Mercedes BENZ GLA Class Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data

Structure body: roof and pillars affected Recall ID: 450977 year 2014- 2020 NHTSA campaign # 23v854000 Vehicle affected 2,976 A detached roof panel can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash. The vehicle is making a loud noise from the panoramic soon roof.

The ABS Sensor light, engine light, anti skid light and 4 matic malfunction, transmission malfunction all lit up on my dashboard on Tuesday July 22, 2025. The stearing would lock up and the brakes would not break it also shifted gears into neutral. The dashboard finally told me in bold red letters (transmission malfunction STOP). It would do this then all the lights would go away. I thought it may have just been the battery since I hardly drive the car. The shop cleared out all the malfunctions and re drove it and they said it appeared fine but the next day (Wednesday) it acted up again and that is when I got the transmission malfunction STOP warning on the dashboard. I pulled over and called the shop to come tow my car. By Thursday they said they couldn't diagnose or fix the problem but stated it had to do with the Transmission and to have it towed to the Mercedes Benz dealership. I had it towed to the Morristown, NJ Mercedes Benz service dept and they stated that it appears that it is the Transmission Valve Body. I spoke with Mercedes this morning (July 28, 2025) and that is when I learned it was the Transmission Valve Body and that it is going to cost me $4,000.00 plus labor. This makes no sense as the car has less than 26,000 miles on it. I researched a bit on this and found that there may have been a recall for this car but I was never notified of the recall. When the service rep told me that he was waiting to hear from corporate on this before he could give me an exact cost (this was after the technician stated what the issue was). I got suspicious as why would they need to contact corporate to figure out the cost of the repair. I could have gotten into a really bad accident if I was on a major road going 65mph.

The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLA250. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds and while parked, the contact observed a gasoline odor in the cabin of the vehicle and outside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the fuel injector and fuel rails needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,000.

Clock spring broke

The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLA250. While the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with crankcase vent valve failure and a block actuator. The contact was informed that the crankcase sensor valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 43,264.

In December 2023, the check engine light came on. The dealership said it was the rear differential. The dealership fixed the problem under warranty. In July 2024, the problem returned. The dealership said it could repeat the procedure from December, but that eventually the rear differential will need to be replaced. The dealership said that only replacing the rear differential will fix the problem for good. Obviously, MB recognized the problem and upgraded the software and whatever else was wrong with the current rear differential. The car is now out of warranty. Clearly, MB knew of the problem and chose to direct it's dealerships to use stop-gap measures that do not fix the problem, until the rear differential must be replaced, at the owner's expense, with an upgraded rear differential. It is dangerous to drive the vehicle with a faulty rear differential.

Noise in rear differential, had dealership where I purchased vehicle flush & change the fluid in rear differential. Tech stated it will need to be replaced. Vehicle has 75,000. Research has numerous problems with this issue.

The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLA250. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for a routine oil change, the contact was informed that the differential was fractured. The dealer provided a cost for the repair however, the vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to a used car dealer and to an independent mechanic, where the same assessment was made. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was referred to the manufacturer for assistance in repairing the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLA250. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission inadvertently shifted into neutral(N). No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V033000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLA250. The contact stated that there was water leaking from all four grab handles above the front and rear driver's and passenger's side seats. Upon inspection, the contact noticed water stains around the sunroof and headliner. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V912000 (Visibility, Air Bags); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLA250. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling, there was an abnormally strong fuel odor inside and outside of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that fuel was leaking from the fuel rails at the fuel injectors. The mechanic related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V961000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.

The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLA250. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and the vehicle independently turned off. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and restarted the vehicle. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic. The contact was informed that the front driver’s side wheel speed sensor needed to be replaced. The wheel speed sensor was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 29,000.

The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLA250. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 25 MPH, the transmission inadvertently shifted into neutral(N). The Reverse Inoperative message was displayed. The contact's wife turned off and restarted the vehicle before driving to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V033000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLA250. The contact stated that while his son was driving approximately 55 MPH, the transmission erroneously shifted to neutral causing the vehicle to lose motive power and stall. Moments later the vehicle was restarted, and the vehicle operated normally. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V033000 (Power Train). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 50,000. The contact stated that the vehicle shifts into neutral at highway speeds and it shows a transmission error.