FaultScore report
Owners have filed 28 complaints about the 2021 Mercedes Benz GLA 250 with NHTSA between 2021 and 2026. The largest single group is the engine & cooling. Across this model's run it ranks 7 of 8 worst.
FaultScore 37/100
Higher is worse. Measured against the other years of the Mercedes Benz GLA 250.
How this is worked out28
Complaints
1
Crashes reported
0
Fires reported
2
Injuries reported
The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.
Click any bar to open that year's report.
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
Median failure at 2,200 miles
Median failure at 2,200 miles
1 crashes, 0 fires · median 11,000 mi
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single owner can see from inside their own car.
Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:LOCK
Twice now, my husband is putting groceries in the back of the vehicle and the top closes on him and this last time, hit him hard in the head. This is a safety issue, what can we do??
NHTSA complaint #11632215 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
TIRES
The contact called on behalf of his client who owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA250 equipped with Continual tires, Tire Line: Procontact GXSSR, Tire Size: 235/55r/18, and DOT 6y3lwxx43220. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH on a local road and attempting to get into the right lane, the driver crashed into a pole where the vehicle came to a stop. The contact suffered injuries to the face from the air bag deploying and hurt her leg. No medical attention was needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 11,000.
NHTSA complaint #11469173 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
POWER TRAIN
See attached document for complaint
NHTSA complaint #11758450 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
See attached document for complaint
NHTSA complaint #11758450 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:BODY
Cowl vent grille openings allowed normal environmental debris to accumulate, plug drainage and divert water onto electrical components and potentially result in a fire if not addressed. Some of the debris passes through into the hvac system and cannot be cleaned without dealer removal/repair of the hvac motor, which costs the customer more than $500 in repairs and disincentivizes mitigation. Furthermore, Mercedes is aware of the problem, has not issued a customer satisfaction recall, and instead, is charging customers more than $1,000 to install a plastic protective shield to prevent accumulation of debris, clogged water management, and risk of fire.
NHTSA complaint #11743847 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Cowl vent grille openings allowed normal environmental debris to accumulate, plug drainage and divert water onto electrical components and potentially result in a fire if not addressed. Some of the debris passes through into the hvac system and cannot be cleaned without dealer removal/repair of the hvac motor, which costs the customer more than $500 in repairs and disincentivizes mitigation. Furthermore, Mercedes is aware of the problem, has not issued a customer satisfaction recall, and instead, is charging customers more than $1,000 to install a plastic protective shield to prevent accumulation of debris, clogged water management, and risk of fire.
NHTSA complaint #11743847 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
Cowl vent grille openings allowed normal environmental debris to accumulate, plug drainage and divert water onto electrical components and potentially result in a fire if not addressed. Some of the debris passes through into the hvac system and cannot be cleaned without dealer removal/repair of the hvac motor, which costs the customer more than $500 in repairs and disincentivizes mitigation. Furthermore, Mercedes is aware of the problem, has not issued a customer satisfaction recall, and instead, is charging customers more than $1,000 to install a plastic protective shield to prevent accumulation of debris, clogged water management, and risk of fire.
NHTSA complaint #11743847 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The Gas Door did not open in order to pump gasoline. There is no mechanical device for the driver, passenger, owner of the vehicle to manually open the gas door from the inside. There was no electronic warning within the Mercedes Benz to alert driver about malfunction of gas door not working. Driver took vehicle to local Firestone mechanic who said the "gas door actuator" needed to be replaced. Accordingly, vehicle with the remaining gasoline was taken to local Mercedes Dealer who after the vehicle being looked at, "confirmed gas door to not opening due to internal mechanical fault" and replaced with new gas door actuator at a cost of $820.28. Vehicle owner mentioned to service rep, that he lives from parents about 150 miles away and had the vehicle owner stopped at gas station in between, the vehicle owner would have been stranded without any access to a dealer to fix this critical safety issue. Vehicle owner then advised service rep this issue should have been elevated as critical safety recall issue and that a complaint would be filed with NHTSA. Any vehicle owner, their family if being transported in a deserted place hoping to go to the next gas station for pumping gas would have faced a severe danger to their self and their families. Vehicle owner has sent a detailed letter to Mercedes Benz corporate office in USA detailing the incident and a copy of the letter will be attached as an attachment if it is permitted in this complaint. Requesting a recall of this issue with an order for reimbursement of service charges paid by vehicle owners to fix this "malfunction of gas door". There are multiple complaints to this effect on various message boards regarding the occurrences of "gas door not opening". This also needs to be looked at.
