What 51 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Mercedes-benz GLA

Unknown… airbag light came on and horn and all buttons on wheel stopped working. It says airbag malfunction

NHTSA ODI 11525752

The car shifts to Neutral while its on Drive .Very dangerous if this happens again

NHTSA ODI 11511369

Dec 2- filled car with gas, check engine light illuminated and then three more errors displayed on the dash. See list below. Errors displayed on dash… 1-INOPERATIVE -- SEE OPERATOR’S MANUAL (Shows ABS and skid icons) 2-COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS INOPERATIVE 3-ABS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE – SEE OWNER’S MANUAL 4-CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON Later that same day, Dec 2, we started the car but could not get it into Reverse. We shut the car off, started it again, and were able to shift into reverse and proceed. Dec 3rd- we attempted to remove and reapply the gas cap to see if engine light would go off and error messages would resolve. It did not. We did not drive the car that day. Dec 4 and Dec 5th- all above error warnings display all day. Dec 6th- We scheduled a service appt at Mercedes in Sarasota, FL for the 1st avail appt Dec 10th. We were told in writing the car could be driven until the appt and no additional issues should arise. Dec 7th- new error code appears… 5-REVERSING NOT POSSIBLE - SERVICE REQUIRED. This is when the car put our lives at risk. While driving, the car shifted itself into Nuetral. We were unable to get the car into gear as it continued to roll. Having no control of acceleration, we guided the car to the right to allow traffic to pass. We put the car in park, shut down the vehicle, wait 15 minutes, and restart. We were then able to drive forward, but WHILE MOVING, “REVERSING NOT POSSIBLE” reappeared, the car shifted itself into neutral again. We were unable to shift to DRIVE. We shut the car car down again, started it, shifted to drive, but it went into DRIVE 2 only. We drove in 2nd gear until we were safe off the road and home. We towed the car (12/7 evening) to Mercedes in Sarasota FL. Dec 8th: Service dept finds the two front wheel speed sensors failed and caused a chain reaction sequence of events. They referred to the problem as ‘minor’. This is a serious design flaw. We are lucky not to have been hurt or killed

NHTSA ODI 11496752

The contact owns a 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLA250. The contact stated while at a traffic light the vehicle stalled and shifted into neutral. The vehicle failed to shift into gear. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V627000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted but the contact was unable to schedule an appointment. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 101,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11494864

P052E-71 The valve for crankcase ventilation has a malfunction. The actuator is blocked. Was initially intermittent but seems to be getting worse. Dealer quoted ~2k to repair, which seems astronomical for a PCV valve. Common problem with these engines.

NHTSA ODI 11481353

Sunroof came off the rails and would not close. Afraid it could have flown off

NHTSA ODI 11452177

Lane departure system stopped working and the engine stalled on the highway. Problem reproduced by dealer who has the car now.

NHTSA ODI 11441216

Faulty Panoramic Sunroof. I took the car to the dealer service to have the sunroof checked since it won't close all the way that the guide rails jammed and faulty. It is too expensive to get it fixed after taking to Mercedes. I haven't owned the vehicle very long and only used the sunroof maybe once or twice and it stopped working. This should be a recall and I shouldn't have to pay to fix it. I am worried that it might come off while driving, for now it is sealed with wrap.

NHTSA ODI 11435356

The check engine light came on. The code reads Emission. They told me it wasn’t covered at Mercedes

NHTSA ODI 11432234

My car puts itself into neutral while driving and while stopped. This has happened 4 times now. The dealer claims they aren’t familiar with this issue. My safety and the safety of others driving around me are in danger. Today, I was changing lanes on the feeder road, and my car locked up into neutral and wouldn’t let me drive it. The error message says “Do not shift gears. Visit dealer”. This car has been in no accidents and hasn’t had any work done other than routine work.

NHTSA ODI 11431458

Lane departure warning, blind spot assist and emergency braking stopped working all at one in May 2021. Left it for service at the local dealership and they changed one of the 'modules' only for the problem to reoccur one week after picking it up, this time with the engine stalling and having to pull over from the middle lane of the highway. Car has been with Mercedes benz Danbury, CT dealer since July 12th 2021 and they are still unsure what is happening. Mercedes Benz seems aware of the risks involved with a stalled engine and provided me with a loaner that I have been driving since that day. They escalated the issue with the manufacturer in Germany.

