What breaks most · 2015 to 2018 model years
Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 problems by year
Owners have filed 52 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 across model years 2015 to 2018. Three years stand out: 2015 for air bags complaints, 2016 for air bags complaints and 2017 for electrical system complaints.
- Years to check closely: 2015, 2016, 2017
- Complaints on file
- 522015 to 2018, all trims
- Worst year
- 201531 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 42 fires · 6 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 12kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 30Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 3 | 5 | Air bags (8) | |
| 8 | 0 | 4 | Air bags (3) | |
| 8 | 0 | 9 | Electrical system (5) | |
| 5 | 1 | 12 | Air bags (2) |
What fails on the 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA 250
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 26% |
8 | 3 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Unknown or other | 23% |
7 | 0 | — |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 19% |
6 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 19% |
6 | 0 | Shop all engine parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Stability controlABS and wheel speed sensors | 10% |
3 | 1 | Shop all stability control parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 10% |
3 | 1 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 10% |
3 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 6% |
2 | 0 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
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.
-
I started the car and i got a message stating the right front air bag malfunctioned. There is a short. I took the car in for repair, there have been several recalls on this model for the air bag, mine is not included. The air bag has shorted out. This is a huge safety 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 30, 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 GLA 250 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2015, 2016, 2017 carry the most filings on the Mercedes-Benz GLA 250. The 2015 alone has 31 complaints, led by air bags.
What is the most common Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 problem?
On the 2015 model year, the most-reported component is air bags with 8 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 complaints that include mileage is about 12,000 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.