NHTSA complaint #11713295 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The Gas Door did not open in order to pump gasoline. There is no mechanical device for the driver, passenger, owner of the vehicle to manually open the gas door from the inside. There was no electronic warning within the Mercedes Benz to alert driver about malfunction of gas door not working. Driver took vehicle to local Firestone mechanic who said the "gas door actuator" needed to be replaced. Accordingly, vehicle with the remaining gasoline was taken to local Mercedes Dealer who after the vehicle being looked at, "confirmed gas door to not opening due to internal mechanical fault" and replaced with new gas door actuator at a cost of $820.28. Vehicle owner mentioned to service rep, that he lives from parents about 150 miles away and had the vehicle owner stopped at gas station in between, the vehicle owner would have been stranded without any access to a dealer to fix this critical safety issue. Vehicle owner then advised service rep this issue should have been elevated as critical safety recall issue and that a complaint would be filed with NHTSA. Any vehicle owner, their family if being transported in a deserted place hoping to go to the next gas station for pumping gas would have faced a severe danger to their self and their families. Vehicle owner has sent a detailed letter to Mercedes Benz corporate office in USA detailing the incident and a copy of the letter will be attached as an attachment if it is permitted in this complaint. Requesting a recall of this issue with an order for reimbursement of service charges paid by vehicle owners to fix this "malfunction of gas door". There are multiple complaints to this effect on various message boards regarding the occurrences of "gas door not opening". This also needs to be looked at.
NHTSA complaint #11713295 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
When coming to a full stop at a red light (or any need to idle at a stop), the car frequently begins to hesitate as if it is about to cut off. I assume it has something to do with the ‘fuel saving feature’ which comes on in the form of a green symbol in the lower left of the odometer display (the engine is still running the AC) . When you start to drive again the car always jerks before moving , on at least 3 occasions it has actually cut off completely and must be restarted (everything goes off) - it is big problem, especially in heavy traffic (horns blaring & angry drivers are encountered) I almost had a car hit me from behind; my car had jerked slightly when I began to accelerate and then shut off completely. It is definitely a dangerous defect. The Dealership emphasizes 93 Octane gas or higher to help with this issue- but I Always use the highest Octane gas I can find ! It has happened VERY often - I dread stopping at red lights and stop signs, one day it will cause an accident.
NHTSA complaint #11677929 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
When coming to a full stop at a red light (or any need to idle at a stop), the car frequently begins to hesitate as if it is about to cut off. I assume it has something to do with the ‘fuel saving feature’ which comes on in the form of a green symbol in the lower left of the odometer display (the engine is still running the AC) . When you start to drive again the car always jerks before moving , on at least 3 occasions it has actually cut off completely and must be restarted (everything goes off) - it is big problem, especially in heavy traffic (horns blaring & angry drivers are encountered) I almost had a car hit me from behind; my car had jerked slightly when I began to accelerate and then shut off completely. It is definitely a dangerous defect. The Dealership emphasizes 93 Octane gas or higher to help with this issue- but I Always use the highest Octane gas I can find ! It has happened VERY often - I dread stopping at red lights and stop signs, one day it will cause an accident.
NHTSA complaint #11677929 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
When coming to a full stop at a red light (or any need to idle at a stop), the car frequently begins to hesitate as if it is about to cut off. I assume it has something to do with the ‘fuel saving feature’ which comes on in the form of a green symbol in the lower left of the odometer display (the engine is still running the AC) . When you start to drive again the car always jerks before moving , on at least 3 occasions it has actually cut off completely and must be restarted (everything goes off) - it is big problem, especially in heavy traffic (horns blaring & angry drivers are encountered) I almost had a car hit me from behind; my car had jerked slightly when I began to accelerate and then shut off completely. It is definitely a dangerous defect. The Dealership emphasizes 93 Octane gas or higher to help with this issue- but I Always use the highest Octane gas I can find ! It has happened VERY often - I dread stopping at red lights and stop signs, one day it will cause an accident.