NHTSA ODI 11431507

Start off when the message "do not shift" pops up while driving

NHTSA ODI 11430778

In the past three days, I experienced 4 times while driving and/or waiting for the red light, the car just changed to N(neutral) from D by itself. And I couldn’t manually switch back. I had to turn off then started the car again, then I was able to drive the car. It was very scary for me because twice I was in front of the red light and while it turned green my car couldn’t move and the car behind me almost hit my car. I googled online and found that there’s a recall for 2019 MB GLA for similar problems. I wonder why they don’t provide recalls for the same model that made in different years. These two days from the internet I read a lot of people’s posts that stating they had the same experiences. So for sure it definitely is not an isolated case. I was in shock when this happened so I didn’t thought about to take a picture of the dashboard screen because it showed some warnings. But I don’t remember what it was.

NHTSA ODI 11429791

ON AN INITIAL START OF DRIVE, AS SOON AS THE ECO SYSTEM KICKS IN. WHEN L RELEASE MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE, AND BEFORE L EVEN TOUCH THE GAS THE CAR INSTANTLY CUTS OUT WITH THIS WARNING'SERVICE REQUIRED DO NOT SHIFT GEARS VISIT DEALER' AND AUTOMOBILE GOES INTO 'N'. I THEN PROCEED TO PUT THE CAR IN 'D' AND CAN THEN CONTINUE, BUT THE ECO SYSTEM IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR THE DURATION OF THAT DRIVE. THE NEXT DAY WHEN L GOT IN MY CAR L TURN THE ECO CAPABILITY OFF AND DIDN'T EXPERIENCE THE MALFUNCTION. THIS OCCURRED ON A CITY STREET TWICE BETWEEN 7 NOV 2020, AND AGAIN ON THE 14TH BOTH AFTER L TOOK IT IN FOR DIAGNOSTIC AND WAS TOLD THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING. NO SOMETHING IS WRONG!!!PLEASE HELP!

NHTSA ODI 11374745

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR IN MOTION AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING, THE CAR DECELERATED AND SUBSEQUENTLY STALLED WHILE I WAS TRAVELING ON I-85 IN GAFFNEY SOUTH CAROLINA. IT WENT FROM 50 TO 0 LEAVING ME STRANDED ON THE HIGHWAY. IT WAS TOWED TO MERCEDES BENZ OF SOUTH CHARLOTTE WHERE I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE

NHTSA ODI 11373880

SAFETY SYSTEMS ALL FAILED 7 TIMES WHILE THE CAR WAS MOVING, USUALLY AT HIGHWAY SPEED, SINCE 08/20/2017, WARNING LIGHTS (ABS, ESP, TRACTION CONTROL. PARKING BRAKE, ETC) STAYED ON UNTIL I COULD GET TO A DEALER. IN SPITE OF WHEEL SPEED SENSOR REPLACEMENT (5 TIMES) AND REPROGRAMING, THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. MERCEDES- BENZ CANNOT FIX THIS OR EVEN DETERMINE WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. THEY ARE WELL AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM WITH MY CAR BUT DO NOT SEEM TO TAKE MUCH RESPONSIBILITY FOR SELLING ME AN UNRELIABLE AND UNSAFE VEHICLE. WHEN THE PROBLEM FIRST HAPPENED. THE CAR HAD 8,800 MILES AND NOW HAS 27,000 MILES. I HAVE THE SERVICE RECEIPTS AND CAN PROVIDE THEM IF NECESSARY.

NHTSA ODI 11367080

STRONG GASOLINE VAPOR IN ENGINE. WHILE CHECKING OIL OR REMOVING OIL FILLER CAP. I FEAR THIS COULD CAUSE EXPLOSION DURING SERVICE. THE MERCEDES DEALER SAYS THIS COMMON IN SOME 4 CYLINDERS ENGINES. THIS IS ONGOING.

