What breaks most · 2018 to 2025 model years
Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 problems by year
Owners have filed 99 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 across model years 2018 to 2025. Three years stand out: 2018 for electrical system complaints, 2019 for fuel system complaints and 2020 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 2022, 2023 and 2021.
- Years to check closely: 2018, 2019, 2020
- Fewest complaints: 2022, 2023, 2021
- Complaints on file
- 992018 to 2025, all trims
- Worst year
- 201840 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 81 fires · 10 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 20kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 31Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 2 | 9 | Electrical system (10) | |
| 22 | 2 | 6 | Fuel system (4) | |
| 20 | 1 | 11 | Electrical system (5) | |
| 7 | 1 | 5 | Speed control and throttle (2) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Body and structure (1) | |
| 6 | 2 | 0 | Unknown or other (3) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Unknown or other (2) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Backup camera and sensors (1) |
What fails on the 2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 25% |
10 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Air bags | 20% |
8 | 2 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Unknown or other | 20% |
8 | 0 | — |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 15% |
6 | 0 | Shop all engine parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 15% |
6 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 5% |
2 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 5% |
2 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Seats | 5% |
2 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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The panoramic sunroof opens and closes but will not shut completely in the back. When calling around for a quote mechanics were aware of the issue occurring with this specific make model and class of vehicle.
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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
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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.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2018, 2019, 2020 carry the most filings on the Mercedes-Benz CLA 250. The 2018 alone has 40 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 problem?
On the 2018 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 10 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 complaints that include mileage is about 20,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.