NHTSA complaint #11677929 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I am reporting a potential safety and mechanical defect involving the cylinder head in the Mercedes-Benz GLA 250. Many owners, including myself, have experienced premature cylinder head failure, often without warning, leading to loss of power, engine misfires, rough idling, and in some cases, sudden engine shutdown while driving. This issue appears to be widespread among GLA models equipped with the M260/M270 engine, often occurring well before 100,000 miles. It raises serious concerns about the design, durability, and safety of the engine’s top-end components. Given the frequency and severity of this failure — and the high cost of repairs — I believe this warrants an official investigation and potential manufacturer recall. I urge the NHTSA to review similar complaints and initiate a formal inquiry into Mercedes-Benz’s awareness and handling of this defect. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
NHTSA complaint #11661372 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
I am reporting a potential safety and mechanical defect involving the cylinder head in the Mercedes-Benz GLA 250. Many owners, including myself, have experienced premature cylinder head failure, often without warning, leading to loss of power, engine misfires, rough idling, and in some cases, sudden engine shutdown while driving. This issue appears to be widespread among GLA models equipped with the M260/M270 engine, often occurring well before 100,000 miles. It raises serious concerns about the design, durability, and safety of the engine’s top-end components. Given the frequency and severity of this failure — and the high cost of repairs — I believe this warrants an official investigation and potential manufacturer recall. I urge the NHTSA to review similar complaints and initiate a formal inquiry into Mercedes-Benz’s awareness and handling of this defect. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
NHTSA complaint #11661372 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:LOCK
Twice now, my husband is putting groceries in the back of the vehicle and the top closes on him and this last time, hit him hard in the head. This is a safety issue, what can we do??
NHTSA complaint #11632215 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My vehicle has two separate tire inflation placards. There is a placard inside the drivers door recommending 43 PSI (cold) all tires, and another placard inside the fuel door recommending 38 PSI front and 34 PSI rear (cold). Two different tire service centers have confirmed that my tires are wearing out prematurely because of overinflation. My telephone calls to Mercedes USA have been handled poorly because their representatives are poorly training and do not understand the nature of my issue.
NHTSA complaint #11585806 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
Engine misfired in operation requiring an emergency stop while on a mountain road. Severe check engine light turned on (Mercedes has a two stage check engine light). Vehicle was parked for 20 minutes and battery was disconnected. This appeared to fix the issue. Vehicle was brought to dealer. Dealer stated the cylinder head for early 2021 GLA 250 engines had a casting flaw that result in hot gases escaping and damaging engine. Engine and turbo rebuilt under warranty at 17000 miles.
NHTSA complaint #11547873 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The entire circuit board was short circuited immobilizing the car in the middle of the highway. It was determined that the condensation of the air conditioning was unable to drain due to the drainage tubing being clogged with insects, causing water to back up and short circuited the electrical system.
NHTSA complaint #11546751 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
I purchased this car approx 3 months after real issues began. My car would have issues idling where it would sometimes turn off at stop lights and require multiple reignition attempts before proceeding. This would also happen when the auto-start feature (anti-idle/gas saving) was engaged (which is the default in the system) and this posed major safety concerns. The unstable idling of the car would result in an initial acceleration after being stopped, shortly followed by the engine dying. There were multiple times I was at an intersection yielding before turning where this happened and it resulted in my being in the path of oncoming traffic without the ability to accelerate until the car restarted. I contacted my local Mercedes dealer who acted like this wasn't a big deal, but it is related to a known issue with a faulty cylinder head. They covered the repair under the manufacturer warranty, but told me to keep driving my car and promised it was safe until they could get the part in (because the didn't have a loaner car to provide). I found this very troubling. In conversations throughout the repair being completed, the dealer admitted that they know the part that was used for the year and model is bad, but they didn't want to do a recall and would wait for issues to come up. This is unacceptable because this absolutely is a safety concern as demonstrated by the example I shared. They should be required to do a full recall to address the safety concerns and I believe not disclosing this information was unfair to me as a consumer who did not have the information I needed to be informed on the reliability of this vehicle prior to purchase.