NHTSA ODI 11322338

ON AUGUST 4TH, 2018, SEPTEMBER 21ST ,2018 AND JANUARY 10TH, 2019, MY 2016 MERCEDES-BENZ GLA 250 SHUTDOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. SPECIFICALLY, IN ALL 3 OCCASIONS MENTIONED ABOVE, MY VEHICLE SHUT-DOWNED AND BECAME DISABLED AND NON-OPERATIONAL, ABRUPTLY AND WITHOUT ANY WARNINGS WHILE DRIVING. THE OCCURRENCE ON SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2018 WAS THE MOST SEVERE AND HAPPENED DURING RUSH HOUR ON I-93 WHERE WE ALMOST GOT HIT BY INCOMING TRAFFIC FROM BOTH DIRECTIONS. IT IS A MIRACLE THAT NOBODY WAS HURT. SINCE THE CAR HAD STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY, A STATE TROOPER FORCED ME TO HAVE MY CAR TOW AND NOT WAIT FOR MY OWN AAA TOWING SERVICE WHICH I HAD ALREADY CALLED FOR ASSISTANCE. THE CONSTANT AND REAL THREAT THAT THE CAR CAN SHUT-DOWN AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT WHILE IN OPERATION CREATED AND IMPOSED A MAJOR PSYCHOLOGICAL BURDEN TO ME AND MY FAMILY. IT WAS MENTALLY DRAINING AND EXHAUSTING TO THINK THAT AT ANY MOMENT WE CAN GET INTO A FATAL ACCIDENT. THE THOUGH ALONE, OF SUCH A POTENTIAL TRAGIC INCIDENT FORCED US TO MINIMIZE THE USE OF THE VEHICLE AND LOOK FOR ALTERNATIVE MEAN OF TRANSPORTATION. AS A RESULT, WE WERE FORCED TO PURCHASE ANOTHER CAR WHILE THE MERCEDES HAS BEEN IDLE AND NOT USED FOR THE LAST FEW MONTHS. I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO TALK TO THE DEALERSHIP, MERCEDES-BENZ FINANCIAL SERVICES, MERCEDES-BENZ USA, MERCEDES-BENZ CUSTOMER SERVICE AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS OF MERCEDES-BENZ BUT NOBODY WAS WILLING TO LISTEN OR HELP ME.

NHTSA ODI 11205903

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 MERCEDES-BENZ GLA250. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V627000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART FOR THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. OCCASIONALLY, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START AND HAD TO BE JUMPSTARTED. THE CONTACT HAD THE BATTERY AND ELECTRONIC BOARD REPLACED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT CALLED MERCEDES-BENZ OF STEVENS CREEK (4500 STEVENS CREEK BLVD, SAN JOSE, CA, 95129, 408-641-4610) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE DEALER WAS NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE AN ESTIMATED TIME FRAME FOR THE REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 13,000. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI 11079661

I HAVE A INFANT ON BOARD WITH ME, AND TRAVELS WITH ME, FROM FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA TO HAMPTON, VIRGINIA.WE CLOUD HAVE BEEN KILLED ON THE WAY HOME TO THANKS GIVING DINNER LAST MONTHIN HAMPTON. SO, MY GRANDDAUGHTER AND I LEFT LEFT FREDERICKSBURG, VI ALL OF A SUDDEN MY MERCEDES GLA 250 2016 SLAMMED IN PARK ON I-95 SOUTH, I THOUGH IT WAS THE AUTOMATIC SENSOR, THE GREEN A BUTTON. I WAS ALMOST STRUCK IN THE BACK. I THEN STARTED VEHICLE UP AND MOVED TO THE RIGHT IN THE SLOWER LANES. THEN THE AUTOMATIC SENSOR CAME ON " YOU KNOW THE GREEN A BUTTON,I TURNED IT OFF. IT CAME BACK BY ITSELF. SUDDENLY THE CAR SLAMMED IN PARK AGAIN ON 295-SOUTH, THERE WERE CARS ALMOST RECKING TRYING TO AVOID HITTING US. NOW I AM IN TEARS, BECAUSE I DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO. NOW I HAD NO POWER AND WE ARE SITTING DUCKS. I FINALLY REALIZED TO HIT THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS. THANK GOD IT WORKED!!! I STARTED THE CAR UP AGAIN. THE CAR SLAMMED IN PARK AGAIN ON 64 EAST, I DROVE TO NEAREST AND SAFESTPLACE I COULD FINE AND CALLED MY HUSBAND.I STARTED THE CAR UP AGAIN AND PUT IT IN REVERSE, THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. NOW I AM IN TEARS AGAIN. ITS GETTING DARK, I WAITED A FEW MINUTES, THENSTARTED IT BACK UP AGAIN. IT STARTED UP I DROVE FIFTEEN MILDS PER HOUR UNTIL I MADE IT HOME. I EXPLAINED TO MY HUSBAND WHAT HAPPENED. MY HUSBAND AND I CALLED TYSINGER THE NEXT DAY TO COME PICK UP THE CAR, BECAUSE NOT ONLY WAS THE CARAUTOMATICALLY SLAMMING IN PARK ON THE MAJOR HIGHWAYS, ALSO HAD A RECALL ON THE GLA 250 2016 MODEL. TYSINGER EMPLOYEE STILL WANTED US TO DROP THE CAR OFF. THEY WERE NOT CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY. THE CAR WAS NOT DRIVABLE FOR SAFETY REASONS. THE 2016 GLA WENT TO SHOP NOV. 29, 2018 AND IT STILL IN THE SHOP. MERCEDES STILL CAN NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. PLEASE HELP WE AFRAID TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AGAIN.

