Mercedes-Benz GLA Problems — All Years, Common Issues & Reliability
Year-by-year breakdown of safety recalls, NHTSA owner complaints, reported deaths, injuries, crashes, and worst problem areas. Updated daily from federal databases.
Recent Safety Incidents — Last 5 Model Years
Own a Mercedes-Benz GLA? Check your specific VIN for a full history report.
Mercedes-Benz GLA — Year-by-Year Problem Comparison
| Year | Verdict | Recalls | Complaints | Crashes | Injuries | Deaths | Top Issue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Excellent | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | Full report → |
| 2025Best | Excellent | — | 1 | — | — | — | Unknown Or Other | Full report → |
| 2024 | Excellent | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | Full report → |
| 2023 | Good | — | 6 | 2 | 2 | — | Air Bags | Full report → |
| 2022 | Excellent | — | 2 | — | — | — | Equipment | Full report → |
| 2021 | Caution | 6 | 18 | 1 | 2 | — | Engine | Full report → |
| 2020 | Good | 4 | 5 | — | — | — | Electrical System | Full report → |
| 2019 | Avoid | 11 | 29 | 5 | 3 | — | Power Train | Full report → |
| 2018 | Avoid | 11 | 25 | 4 | 3 | — | Engine | Full report → |
| 2017 | Caution | 9 | 20 | — | 2 | — | Unknown Or Other | Full report → |
| 2016 | Caution | 4 | 32 | 1 | 2 | — | Air Bags | Full report → |
| 2015Worst | Avoid | 5 | 69 | 2 | 5 | — | Engine | Full report → |
12 model years shown. Crashes, injuries, and deaths from NHTSA complaint filings. Click any year for full details.
Most Common Mercedes-Benz GLA Problems
Based on 207 owner complaints filed with NHTSA across all model years.
Recent Safety Recalls — Mercedes-Benz GLA (2022–2026)
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2026 GLA 250 vehicles. The bowden cable may have been incorrectly installed, which can prevent the door from opening from inside the vehicle.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and repair the bowden cable assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed May 1, 2026. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning March 13, 2026.
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2024 AMG GLA 35 4MATIC, GLA 250 4MATIC, and GLA 250 vehicles. The front headlights may have missing headlight aim markings, which can result in improperly aimed headlights. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the headlights as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 3, 2025. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2025090005.
Showing 2 recalls from 2022–2026 model years. See the full year-specific pages for older recalls.
Recent Owner Complaints
Direct reports filed with NHTSA by Mercedes-Benz GLA owners — 2022–2026 model years.
The contact owns a 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLA250. The contact stated that while his wife was stopped at a traffic light and attempting to depress the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The vehicle shut off unexpectedly, and the gear shifter ceased. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to dealer, where it was diagnosed and it was determined that the ABS sensors and transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, and the ABS sensor was replaced. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could be traded. The manufacturer requested a buyback, but the request was denied. The approximate failure mileage was 18,500.
I pulled into a parking space, cars on each side of me and car in front of me had pulled through the space to park. As I eased into the space, foot on brake, the car violently shook and surged forward, smashing into the rear of the car in front of me. The car continued to shake then moved to the left and crashed into the car in front of me to the left. The car that I hit in the rear was pushed into a car passing by them. So 4 cars involved due to this major malfunction. When the car stopped, I was able to put it in reverse and back up. I could not have done what happened on own. I had no control over the vehicle. Brakes were mush. My Mercedes also has a safety feature where if I get too close to a car, it will brake on its own. Red & yellow lights were flashing, the car shook during the entire event until it came to a stop. My insurance carrier, State Farm, had the car towed to the Mercedes dealership. The service technician saw no codes, therefore, they say nothing is wrong with the car. I know that cars do not always throw codes. I googled what my car did and it is a thing. The article gives suggestions as to what can be checked, but Mercedes refuses to check anything since no codes were there. State Farm asked to me ask for the black box info (Event Data Recorder), however, Mercedes refuses. The car is unsafe to drive. If it happened once, it will absolutely happen again. State Farm is having the car towed to a different body shop today, as Mercedes body shop is price gouging. I do not want to drive the car until they find out what happened and they keep telling me there's nothing wrong with the car. It is a safety hazard. Next time it happens, it could be a person in front, rather than a car. Can you help me? Photos show skid marks where the brakes were useless.
The back up camera makes a loud very distinct noise and attempts to cut on when not necessary. Pops up on screen going forward in addition to backwards like it is supposed to do. comes on when braking, turning, going over bumps, all reasons when not necessary and it is very distracting to the driver.
3 total complaints retrieved from NHTSA for 2022–2026. For older model years, see individual year pages.
GLA Years to Avoid
Best GLA Years to Buy
Mercedes-Benz GLA Problems by Year
Frequently Asked Questions — Mercedes-Benz GLA Reliability
What year GLA has the most problems?
Based on NHTSA data, the 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA had the highest combined complaint and recall count — 69 complaints and 5 safety recalls. See the full 2015 report for specific defects.
Is the Mercedes-Benz GLA reliable?
The Mercedes-Benz GLA has accumulated 207 owner-filed complaints and 52 safety recalls across all model years in NHTSA's database. The 2025 model year shows the fewest reported issues. Always run a VIN check before purchasing any used GLA.
What are the most common GLA problems?
The most frequently cited problem areas are: Engine (40 reports), Unknown Or Other (29 reports), Power Train (21 reports), Fuel/Propulsion System (16 reports). Based on NHTSA complaints across all model years.
How do I check if my GLA has an open recall?
Use the vehicle's 17-character VIN at VinCheckEngine.com. Our free VIN report pulls the latest NHTSA recall data along with auction history, odometer records, and 30+ intelligence signals.
Check a Specific Mercedes-Benz GLA VIN
Model-level data shows what can go wrong. A VIN-specific report shows what has gone wrong with a particular vehicle — including auction history, odometer discrepancies, open recalls, accident records, and 30+ intelligence signals.
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