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What 44 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 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 (44)Crash / fire / injury (2)Electrical system (12)Engine (9)Airbags (7)Body & structure (6)Transmission & drivetrain (4)Fuel system (3)Communication (2)Seats (2)Steering (2)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (1)

2 of 44 complaints match · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

May 9, 2023Electrical systemFire

My car randomly caught on fire, it was parked in my apartment garage for a week while I was out of town. I came back to use my car and my car remote wasn’t unlocking the car so i unlocked it manually. When I opened the car it wreaked of smoke, the windows were covered in soot, the visors were bubbled up, the passenger seat had a chunk missing. It was investigated by a car shop for My insurance and the car shop Said they felt like the fire started from the wires under the passenger seat. Of course it was deemed a total loss and now I’m out of car. I hadn’t even had the car a year.

NHTSA ODI 11521136

Feb 13, 2019AirbagsCrash1 injury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2018 MERCEDES-BENZ CLA250C. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS REAR ENDED BY A SPEEDING VEHICLE. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE THEN CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUFFERED HEADACHES, HIP PAIN, WHIPLASH, AND VISION ISSUES. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS RECEIVED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND DEEMED TOTALED BY THE CONTACT'S INSURANCE COMPANY. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,460.

NHTSA ODI 11179894

Working with the data? Download all 44 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 2018 Mercedes-benz CLA verdict →