NHTSA ODI 11060972

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 MERCEDES-BENZ GLA250. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V627000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. MERCEDES-BENZ OF FAIRFIELD (165 COMMERCE DR, FAIRFIELD, CT 06825 203-583-4467) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. A TIME FRAME FOR ESTIMATED REPAIR WAS NOT GIVEN TO THE CONTACT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI 11052795

"TAKATA RECALL" WHAT PURPOSE DOES THIS RECALL SERVE IF THE MANUFACTURER STILL DOES NOT HAVE A "REMEDY" AVAILABLE? I HAVE 3 BENZ'S, ALL AFFECTED BY THIS RECALL AND FOR OVER 1 YEAR THE DEALER CANNOT REPAIR DUE TO "NO REMEDY YET AVAIL". SO IN THE MEANTIME, WE SHOULD DRIVE AND PRAY THAT SOMETHING TRAGIC DOES NOT OCCUR?

NHTSA ODI 11044216

THE REAR AUTOMATIC PARKING BRAKES SOMETIMES DO NOT RELEASE AFTER DRIVING IN THE RAIN OR THROUGH PUDDLES. THIS HAPPENS AFTER THE CAR IS PARKED FOR A FEW HOURS. SO FAR, THE BRAKES HAVE BROKEN FREE AFTER APPLYING AN EXTRA AMOUNT OF GAS. THEN, A LOUD BANG IS HEARD WHEN THE BRAKES LET GO. THIS CONCERNS ME BECAUSE WHAT IF THIS HAPPENS IN A TIGHT PARKING SPOT, WITH CARS IN FRONT AND IN BACK? WITH THE SUDDEN RELEASE OF THE BRAKES, THE CAR MAY LURCH INTO EITHER OF THE CARS. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO THE DEALER TWICE. THE FIRST TIME THEY COULDN'T FIND A PROBLEM. THE SECOND TIME, THEY TOOK 2 DAYS TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AFTER I TOLD THEM THAT WET BRAKES MAY BE THE CAUSE. THEY THEN TOLD ME THE PROBLEM IS NORMAL, ALL THEIR CARS DO IT. THEIR SERVICE ORDER DOES NOT REFLECT WHAT THEY TOLD ME.

NHTSA ODI 11003181

DRIVING 70 MPH ON HIGHWAY, 12K MILES ON MY 2016 CAR AND THE SUNROOF EXPLODED OUT THE TOP OF MY CAR. SOUNDED LIKE A SHOTGUN BLAST, SHREDS OF GLASS EVERYWHERE. NO WARNINGS, SOUNDS, ANY IDEA ABOUT TO OCCUR.

NHTSA ODI 10954279

THE DRIVERS SIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR DOES NOT ADJUST OUTWARD ENOUGH TO SEE THE BLIND SPOT., REQUIRING A 140 DEGREE HEAD TURN FOR VISUAL INPUT ABOUT THE BLIND SPOT. I DON'T CARE ABOUT SEEING THE REAR QUARTER OF THE CAR, I NEEDED TO SEE THE BLIND SPOT. A DO-IT-YOURSELF REPAIR CONSISTED OF TAKING THE MIRROR APART AND SHIMMING THE MIRROR WITH AN ADDITIONAL 1/4'' PLUS TILT OUTWARD (1/4 INCH TO ZERO ACROSS THE MIRROR) SO THAT THE BLIND SPOT WAS VISIBLE (ABOUT 2' MORE OUTBOARD AT THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE). IT IS NOTED THAT THE 'RED TRIANGLE' WARNING IS NICE BUT IS A PITIFUL SUBSTITUTE FOR PERIPHERAL VISION INFORMATION FOR MAKING SAFE LANE CHANGES.

NHTSA ODI 10929809