2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 problems & reliability
40 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250, alongside 9 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 22, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 10 | 25% |
| Air Bags | 8 | 20% |
| Unknown / Other | 8 | 20% |
| Engine | 6 | 15% |
| Structure | 6 | 15% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 5% |
| Power Train | 2 | 5% |
| Seats | 2 | 5% |
| Steering | 2 | 5% |
| Communication | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 16 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“After a hard impact car continued to go then when came to a stop the air bags deployed which resulted in injuring my left arm”
Air Bags · filed Aug 8, 2026
“The instrument cluster gauges start giving in accurate information and the whole dash start turning on and off. I found hundreds of people posting complaints about this issue with the 2018 mercedes cla 250 but mercedes refuses to acknowledge this issue and put out a recall probably out of greed and to not loose money…”
Electrical System · filed May 16, 2026
“Corrosion of the fuel system (on a Flex Fuel rated vehicle that had used E85 blend regularly) causing sudden loss of power, misfires, lack of acceleration The vehicle experience sudden loss of power, multiple misfires, and potential damage to the engine. Had the vehicle been on the highway or attempting to merge with…”
Engine · filed Mar 8, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering Analysis EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021 · open
Technical service bulletins
104 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250. The 10 most recent:
Complaint 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 transitioning from a coasting condition to…
LI 27.10-P-080851 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 29, 2026
Dear Mercedes-Benz Owner: In our continuing efforts to ensure the proper performance of Mercedes-Benz products and to enhance the satisfaction of our customers, Mercedes-Benz USA is extending the warranty coverage for…
CL - Tank Leak Detection · Warranty Program/Extension · issued Aug 15, 2026
Complaint 1. General Diagnostic Tips 2. One or More PARK Sensor Activations 3. Red Ring Around Vehicle 4. "Active Parking and Parking Assist Inoperative" on Instrument Cluster 5. Cameras 6. Other Park Topics. Cause…
LI54.65-P-080132 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 12, 2026
Complaint A popup is seen on the HU with the message "data connection temporarily not available". Potentially affected functionalities in NTG4.5, NTG5 1.Weather 2.Local Search 3.IP Radio 4.Send2Car 5.Speech Detection…
LI82.85-P-079087 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 6, 2026
Complaint Clanking noise from the area of the speakers in the doors. Cause Under analysis. Remedy To narrow down the cause, first of all remove the door trim. • If the noise continues to occur even with the door trim…
LI82.62-P-078631 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 6, 2026
Single 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 travel. Note: Sound file in attachment Cause…
LI35.30-P-058566 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 14, 2026
Dear Mercedes-Benz USA Dealers, The part numbers listed in the chart below should no longer be installed, and any existing stock must be returned to your facing PDC. The deadline for all dealer returns is no later than…
PSL-NCU Return Parts 6/19 · Other · issued Jun 19, 2026
Complaint After successful commissioning of the HERMES control unit (N112/9) with XENTRY Diagnosis DVD 03/2026, the message "SOS - service not activated" appears on the instrument cluster. In addition, the following two…
LI82.85-P-080507 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 26, 2026
Complaint There are several types of complaint about noises or poor windshield wiper wiping performance: A: Wiper blades squeaking, chattering, shuddering B: The windshield is not wiped completely (streaking) C: During…
LI82.30-P-059239 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 19, 2026
Complaint 1. General Diagnostic Tips 2. One or More PARK Sensor Activations 3. Red Ring Around Vehicle 4. "Active Parking and Parking Assist Inoperative" on Instrument Cluster 5. Cameras 6. Other Park Topics Cause…
LI54.65-P-080132 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 12, 2026
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 has 9 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.