2021 MERCEDES-BENZ GLA-Class Problems

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Complaints Reported

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Complaints by Component

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

3 complaints

My vehicle has two separate tire inflation placards. There is a placard inside the drivers door recommending 43 PSI (cold) all tires, and another placard inside the fuel door recommending 38 PSI front and 34 PSI rear (cold). Two different tire service centers have confirmed that my tires are wearing out prematurely because of overinflation. My telephone calls to Mercedes USA have been handled poorly because their representatives are poorly training and do not understand the nature of my issue.

Apr 29, 2024

I consider this issue a SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE that could be LIFE-THREATENING and all Mercedes-Benz service departments should be alerted to the problem. Mercedes-Benz should issue a revised, more user-friendly label so independent tire shops will not misread the label and over-inflate customers' tires. The tire inflation specifications provided for this vehicle, located both on the B-pillar and gas filler flap, are configured poorly and lead techs, both at Mercedes service departments and independent tire shops, to grossly over-inflate the tires. Please see the attached photo of the gas filler flap sticker on our AMG GLA 45. Our car has 20" tires and the techs incorrectly read the tire inflation pressures as 42 psi front / 46 psi rear. These are the correct pressures for a fully loaded vehicle, a situation that we seldom see. This represents over-inflation of 8 psi (22%) front and 13 psi (39%) rear, creating the potential for blowouts, compromised handling, and loss of control. Technicians read the label as 19" tires receiving the day-to-day tire pressures and 20" tires receiving fully loaded pressures creating a life-threatening safety issue. I have tried to address this problem with W.I. Simonson in Santa Monica, trying to contact our service rep, their tire "guru", and the GM. I've left two voicemails for each of them and have received no response whatsoever. I tried to alert Mercedes-Benz North America (800/367-6372) with the following results: 1) Called 15 August 2022, explained the problem and receiving case #2-31456230028, was told that a rep would contact me within 48 hours. 2) Called 23 August 2022, was told that a rep had tried my wife's number once. She has no record of a call. 3) Called 11 September 2022, provided the case number and after 40 minutes the call was dropped. 4) Called back immediately on 11 September 2022, provided the case number and after 27 minutes the call was dropped. I am available anytime if you have questions.

Sep 09, 2022

Please fix issue associated with my vin so I can Turo it

May 23, 2021

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION

2 complaints

The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA250. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V354000 (Back Over Prevention, Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Oct 28, 2022

The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA250. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V354000 (Back Over Prevention, Electrical System). The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the rearview camera image was not displaying on the display screen. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the dealer could not activate the display screen and informed the contact that they were waiting for parts to arrive to perform the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,200.

Sep 03, 2021

TIRES

2 complaints

The contact called on behalf of his client who owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA250 equipped with Continual tires, Tire Line: Procontact GXSSR, Tire Size: 235/55r/18, and DOT 6y3lwxx43220. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH on a local road and attempting to get into the right lane, the driver crashed into a pole where the vehicle came to a stop. The contact suffered injuries to the face from the air bag deploying and hurt her leg. No medical attention was needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 11,000.

Jun 14, 2022

Crash: 1

Injuries: 1

I have a zero point dmv clean record!! Tires are dysfunctional poorly made235/55 R18 The front tires are ready to blow out and look /feel very unsafe to drive no blow out yet - however last 6 months many people have noticed POOR TRACTION & asked if the car tires need air. No air WAS NEEDED!! Continental offered 40% off for replacement tires. This is unacceptable ! These are not industry safe and continental stated there’s no mileage warranty! Who gets all new tires at 26,500 miles. I’m a mom going to the grocery store and the mall! My brand new 2021 leased Car now has approx. 26,500 miles . Bought October 2020! Front tires are near bald. Back tires are nearly worn as well. Car was in & serviced at Mercedes’ where point inspections prove NO ALIGNMENT ISSUES 04/2022 and prior service dates tires were rotated 4 times and all service schedules were completed! Assumptions were made that I didn’t rotate tires as exscuse for POORLY MADE an outlet for UNSAFE TIRES. I live in a mild climate, Nor Cal and went to the snow one time. No car accidents, no beach salt climate. Also the Car is parked IN A covered garage area no excessive temps ON THE tires. No off roading. I have never seen a car tire wear like this. Colors been brown murky also continues alwaysneeds polish !!It’s not the Industry standard. It drives choppy also and reflects no air needed! For a Run flat expensive tire there’s no reason why it’s such a piece of junk. I’m middle aged and not a teenage driver this should of lasted ! Bought my car brand new nearly 50 grand Mercedes 2021! This is my 6th Mercedes’ and second leased Mercedes’ I’ve owned Escalade, 2 bmws, fiat, sabb, ml500 Mercedes’ , cla250 lease before this one that 2018 I got 40,000 miles only changed 2 tires due too moderate driving.

Jun 03, 2022

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

1 complaint

When coming to a full stop at a red light (or any need to idle at a stop), the car frequently begins to hesitate as if it is about to cut off. I assume it has something to do with the ‘fuel saving feature’ which comes on in the form of a green symbol in the lower left of the odometer display (the engine is still running the AC) . When you start to drive again the car always jerks before moving , on at least 3 occasions it has actually cut off completely and must be restarted (everything goes off) - it is big problem, especially in heavy traffic (horns blaring & angry drivers are encountered) I almost had a car hit me from behind; my car had jerked slightly when I began to accelerate and then shut off completely. It is definitely a dangerous defect. The Dealership emphasizes 93 Octane gas or higher to help with this issue- but I Always use the highest Octane gas I can find ! It has happened VERY often - I dread stopping at red lights and stop signs, one day it will cause an accident.

