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What 7 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Mercedes-benz CLA

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (7)Crash / fire / injury (1)Airbags (3)Engine (3)Electrical system (2)Fuel system (1)

3 of 7 complaints match · Engine · clear filters

Feb 23, 2020EngineFuel system

WHEN ATTEMPTING TO PASS OR PULLING OUT ONTO ROAD WAY THE CAR WILL SUDDENLY LOSE POWER, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. THIS LEAVES THE DRIVERS IN A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WITH ON-COMING TRAFFIC.

NHTSA ODI 11310832

Feb 6, 2020Electrical systemEngine

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 MERCEDES BENZ CLS 550. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MERCEDES-BENZ OF ALEXANDRIA (200 S PICKETT ST, ALEXANDRIA, VA 22304) WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT AN OIL LEAK HAD CAUSED DAMAGE TO A WIRING HARNESS, THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE AND SEVERAL OTHER UNSTATED ELECTRICAL FAILURES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THERE WAS NO ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 610,708.

NHTSA ODI 11307528

Jan 23, 2020Engine

THE CAM SHAFT INTAKE AND EXHAUST ADJUSTERS NEED TO BE REPLACED AT 77K MI, THIS IS A $5K REPAIR. I INITIALLY REPLACED THE CAM SHAFT POSITION SENORS AT 65K MI AND THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN REGULARLY SERVICED. CONSISTENT WITH REPORTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY THIS CAM SHAFT COMPONENT WILL FAIL AROUND 50K-80K MILES AND AT THAT POINT THE REPAIR IS 2/3 THE VALUE OF THE CAR IF IT WAS IN GOOD WORKING ORDER. NO ENGINE SHOULD GIVE OUT AFTER 75K MILES, THIS COMPONENT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED.

NHTSA ODI 11301361

Working with the data? Download all 7 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Mercedes-benz CLA verdict →