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What 51 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 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 (51)Crash / fire / injury (1)Engine (15)Airbags (8)Electrical system (5)Fuel system (5)Transmission & drivetrain (5)Visibility & wipers (4)Brakes (3)Speed control (3)Driver assistance (2)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (2)

3 of 51 complaints match · Brakes · clear filters

Aug 24, 2024Transmission & drivetrainBrakes

Transmission from drive well sometimes shift to neutral while it is at a stand still usually waiting for a light to turn green, after which it takes its time to shift back into drive. While this happened a warning light appeared malfunction take straight to dealer. Yesterday seems as if ABS kicked in while driving, threw me into the steering wheel than stopped shaking within 1-2 sec, and let me accelerate off. Was passing in an individual at the time. Don’t know what to make of it.

NHTSA ODI 11610643

Oct 29, 2020Speed controlElectronic Stability Control (esc)Brakes

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

Jul 5, 2017Brakes

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

Working with the data? Download all 51 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 2016 Mercedes-benz GLA verdict →