Aug 02, 2025

UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE

1 complaint

I am reporting a potential safety and mechanical defect involving the cylinder head in the Mercedes-Benz GLA 250. Many owners, including myself, have experienced premature cylinder head failure, often without warning, leading to loss of power, engine misfires, rough idling, and in some cases, sudden engine shutdown while driving. This issue appears to be widespread among GLA models equipped with the M260/M270 engine, often occurring well before 100,000 miles. It raises serious concerns about the design, durability, and safety of the engine’s top-end components. Given the frequency and severity of this failure — and the high cost of repairs — I believe this warrants an official investigation and potential manufacturer recall. I urge the NHTSA to review similar complaints and initiate a formal inquiry into Mercedes-Benz’s awareness and handling of this defect. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

May 16, 2025

STRUCTURE

1 complaint

Twice now, my husband is putting groceries in the back of the vehicle and the top closes on him and this last time, hit him hard in the head. This is a safety issue, what can we do??

Dec 23, 2024

Injuries: 1

ENGINE

1 complaint

Engine misfired in operation requiring an emergency stop while on a mountain road. Severe check engine light turned on (Mercedes has a two stage check engine light). Vehicle was parked for 20 minutes and battery was disconnected. This appeared to fix the issue. Vehicle was brought to dealer. Dealer stated the cylinder head for early 2021 GLA 250 engines had a casting flaw that result in hot gases escaping and damaging engine. Engine and turbo rebuilt under warranty at 17000 miles.

Oct 02, 2023

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

1 complaint

The entire circuit board was short circuited immobilizing the car in the middle of the highway. It was determined that the condensation of the air conditioning was unable to drain due to the drainage tubing being clogged with insects, causing water to back up and short circuited the electrical system.

Sep 27, 2023

ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

1 complaint

I purchased this car approx 3 months after real issues began. My car would have issues idling where it would sometimes turn off at stop lights and require multiple reignition attempts before proceeding. This would also happen when the auto-start feature (anti-idle/gas saving) was engaged (which is the default in the system) and this posed major safety concerns. The unstable idling of the car would result in an initial acceleration after being stopped, shortly followed by the engine dying. There were multiple times I was at an intersection yielding before turning where this happened and it resulted in my being in the path of oncoming traffic without the ability to accelerate until the car restarted. I contacted my local Mercedes dealer who acted like this wasn't a big deal, but it is related to a known issue with a faulty cylinder head. They covered the repair under the manufacturer warranty, but told me to keep driving my car and promised it was safe until they could get the part in (because the didn't have a loaner car to provide). I found this very troubling. In conversations throughout the repair being completed, the dealer admitted that they know the part that was used for the year and model is bad, but they didn't want to do a recall and would wait for issues to come up. This is unacceptable because this absolutely is a safety concern as demonstrated by the example I shared. They should be required to do a full recall to address the safety concerns and I believe not disclosing this information was unfair to me as a consumer who did not have the information I needed to be informed on the reliability of this vehicle prior to purchase.

Sep 12, 2023

POWER TRAIN

1 complaint

I was parked in a lot and turned the ignition on and selected "DRIVE" but when I started to pull away the vehicle went backwards instead of forwards (as though "REVERSE" had been selected). I switched back to PARK, then selected DRIVE again and the vehicle once again went backwards. I then turned the engine off altogether and restarted it and this seemed to clear up the problem as now the vehicle went forwards when in DRIVE. No damage, or injuries, but of course very concerning from a safety point of view which is why I am reporting this. Mercedes did check the vehicle out the next day and could not locate any problem.

May 16, 2022

SERVICE BRAKES

1 complaint

The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA250W4. The contact stated that while parking his vehicle when he went to apply the brake pedal, the brakes did not engage. The contact stated that the vehicle then crashed into the wall, however, the air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that the warning light illuminated after the crash indicating that "the brakes are now operational". The contact stated that there was no police report made, however, the 2 passengers did seek medical attention. The contact stated he was able to drive his vehicle home, however, the dealer did have the car towed days later and it remains for repair. The contact stated the dealer advised him to contact the manufacturer, as he did to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 9,429.

Apr 29, 2022

SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

1 complaint

Car's brake system slammed on in light traffic with no nearby obstacles. Clear night, light traffic, road dry, moderate temperature. If there had been more traffic, or if the road had been slick, high probability of risk. Dealer has been notified, will not be able to pick up vehicle for a day or two. I did not see any warning lights, heard no warning sounds.

Sep 13, 2021

4.9/5.0

60 reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

How many problems does the 2021 MERCEDES-BENZ GLA-Class have?

The 2021 MERCEDES-BENZ GLA-Class currently has 16 owner-reported complaints according to NHTSA database. These complaints are organized by component to help identify common issues.

What are the most common problems with 2021 MERCEDES-BENZ GLA-Class?

The most common problems reported for the 2021 MERCEDES-BENZ GLA-Class are organized by component above. Each component section shows owner-reported issues, crash reports, and fire incidents to help identify patterns and problem areas.

Where does this 2021 MERCEDES-BENZ GLA-Class problem data come from?

All problem and complaint data for the 2021 MERCEDES-BENZ GLA-Class comes directly from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) database. These are real complaints submitted by actual vehicle owners.