NHTSA complaint #11544109 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I purchased this car approx 3 months after real issues began. My car would have issues idling where it would sometimes turn off at stop lights and require multiple reignition attempts before proceeding. This would also happen when the auto-start feature (anti-idle/gas saving) was engaged (which is the default in the system) and this posed major safety concerns. The unstable idling of the car would result in an initial acceleration after being stopped, shortly followed by the engine dying. There were multiple times I was at an intersection yielding before turning where this happened and it resulted in my being in the path of oncoming traffic without the ability to accelerate until the car restarted. I contacted my local Mercedes dealer who acted like this wasn't a big deal, but it is related to a known issue with a faulty cylinder head. They covered the repair under the manufacturer warranty, but told me to keep driving my car and promised it was safe until they could get the part in (because the didn't have a loaner car to provide). I found this very troubling. In conversations throughout the repair being completed, the dealer admitted that they know the part that was used for the year and model is bad, but they didn't want to do a recall and would wait for issues to come up. This is unacceptable because this absolutely is a safety concern as demonstrated by the example I shared. They should be required to do a full recall to address the safety concerns and I believe not disclosing this information was unfair to me as a consumer who did not have the information I needed to be informed on the reliability of this vehicle prior to purchase.
NHTSA complaint #11544109 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA250. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V354000 (Back Over Prevention, Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA complaint #11491304 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA250. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V354000 (Back Over Prevention, Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA complaint #11491304 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
TIRES
The contact called on behalf of his client who owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA250 equipped with Continual tires, Tire Line: Procontact GXSSR, Tire Size: 235/55r/18, and DOT 6y3lwxx43220. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH on a local road and attempting to get into the right lane, the driver crashed into a pole where the vehicle came to a stop. The contact suffered injuries to the face from the air bag deploying and hurt her leg. No medical attention was needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 11,000.
NHTSA complaint #11469173 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
TIRES
I have a zero point dmv clean record!! Tires are dysfunctional poorly made235/55 R18 The front tires are ready to blow out and look /feel very unsafe to drive no blow out yet - however last 6 months many people have noticed POOR TRACTION & asked if the car tires need air. No air WAS NEEDED!! Continental offered 40% off for replacement tires. This is unacceptable ! These are not industry safe and continental stated there’s no mileage warranty! Who gets all new tires at 26,500 miles. I’m a mom going to the grocery store and the mall! My brand new 2021 leased Car now has approx. 26,500 miles . Bought October 2020! Front tires are near bald. Back tires are nearly worn as well. Car was in & serviced at Mercedes’ where point inspections prove NO ALIGNMENT ISSUES 04/2022 and prior service dates tires were rotated 4 times and all service schedules were completed! Assumptions were made that I didn’t rotate tires as exscuse for POORLY MADE an outlet for UNSAFE TIRES. I live in a mild climate, Nor Cal and went to the snow one time. No car accidents, no beach salt climate. Also the Car is parked IN A covered garage area no excessive temps ON THE tires. No off roading. I have never seen a car tire wear like this. Colors been brown murky also continues alwaysneeds polish !!It’s not the Industry standard. It drives choppy also and reflects no air needed! For a Run flat expensive tire there’s no reason why it’s such a piece of junk. I’m middle aged and not a teenage driver this should of lasted ! Bought my car brand new nearly 50 grand Mercedes 2021! This is my 6th Mercedes’ and second leased Mercedes’ I’ve owned Escalade, 2 bmws, fiat, sabb, ml500 Mercedes’ , cla250 lease before this one that 2018 I got 40,000 miles only changed 2 tires due too moderate driving.
NHTSA complaint #11467250 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
I was parked in a lot and turned the ignition on and selected "DRIVE" but when I started to pull away the vehicle went backwards instead of forwards (as though "REVERSE" had been selected). I switched back to PARK, then selected DRIVE again and the vehicle once again went backwards. I then turned the engine off altogether and restarted it and this seemed to clear up the problem as now the vehicle went forwards when in DRIVE. No damage, or injuries, but of course very concerning from a safety point of view which is why I am reporting this. Mercedes did check the vehicle out the next day and could not locate any problem.
NHTSA complaint #11464869 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Car's brake system slammed on in light traffic with no nearby obstacles. Clear night, light traffic, road dry, moderate temperature. If there had been more traffic, or if the road had been slick, high probability of risk. Dealer has been notified, will not be able to pick up vehicle for a day or two. I did not see any warning lights, heard no warning sounds.
NHTSA complaint #11432715 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Car's brake system slammed on in light traffic with no nearby obstacles. Clear night, light traffic, road dry, moderate temperature. If there had been more traffic, or if the road had been slick, high probability of risk. Dealer has been notified, will not be able to pick up vehicle for a day or two. I did not see any warning lights, heard no warning sounds.
NHTSA complaint #11432715 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.