2016 Mercedes Benz CLA250 Problems and Recalls (66 Complaints)
The most-reported problem on the 2016 Mercedes Benz CLA250 is Airbags (11% of 66 owner reports). There are 8 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Airbags — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 66 complaints · 8 recalls
What problems show up on the 2016 Mercedes Benz CLA250?
7 of 66 filings named Airbags (11% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Engine (7 reports).
There are 8 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Electrical, Airbags, and Body / frame. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.
The 2015 has 60 reports on file; this year has 66. Older years collect more reports just by being on the road longer. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.
What owners reported
System named most often: Airbags 7 complaints · 10.6% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
- Crashes 5
- Fires 1
- Injuries 4
- Deaths 1
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Which systems owners named
Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.
“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.
View component data as a table
| System / Component | Complaints | Share of Reports | Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbags (AIR BAGS) | 7 | 10.6% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Engine (ENGINE) | 7 | 10.6% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) | 7 | 10.6% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Steering (STEERING) | 6 | 9.1% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Body / frame (STRUCTURE) | 6 | 9.1% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) | 4 | 6.1% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) | 3 | 4.6% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) | 2 | 3.0% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) | 2 | 3.0% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Unclassified NHTSA leftover | 28 | 42.4% | 2 crashes · 1 fires |
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
When reports and recalls showed up
When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.
- Campaign 17V627000 was reported 205 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 19V892000 was reported 1,006 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 21V058000 was reported 1,568 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 21V197000 was reported 967 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 23V854000 was reported 1,968 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2017-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2017-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2017-Q4 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2018-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2018-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2018-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2019-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2019-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2020-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2020-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2020-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2020-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2021-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2021-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2021-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2021-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2022-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2022-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2022-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2023-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2023-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2024-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2024-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2024-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2024-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2025-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2025-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2025-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2025-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2026-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2026-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 17V114000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 17V177000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 17V627000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 19V787000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 19V892000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 21V058000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 21V197000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 23V854000 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE21001 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA21002 |
Safety Recalls (8)
Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.
In short, these campaigns were filed about Electrical, Airbags, and Body / frame.
-
Recall campaign 17V114000
Electrical
- Report date
- Component:
- Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
- Consequence:
- If the starting current limiter overheats, the surrounding components can melt, increasing the risk of a fire.
- Remedy:
- MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional fuse in the electrical line to the starter, free of charge. The recall began August 31, 2017. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2017080002.
-
Recall campaign 17V177000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- If the air bags do not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, there would be an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
- Remedy:
- MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will update software in the affected control units, free of charge. The recall began April 21, 2017. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.
-
Recall campaign 17V627000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- If the driver air bag inadvertently deploys, it can increase the risk of injury and a crash.
- Remedy:
- MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will add sufficient grounding to the steering components, free of charge. The recall began in December 6, 2017. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-877-496-3691.
-
Recall campaign 19V787000
Safety recall 19V787000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- An inaccurate vehicle location may delay emergency responders, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy:
- MBUSA has initiated an Over the Air (OTA) remote update. MBUSA will also notify owners, and dealers will check software for a successful OTA or update the communication module software as needed, free of charge. The recall began December 23, 2019. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2019120008.
-
Recall campaign 19V892000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- In the event of a crash, if the air bag does not deploy as designed, the front seat passenger has an increased risk of an injury.
- Remedy:
- MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger seat cushion, free of charge. The recall began July 31, 2020. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2020060012.
-
Recall campaign 21V058000
Safety recall 21V058000
- Report date
- Component:
- Unclassified NHTSA leftover
- Consequence:
- Failure of the eCall system may result in emergency responders being dispatched to the wrong location, increasing the risk of injury following a crash.
- Remedy:
- MBUSA will notify owners, and the communication module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. The recall began March 12, 2021. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-877-762-8267. MBUSA's number for this recall is 2021020025.
-
Recall campaign 21V197000
Body / frame
- Report date
- Component:
- Body / frame (STRUCTURE)
- Consequence:
- The adhesive bonding of the front panel might deteriorate, possibly causing the front panel to detach from the vehicle and become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Mercedes-Benz dealer will remove the bonded panel and will install a new front panel by following the detailed repair instructions and using the approved primer, cleaner and adhesive, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 3, 2021 and October 26, 2021. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.
-
Recall campaign 23V854000
Body / frame
- Report date
- Component:
- Body / frame (STRUCTURE)
- Consequence:
- A detached roof panel can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Dealers will replace the front panel, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on August 2, 2024. Owner notification letters will be mailed in phases, on, March 22,2024, and August 2, 2024. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 21V-197.
