Owners have filed 44 complaints on the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class, covering 2018–2023. The system named most often is Engine (8 reports). Worst years by volume: 2018, 2019, 2020; cleanest: 2021, 2023, 2020. 3 reports describe a crash. On average the car was 5.4 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 44 CLA-Class complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Engine 8 Read
Engine was failed prior to purchase, it is available for inspection. Engine jerks while driving. Dealer changed engine and problem got worse. Vehicle was inspected at Mercedes Benz Manhattan. Engine light keeps coming on and engine oil raises above normal level and warning light comes on and dealer says its normal
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
My 2019 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 has become unsafe to drive due to strong gasoline fumes filling the cabin. The smell is overwhelming and makes it difficult — and frankly dangerous — to sit in the vehicle for more than a few minutes without feeling lightheaded. I have since learned that this issue is part of a known…
Air Bags 7 Read
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
The contact owned a 2019 Mercedes-Benz CLA250. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH when the contact was cut off by another vehicle, the contact stated that he depressed the brake pedal in a panic stop. The contact stated that he was crashed into the rear end of his vehicle by a vehicle from behind…
The year and model of my car has been recalled for a steering column module/clock spring. Mercedes says my VIN is not in the recall. This is a safety concern as an airbag will not deploy. I believe I should be included in the recall
Electrical System 6 Read
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…
Rear camera works, but the hatch will not close making it difficult to open and close the trunk. I have seen many vehicles in this Family Class with the rear camera in the same condition which leads me to believe that it's not a maintenance issue
My back up camera badge located at the trunk has been permanently stuck open for a few months now when I put car in reverse the screen shows my camera for 2 seconds then disappears and goes back to my Home Screen I brought to the dealer and they told me I need a new battery I replaced my battery paid almost 400…
Structure 5 Read
As i was driving on the freeway the front acylic panel conected to the sun roof just fell off the car nearly striking another vehicle. I have bein seeing alot of other ppl are having this issue yet it has not been recalled
Water comes in the car and fills the back seat floors with water. I think its comming in from the frame
The contact owns a 2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA250. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the car wash, water entered through the overhead center console. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the front roof panel needed to be replaced and resealed. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
Fuel/propulsion System 3 Read
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…
Fuel lines, strong gas smell inside the cabin, the gas leak posed a significant safety hazard, risk of fire or explosion, risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, risk of injury or death to myself and/or others. It has happened while driving, while parked, during refueling, this vehicle has been inspected twice, the last…
Crank venting system. Wheel looses power. Oil us getting into sensors
Steering 2 Read
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
My car clock spring has went out, and it affects my car airbag deploy. I see it’s a problem with the Mercedes Cla250. It’s very dangerous it causes your horn not to work as well!
Power Train 2 Read
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…
My 2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 4MATIC is experiencing a knocking noise from the rear differential at low speeds. The issue poses potential driving hazards, including possible loss of control and increased wear on drivetrain components. The noise may indicate a failing differential, which could suddenly fail while…
Visibility/wiper 2 Read
While driving, the panoramic sunroof on my 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 4MATIC shattered unexpectedly while fully closed. The interior sunshade was also closed at the time. There was no prior damage and no discernible impact. I did not observe or hear anything strike the vehicle. The fracture pattern shows no…
Front Windshield Wipers run randonly when they are not turned on manually. I would be driving and for no reason (no rain or water on the windshield) the wipers would come on and would not turn off when I used the switch. There was no warning message on my auto dash. It was startling and caused confusion when they came…
CLA-Class years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2021 | Exterior Lighting | — | — | |
| 2020 | Back Over Prevention | — | — | |
| 2019 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2018 | Air Bags | — | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 34 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.3 |
| Worst single series | 4 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.4 years |
A model average of 1.3 hides a worst series at 4. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the CLA-Class?
By complaint volume, 2018, 2019, 2020 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which CLA-Class years are the cleanest?
2021, 2023, 2020 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class have?
44 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2018–2023. Of those, 3 describe a crash and 0 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.