rail Part Number 2700701995, is no longer being produced by Mercedes-Benz. Because this critical component is unavailable, the vehicle cannot currently be repaired and is therefore undrivable. It is deeply concerning that a safety-related fuel system component for a 2019 vehicle is no longer available. Without access to this essential part, the vehicle is effectively disabled. Additionally, based on the nature of this failure, I believe this fuel rail defect should be included in the recall list for this vehicle. A leaking fuel rail capable of shutting down the engine represents a significant safety risk that may affect other vehicles of the same model. I have attempted to contact Mercedes-Benz Customer Care at [XXX] on seven separate occasions and have left messages requesting assistance, but I have not received a return call. Because this issue involves both a serious fuel system failure and the inability to obtain a critical replacement part, I respectfully request that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigate whether this defect affects other 2019 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 vehicles and determine whether a recall is warranted. Vehicle Information: Year: 2019 Make: Mercedes-Benz Model: CLA250 VIN: [XXX] Part in Question: Fuel Rail – Part No. 2700701995 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The sunroof is off the track. There seems to have been a recall for my make and model and year of vehicle (2019 Mercedes CLA 250) though Mercedes tells me that my vin # is not among those that were recalled. However, they told me that if I could reach out to NHTSA, that it would be possible that my vehicle would be added to the recall, which would force Mercedes to have to repair the issue at their cost, so this is me doing that.
JUST PAID $4,154.67 TO HAVE MY 2019 MERCEDES CLA 250, WITH JUST 46,222 MILES, ENGINE REPAIRED. * REPACE FUEL INJECTOR SEALS/ORINGS $1,462.80 *REPLACE ALL 4 FUEL INJECTORS $2,512.62 SO, PLEASE TELL WHY THERE IS NO RECALL ON MY CAR????? MARK BOULTINGHOUSE (240)277.9752
The emergency braking system keeps coming on every time I go to drive, my car automatically shifts into neutral gear when driving and I have an error message saying that I can’t reverse. My seat will Not go further back and I have an air bag issue light
The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLA 250. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission inadvertently shifted to neutral(N), causing a loss of drive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated, and the message "See Dealer" was displayed. The vehicle was restarted and driven to the residence. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V033000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000.
Showing 20 of 161 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Check the exact car
Before you buy, check the exact Mercedes BENZ CLA Class
These pages show model-year patterns across 10 years. Enter a VIN to verify the exact vehicle's accident history, title brands, odometer records, and open recall status before purchase.
The basics
How to read this data
Complaints, recalls, investigations — here’s what each number actually tells you about a used Mercedes BENZ CLA Class, in plain English.
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is — but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The Mercedes BENZ CLA Class has 161 complaints on record across 10 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The Mercedes BENZ CLA Class has 0 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 13 of the Mercedes BENZ CLA Class's 161 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions — a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the Reliability Verdict Calculated?
The reliability verdict (Poor) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. This verdict gives buyers a quick interpretation before they review year-level details and VIN-level history. It should be treated as one decision input, not a substitute for a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable — simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all Mercedes BENZ CLA Class vehicles on the road — not any specific car. Two Mercedes BENZ CLA Class vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage — NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The Mercedes BENZ CLA Class has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.
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Mercedes BENZ CLA Class reliability — frequently asked questions
Is the Mercedes BENZ CLA Class reliable?
Poor. The Mercedes BENZ CLA Class has 161 NHTSA owner complaints and 0 recall campaigns across model years. A commonly reported issue area is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. Use year-level data as a pattern guide, then verify the exact car with a VIN check before purchase.
Which Mercedes BENZ CLA Class years to avoid?
Years with the most NHTSA complaints: 2019 (51 complaints), 2018 (45 complaints), 2017 (27 complaints). Use these years as a shortlist for deeper inspection, and always run a VIN check on the exact vehicle before purchase.
What are the most common Mercedes BENZ CLA Class problems?
Top reported issues: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (32 complaints); UNKNOWN OR OTHER (29 complaints); ENGINE (24 complaints).
Does the Mercedes BENZ CLA Class have recalls?
No NHTSA recall campaigns are currently on record for the Mercedes BENZ CLA Class. Always verify with a VIN check as recalls can be added at any time.