Total Complaints
8 filings
MERCEDES-BENZ CLA 250 · model year
8 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report, and 3 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2021MERCEDES-BENZCLA 250 carries 8 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 1 injury, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2021 CLA 250 is vehicle speed control with 2 filings, followed by suspension (1) and fuel/propulsion system (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 3 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.
NHTSA currently has 15 investigation files overlapping the 2021 CLA 250. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
8 filings
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 |
| SUSPENSION | 1 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
| ENGINE | 1 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 |
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2017-2022 CLA-Class, GLA-Class, GLE-Class, GLS-Class, SLC-Class, A-Class, AMG GT-Class, C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, SL-Class, GLC-Class, CLS-Class, GLB-Class, and G-Class vehicles. Please refer to MBUSA's recall report for specific vehicle model de
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2019-2021 CLA-Class, GLE/GLS-Class, A-Class, E-Class, E-Class Coupe and Convertible, GLA/GLB-Class, GLC-Class, CLS-Class, and AMG GT-Class 4-door Coupe vehicles. Please refer to MBUSA's recall report for specific vehicle model details. The MBUX m
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2016 - 2021 CLA-Class, GLA-Class, GLE-Class, GLS-Class, SLC-Class, A-Class, GT-Class, C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, CLS-Class, SL-Class, B-Class, GLB-Class, GLC-Class, and G-Class vehicles. Please refer to the Part 573 report for specific vehicle mod
the seal around my driver side rear light is not sealed correctly there is water precipitation in my lamp
On Friday, September 27, around 12 pm, while driving on i880S near Union City, California, something horrific happened. The sunroof of my 2021 Mercedes CLA 250, with just 49,000 miles, suddenly exploded without any warning. The sound was so loud and violent, it felt like a gunshot. I was immediately overwhelmed with fear and panic as I struggled to process what was happening. In my rearview mirror, I could see shards of glass scattering across the road behind me. When I looked up, I was horrified to see that the remaining glass was hanging in dangerous shards just above my head, barely held in place by the sunroof cover. I shudder to think what might have happened if that cover hadnât been thereâif it had fallen, I would have been covered in glass. And if there had been passengers or children in the car, the consequences could have been unimaginable. This experience left me deeply shaken and traumatized. I now have a lingering fear of sunroofs, and I no longer feel safe in my own
Our car has lost power to accelerate on 4 occasions on the highway. The first instance was in October of 2023, the second instance was in November of 2024 (and was brought immediately to the dealership and they said the fix wasn't available yet), the third instance was in March of 2024 and the most recent incident occurred in June of 2024. For example, the car will be moving at a speed of 60 mph and it will suddenly start flashing lights in the car with a warning signal that the "car is unable to reserve". The car then instantly loses the ability to accelerate and you can push the pedal all the way down and it will not go faster. There is an issue with either the engine, the power train or the speed control, or some combination. The car will not go above 20 miles per hours. These instances have almost caused us to get rear-ended by other vehicles as we suddenly lose the ability to accelerate. It is extremely dangerous and we've been fortunate to be near off-ramps to get off. The prob
Our car has lost power to accelerate on 4 occasions on the highway. The first instance was in October of 2023, the second instance was in November of 2024 (and was brought immediately to the dealership and they said the fix wasn't available yet), the third instance was in March of 2024 and the most recent incident occurred in June of 2024. For example, the car will be moving at a speed of 60 mph and it will suddenly start flashing lights in the car with a warning signal that the "car is unable to reserve". The car then instantly loses the ability to accelerate and you can push the pedal all the way down and it will not go faster. There is an issue with either the engine, the power train or the speed control, or some combination. The car will not go above 20 miles per hours. These instances have almost caused us to get rear-ended by other vehicles as we suddenly lose the ability to accelerate. It is extremely dangerous and we've been fortunate to be near off-ramps to get off. The prob
Our car has lost power to accelerate on 4 occasions on the highway. The first instance was in October of 2023, the second instance was in November of 2024 (and was brought immediately to the dealership and they said the fix wasn't available yet), the third instance was in March of 2024 and the most recent incident occurred in June of 2024. For example, the car will be moving at a speed of 60 mph and it will suddenly start flashing lights in the car with a warning signal that the "car is unable to reserve". The car then instantly loses the ability to accelerate and you can push the pedal all the way down and it will not go faster. There is an issue with either the engine, the power train or the speed control, or some combination. The car will not go above 20 miles per hours. These instances have almost caused us to get rear-ended by other vehicles as we suddenly lose the ability to accelerate. It is extremely dangerous and we've been fortunate to be near off-ramps to get off. The prob
Date of occurrence: 03/05/2024 Subject: Formal Claim Regarding Traffic Safety Issue with 2021 Mercedes Benz CLA 250 I am writing to formally submit a claim regarding a recent traffic safety incident involving my 2021 Mercedes Benz CLA 250. While driving to my destination, I encountered a sudden loss of power and inability to accelerate. To ensure the safety of myself and other drivers, I activated my emergency lights and cautiously proceeded at a limited speed of approximately 30 mph, accompanied by a strained engine sound. Understanding the potential risks associated with this issue, I immediately pulled over in a safe location and had to drive the vehicle with caution to my home where I then arranged for my vehicle to be towed to the service department. Upon inspection, the service department informed me that the problem stemmed from a software malfunction, for which Mercedes has not yet released an updated version. Given the nature of this incident and the potential safety haza
Date of occurrence: 03/05/2024 Subject: Formal Claim Regarding Traffic Safety Issue with 2021 Mercedes Benz CLA 250 I am writing to formally submit a claim regarding a recent traffic safety incident involving my 2021 Mercedes Benz CLA 250. While driving to my destination, I encountered a sudden loss of power and inability to accelerate. To ensure the safety of myself and other drivers, I activated my emergency lights and cautiously proceeded at a limited speed of approximately 30 mph, accompanied by a strained engine sound. Understanding the potential risks associated with this issue, I immediately pulled over in a safe location and had to drive the vehicle with caution to my home where I then arranged for my vehicle to be towed to the service department. Upon inspection, the service department informed me that the problem stemmed from a software malfunction, for which Mercedes has not yet released an updated version. Given the nature of this incident and the potential safety haza
On Monday 02/14/2022, after 2-3 minutes driving towards work, at about 25-30mph speed, the front right ball joint broke on the vehicle putting me in danger of losing my life. Due to this ball joint failure, the right front wheel disassembled from the vehicle and it slid-crashed on the car parked on the right side of the street. If it would happen on the highway I would kill myself and put others in the ultimate danger of losing their lives. The car was towed to the Loeber Motors Dealer and Mercedes-Benz LLC. informed about the incident. The the complaint case number 2-25420239808 was started with Mercedes-Benz Customer Care and led by: Susan Executive Referral Manager Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (800) 367-6372 (ext. 6324) This defect should never happen and again, it could be lethal, causing many deaths if with full speed on the highway. Case was completely ignored by Mercedes-Benz LLC. Now it is 03/20/2022 and I still don't have any report on the safety of the vehicle. Mercedes-B
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.