What 7 owners told NHTSA about the 2023 Mercedes-benz GLA

I am reporting a severe drivability and engine failure issue with my vehicle. The vehicle has been exclusively maintained by authorized Mercedes-Benz service centers. Immediately following a scheduled 60,000-mile (Schedule B/C) maintenance, the Check Engine Light began cycling on and off. The vehicle simultaneously developed severe drivability symptoms: the engine ran extremely rough, and acceleration became erratic and "jumpy." This unpredictable power delivery and hesitation poses a significant safety hazard when accelerating or merging in traffic. I immediately returned the vehicle to the service center to report the issue. The dealership has now retained my vehicle for over 20 days and diagnosed that the cylinder head requires complete replacement. Despite this catastrophic failure occurring immediately after their maintenance procedures, the dealership is holding me financially responsible for the repair costs because the vehicle is past the 4-year/50,000-mile warranty. My vehicle remains immobilized at the dealership."

NHTSA ODI 11750504

On 2 separate occasions (August 2025 & February 2026), the car has had a "transmission malfunction" light come on while driving on the highway around 65-70 mph. The light comes on and immediately loses ability to accelerate. Both times the car was towed to Greensboro Mercedes. The first time they did not do anything because they didn't know what to do and it had "reset" itself. The second time they discovered that it needed a software update. Mercedes does NOT have the update that is needed. We tried going through the lemon law process but Mercedes Corporate came back with an answer of it hasn't happened enough times and a remedy has not been attempted enough times. They have NOT attempted to fix it because they DO NOT have a fix. This IS NOT SAFE for my daughter to drive. This is her car and it has been in the shop since February 2026. We purchased the car from Bob King Mercedes in Wilmington, NC as a certified pre-owned in 2024. Both dealerships have been great to work with and stand by me that it is not safe for her to drive, while corporate has dismissed it and said it is safe to drive and threatened that we'll have to pay lot rental if we don't pick it up. The dealership assured me that they would not charge lot rental as they side with me on not driving it until fixed. I do not want my [XXX] daughter to drive a car that will randomly stop working on the highway! We bought the car so I'd have peace of mind about her safety and we have now been without the car for 4 months due to this safety issue. Please give me guidance on what to do. She paid around $45,000 for a car that she can't even drive now. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11746252