2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 20about this part
- Share
- 11%of 179 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 14,261miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 20 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250, 11% of the 179 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 14,261 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“While traveling with my wife and newborn on highway 64 my 2014 cla mb cut off( while in motion ) and gave a code 'do not shift gears 'visit dealer. Somehow the car switch to netural while I coast the car to a safe edge of the road. We were terrified!! Next it gave a transmission code in red to do not shift visit dealer. I'm not sure if any recalls but this is a safety that needs attention!!”
NHTSA complaint #11340128, filed 2020-07, 58,020 miles“While driving the vehicle loses power and barely has any accelerations. The warning sign said inop see owners manual. I had to pull over, restart car then it was back to normal. This has happened twice at the exact same road. I was at a stop light, made a left turn, drove about half a mile then this started. This is very dangerous!”
NHTSA complaint #10610627, filed 2014-07, 7,000 miles“On this day, I was nearly killed in my 2014 mercedes CLA250 4matic that stalled on a highway in new york city. The car has roughly 40,300 miles on the odometer. I was driving on the brooklyn queens expressway at 4:00am. The car's motor stalled and the car came to a stop in the left lane. There were no shoulders. I attempted to get the car restarted but all I got were flashing dashboard lights. I attempted to put up a warning triangle to the rear of the car, but the traffic was moving too quickly for me to safely do that. I sat in my car and buckled my seat belt. …”
NHTSA complaint #11340450, filed 2020-07, 40,300 miles“Bought the cla 250 brand new in 2014, vehicle has now twice gone in to pre-safe mode and inoperative mode while driving. The car switches to neutral as I am driving and then refuses to shift in to drive or reverse leaving me stranded in the streets on two occasion which could have caused two very serious accidents. The car on the second time had to be towed to dealership who could'nt find anything wrong with the car. There solution was more of a guess about a cpu needing to be replaced.”
NHTSA complaint #10795198, filed 2015-11, 17,796 miles“I was getting off work and I was about to get out of the garage and I drove for about 100 yards and I get the check engine light on, power terain light on saying disabled and on the dashboard it said inoperative see operators manual and also pre_safe functions limited. It was going back and forth between these two. When I was driving going about 5mph, the car would speed up by itself without me touching the gas pedal, then it would slow down and speed up again. It was like I was learning to driving stick shift, stop and go, except the car was doing it by itself. …”
NHTSA complaint #10950449, filed 2017-02, 1 milesRelated service bulletins
- 11037211Aug 29, 2026Complaint Intermittent shift feel or thud/clunk noise perceived, such as a brief jerk or transmission reaction during certain driving situations. May be most noticeable when…
- 11035005Jul 14, 2026Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end). The noise is heard once in each instance when changing direction of…
- 11026832Dec 19, 2025Complaint Oil residue in connector of transmission control unit in dual-clutch transmission models 724.0 and 724.1. Cause As part of the production process, the electrohydraulic…
- 11025648Nov 15, 2025Complaint Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end). The clunk is heard once when changing from forward to reverse…
- 11022045Aug 5, 2025Complaint Customer complaints regarding automatic transmission 724.1 (8FDCT & 8FDCT hybrid) For faster, more effective and more targeted diagnosis, Intelligent Predictive Repair…
- 11019018May 21, 2025Complaint Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end). The clunk is heard once when changing from forward to reverse…
- 11013298Jan 16, 2025Complaint Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end). The clunk is heard once when changing from forward to reverse…
- 11010818Nov 20, 2024Complaint Transmission control unit Y3/8n4 (fully integrated transmission control unit (VGS)) not listed in quick test and/or no communication possible with VGS. Cause…
- 10199675Jul 14, 2021Vibrations/ humming when moving off or maneuvering with the wheels turned
- 10151943Jul 16, 20187G-DCT: Scratching noise when changing gear from D to R when transmission cold.
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
Other parts of the 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250
66 complaintsElectrical system
44 complaintsVehicle speed control
36 complaintsOther or unknown
22 complaintsElectronic stability control
20 complaintsAir bags
11 complaintsFuel system
11 complaintsBody and structure
11 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
9 complaintsWheels
9 complaintsSteering
8 complaintsBrakes
6 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology