Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 291 consumer complaints across the 8 model years of the Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 (2015–2023) that have at least 5 complaints. 2015 has the most, with 94. Across all years, the part named most often is engine (75 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
Best and worst GLA 250 years →
All GLA 250 model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 8 | — | 1 | 185 | — | Too new |
| 2021 | 18 | 6,600 | 9 | 234 | — | Stable |
| 2020 | 11 | 43,100 | 5 | 142 | — | Not enough data |
| 2019 | 29 | 50,000 | 11 | 110 | 30 · Fewer | Rising |
| 2018 | 50 | 42,500 | 12 | 106 | 61 · Typical | Rising |
| 2017 | 31 | 62,000 | 9 | 105 | 48 · Typical | Rising |
| 2016 | 50 | 35,000 | 4 | 100 | 50 · Typical | Rising |
| 2015 | 94 | 37,500 | 5 | 106 | 88 · More | Rising |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Engine75 22%
- Other or unknown64 19%
- Electrical system47 14%
- Transmission and drivetrain44 13%
- Fuel system38 11%
- Air bags35 10%
- Body and structure20 5.9%
- Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)18 5.3%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2016: “I was driving my car in motion and without any warning, the car decelerated and subsequently stalled while I was traveling on I-85 in gaffney south carolina. It went from 50 to 0 leaving me stranded on the highway. It was towed to mercedes benz of south charlotte where I was told that it was complete engine failure”
NHTSA complaint #11373880, filed 2020-11, 43,313 miles2015: “I have mercedes benz GLA 250 year 2015 and the engine light is already appearing in my dash board . I have only driven this car from home to work which is 10-20 miles away. Other issue I have is that when the weather is 30-40 degrees and will have my heater in max I smelt a terrible gas odor coming from my air vents”
NHTSA complaint #11203129, filed 2019-04, 50,000 miles2018: “The problem is when travelling at low speeds or stop the car to halt able to hear a noise from the rear end. Like a metal hitting another metal. It has been only 1 month I bought the car and 1300miles on it. The car is making really loud noise when stopped and hear it properly. It is making cling cling noise. I really worried about this issue. I almost observe everyday.”
NHTSA complaint #11040373, filed 2017-10, 900 milesOther Mercedes-Benz models
3,963 complaintsMercedes-Benz E350
2,215 complaintsMercedes-Benz E320
1,164 complaintsMercedes-Benz ML350
952 complaintsMercedes-Benz GLK350
901 complaintsMercedes-Benz ML320
740 complaintsMercedes-Benz C250
725 complaintsMercedes-Benz GLC 300
657 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology