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What 100 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Mercedes-benz GLA

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 (100)Crash / fire / injury (5)Engine (31)Transmission & drivetrain (15)Airbags (13)Electrical system (13)Body & structure (12)Fuel system (12)Visibility & wipers (10)Brakes (5)Driver assistance (4)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (3)

31 of 100 complaints match · Engine · clear filters · page 2 of 2

Feb 26, 2019Engine

I HAVE PROBLEMS WITH MY CAR WHEN IT'S IN "PARK" POSITION AND WHEN IT'S AT A RED LIGHT OR STOPPED. THE CAR WILL ACCELERATE SLOWLY WHEN IT'S AT A RED LIGHT OR WHEN TURNED ON IN PARK POSITION. I TOOK MY CAR TO MB IN DALLAS (10/18) BEFORE WARRANTY EXPIRED TO CHECK ON THE ENGINE AND THE CAMSHAFT RECALL. AFTER PICKING UP MY CAR, THE SAME DAY, MY CAR HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND NOW IT HAS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. I HAVE BEEN TAKING MY CAR TO THE DEALER ON AND OFF FOR THE LAST MONTHS TO GET THIS FIXED. IT'S ONLY 45K MILES AND I'VE NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH OTHER MERCEDES CARS I'VE HAD. IT IS NOW 02/19 AND THE CHECK ENGINE CAME ON AGAIN. I ASK MERCEDES TO SERIOUSLY CHECK ON THIS PROBLEM IT IS DANGEROUS TO BE AT A RED LIGHT THEN SUDDENLY FEEL THE CAR ACCELERATE.

NHTSA ODI 11182527

Sep 11, 2018Engine

WHILE DRIVING AND WITHOUT WARNING, THE CAR SHIFTED ITSELF INTO NEUTRAL AND DISPLAYED THE FOLLOWING ERROR MESSAGE: "TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION STOP." I COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND UPON STOPPING, THE FOLLOWING ERROR MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED: "SERVICE REQUIRED DO NOT SHIFT GEARS VISIT DEALER." I TURNED THE CAR OFF, RESTARTED IT, AND IT DROVE WITHOUT INCIDENT. THIS HAS HAPPENED 5 DIFFERENT TIMES: ONCE ON A SUBURBAN ROAD, ONCE IN A PARKING GARAGE, AND THREE TIMES ON A CITY STREET.

NHTSA ODI 11128815

Mar 11, 2018Engine

VEHICLE DRIVEN TO MERCEDES BENZ (MB) DEALER FOR PERFORMANCE PROBLEM. MB DIAGNOSIS PROBLEM AS ENGINE WATER DAMAGE. VEHICLE WAS NEVER SUBMERGED, NOR EXPOSED TO LARGE PUDDLE OF WATER. MB REPORTED ENGINE REPLACEMENT REQUIRED AS A RESULT OF WATER DAMAGE. NO ELECTRICAL OR WATER DAMAGE TO BODY REPORTED. MB TOOK NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ENGINE REPLACEMENT ALTHOUGH THIS MODEL VEHICLE REPORTED HISTORY OF FIRE RISK IF ATTEMPTS TO RESTART AFTER DRIVING THROUGH WATER. VEHICLE MILEAGE APPROXIMATELY 25K. I HAVE PURCHASED FIVE MB SINCE 2002 WITH NO ISSUE UNTIL THIS MODEL GLA 250 2015 VEHICLE PURCHASED USED FROM DEALER IN 2016.

NHTSA ODI 11078579

Jan 13, 2017Electrical systemEngine

DRIVING AT APPROX. 30MPH AND SUDDENLY THE ENTIRE DASH LIT UP, ALL RED AND YELLOW SYMBOLS ALONG WITH A MSG IN THE DISPLAY TO THE EFFECT OF COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM INOPERATIVE, STOP IMMEDIATELY. THIS MAY NOT HAVE BEEN THE EXACT MSG. AT THE SAME TIME THE CAR DECELERATED TO A STOP ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. OBVIOUSLY I DID NOT NEED TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A STOP. IT FELT LIKE THE DECELERATION OF THE ENGINE BEING OFF BUT THE CAR STILL IN GEAR WITH THAT STOPPING THE CAR. DID NOT USE BRAKES TO STOP CAR. THIS WAS VERY SUDDEN. THE ENGINE WAS NOT RUNNING AFTER STOPPING BECAUSE THE TACH WAS AT ZERO. THE DASH STAYED LIT AND THE CAR WAS STILL IN DRIVE GEAR ON THE INDICATOR. I PRESSED THE BUTTON TO PUT IT IN PARK AND THEN WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PRESSED TO START THE ENGINE. IT RESTARTED EXCEPT NOW ONLY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS LIT. I DROVE TO THE DEALER. HAD THIS HAPPENED A FEW MOMENTS EARLIER ON THE FREEWAY IT COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS. CAR IS NOW AT THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THEY'VE NEVER HEARD OF THIS. THIS HAPPENED ON A 3 LANE EACH WAY LOCAL ROAD. WAITING FOR DIAGNOSIS BUT STILL VERY DANGEROUS IN MY OPINION.

NHTSA ODI 10945134

Apr 20, 2016Transmission & drivetrainEngine

TRANSMISSION VIOLENTLY ENGAGE IN REVERSE: SO FAR I HAVE ONLY EXPERIENCED THIS (TWICE) DURING COLD-STARTS. STARTED THE ENGINE, SHIFT CAR IN TO REVERSE GEAR, DISENGAGE PARKING BREAK. IN NORMAL SITUATION, THE CAR WOULD REVERSE SLOWLY WITHOUT APPLYING THROTTLE. IN THE TWO TIMES I EXPERINCED THE PROBLEM, THE CAR WOULD STILL BE IDLE, EVEN AFTER GENTLY APPLYING THROTTLE. AFTER ABOUT 5 SECONDS OR SO, THE CAR WOULD VIOLENTLY JERK AND THE TRANSMISSION FINALLY ENGAGED IN REVERSE. THE LOCAL MB SERVICE CENTER WAS NOT ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE. SOME GLA OWNERS ALSO EXPERINCED THE SAME ISSUE, WHICH CAN BE FOUND IN THIS DISCUSSION: HTTP://WWW.GLAOWNERS.COM/FORUM/ENGINE-TECHNICAL-DISCUSSION/8297-TRANSMISSION-WOES.HTML HERE IS THE VIDEO THAT ILLUSTRATES MY EXPERIENCE, FROM ANOTHER GLA OWNER: HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/GLN7KPGXYB4

NHTSA ODI 10860609

Dec 21, 2015Transmission & drivetrainEngine

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 MERCEDES BENZ GLA250. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER AND REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE CHECK ENGINE WARING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN PARK, IT JERKED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER AGAIN WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNDETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ODI 10811450

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Working with the data? Download all 100 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 2015 Mercedes-benz GLA verdict →