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
What owners actually wrote
Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Showing 4 of 66 complaints · page 1 of 3
CrashFireInjuryDeath
My 2016 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 has a check engine light for code P052E, which points to a broken crankcase ventilation valve. My car has only 59,000 miles on it, but this same exact part already broke once before and was replaced under the original warranty. Now, the replacement part has failed too. This proves the part is defective and keeps breaking. Mercedes-Benz already knows this part is defective. They gave a free 15-year or 150,000-mile extended warranty to fix this exact issue for free on the C-Class and other longitudinal M274 engine platforms. However, they are actively denying coverage for my CLA 250's M270 engine variant, despite the two vehicles sharing nearly identical engine blocks, matching subcomponents, and the exact same broken part. Because of this unfair engine code technicality, Mercedes-Benz is forcing CLA owners to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket for a recurring problem they fix for free on a C-Class. I urge the NHTSA to look into this engine loophole and force Mercedes-Benz to include the M270 engine variants under the 15-year/150,000-mile free repair program.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I believe that my vehicle is subject to Recall Campaign # 21V197000. The vehicle is a 2016 Mercedes-Benz CLA250. I've had to have this part ( Front Stationary Roof panel) adhered 5 times in the last 10 months. Mercedes refuses to acknowledge the above campaign #. Not only is this a safety risk to my self and other drivers, there is risk of water damage any electrical components. When this issue was brought to their attention I was told this was VIN specific and no recalls were attached to this vehicle. The photos are from 2 separate incidents. There are no warning lights. My vehicle has had at least 2 unbiased inspections and available upon requet.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
My mechanic said that he believes there is a recall on a recalled part this was previously repaired per Mercedes notice of safety recall dated April 2018. The recall remedy provided by the manufacturer has failed to permanently fix the safety defect, and the vehicle remains unsafe to drive. "On certain Model Year (“MY”) 2014-2017 B-Class electric, MY 2012-2018 C-Class, MY 2012-2017 E-Class, MY 2014-2018 CLA, MY 2015-2018 GLA, MY 2016-2018 GLC, and MY 2013-2015 GLK-Class vehicles, an electrostatic discharge, when combined with a broken steering column module clock spring and an insufficient grounding of the steering components, could lead to an inadvertent deployment of the driver airbag. An inadvertent driver airbag deployment may cause a risk of injury to the driver and might increase the risk of a crash." Currently my airbag and horn do not work as a result of this defect and Mercedes said there is no current safety recalls, however this is the exact issue that was replaced and fixed before I purchased it. They want to charge me a $300 diagnostic fee, (when my mechanic has already looked at it), I am not wanting to pay the dealership for an issue that is clearly related to the recall issue that was not properly fixed. My car is a safety issue to myself and anyone if I drive it, my horn does not work, so that makes it hard to prevent accidents and my airbag, upon reading further online, could potentially deploy and CAUSE and accident.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
My mechanic said that he believes there is a recall on a recalled part this was previously repaired per Mercedes notice of safety recall dated April 2018. The recall remedy provided by the manufacturer has failed to permanently fix the safety defect, and the vehicle remains unsafe to drive. "On certain Model Year (“MY”) 2014-2017 B-Class electric, MY 2012-2018 C-Class, MY 2012-2017 E-Class, MY 2014-2018 CLA, MY 2015-2018 GLA, MY 2016-2018 GLC, and MY 2013-2015 GLK-Class vehicles, an electrostatic discharge, when combined with a broken steering column module clock spring and an insufficient grounding of the steering components, could lead to an inadvertent deployment of the driver airbag. An inadvertent driver airbag deployment may cause a risk of injury to the driver and might increase the risk of a crash." Currently my airbag and horn do not work as a result of this defect and Mercedes said there is no current safety recalls, however this is the exact issue that was replaced and fixed before I purchased it. They want to charge me a $300 diagnostic fee, (when my mechanic has already looked at it), I am not wanting to pay the dealership for an issue that is clearly related to the recall issue that was not properly fixed. My car is a safety issue to myself and anyone if I drive it, my horn does not work, so that makes it hard to prevent accidents and my airbag, upon reading further online, could potentially deploy and CAUSE and accident.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems on the 2016 Mercedes Benz CLA250?
Owners named Airbags most often — 7 of 66 reports (11%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 2016 Mercedes Benz CLA250?
NHTSA lists 8 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Electrical, Airbags, and Body / frame. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.
What should I inspect before buying a 2016 Mercedes Benz CLA250?
Look up the VIN for open recalls. Confirm the airbag light behaves normally and that open airbag recalls are closed. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.
Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?
No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Methodology & Data Integrity
Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.