10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
16,460 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #61

Mar 012024

CLA250

  • miles
Apparently the TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) which is built into the gas pedal on this 2014 MB CLA250 only lasts so long before it becomes defective under highway conditions and causes the vehicle to go into LIMP MODE. When full acceleration is necessary, the unit will work for perhaps a few months or less, and then continue to fail worse and more frequently with each attempt at full acceleration. At highway speeds, this is an essential feature in a 4-cylinder vehicle such as this one and without the necessary acceleration capability, can expose the driver to serious risk of collision with other on-coming vehicles traveling at highway speeds. This "Limp Mode" features is extremely dangerous and hazardous to not only the driver of their vehicle, but to other drivers around them since they are left in a devastating position of being unable to accelerate normally and as necessary and as one would expect in any vehicle, let alone a Mercedes Benz. Never before have I driven a car that falls out of full acceleration mode only to subject the driver to serious collision circumstances. Whoever the imbecile is at MB engineering who incorporated this Limp Mode Feature should be fired!!! To make matters worse, this cheaply built TPS, which is the cause of the problem in my vehicle specifically, was only warrantied twice by the dealer and now they will not replace it under warranty which is a two-year period. I've only had the part 5 months before it failed again due to poor manufacturing and I had to pay all over again for a new one despite my warranty validity. There have been many other MB owners who have the same complaint for Limp Mode, which tells me that it's definitely not me, but rather the poorly built or engineered vehicle, as a matter of fact. MB has denied having these complaints to me, which of course, is a lie. That's misleading and deceptive business practices in my State and MB needs to live up to its warranty provisions and respect its customers.

- Lincoln, MA, USA

problem #60

Dec 062023

CLA250

  • miles
Common issue with this make and model and many others Check engine code P052E

- West St Paul, MN, USA

problem #59

Jul 012023

CLA250

  • miles
My engine light is and as per mechanics I have seen it is a very common problem with mercedes benz around crankcase ventilation actuator. As per mechanics its faulty part and mercedes have changed it for new models but there is no recall on the older models. Cost to repair the part is around $3500. Issue with the part if causing environment problem as mileages is reduced and more fuel burning. This eventually impacts the engine and car.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

problem #58

May 112023

CLA250

  • miles
As I was driving, the car is on D but it slips into N and I cannot shift to any other gear accept P. This happens randomly and happened three times. I noticed the GLA250 also had this issue. I have to turn off my engine and restart my car to get it running again normally.

- Cerritos, CA, USA

problem #57

Jul 202021

CLA250

  • miles
catalytic converter Got clogged up and car would loose power and not get enough air into engine and catalytic converter right next to the turbo under the heat shield would turn glowing red causing turbo to leak it-??s fluids

- West Covina, CA, USA

problem #56

Jul 142021

CLA250

  • miles
Without warning, the vehicle started to shake uncontrollably and was unable to reach a certain speed without the tremors. Very unsafe to drive

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #55

Sep 012020

CLA250

  • 65,000 miles
Right air bag malfunction error and check engine light for crank case. This is a very common problem that Mercedes explained to me and also told me to check back for recalls because their vni system will probably show one

- Farmington, CT, USA

problem #54

Dec 232020

CLA250

  • 59,000 miles
While driving out of a driveway, a car pulled near my car. At that time, the car was stationary. My wife heard the pre-collision warning. The the car completely shutoff or stalled. Turned off the car completely by turning the key. Then turned the car back on. Lucky there was no accident.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #53

Sep 152020

CLA250

  • miles
When the vehicle is stopped I can hear a knocking noise coming around the water pump the car has only 39,000 miles

- Cicero, IL, USA

problem #52

Nov 062020

CLA250

  • 40,000 miles
I had a check engine light come on for a crankcase vent valve defect issue, the part is $750 and costs $1,950 with install. Upon identifying the issue, I spoke to the parts department at Mercedes and they said that they have been replacing so many of these parts that it should be a recall on the C class and cla class. Most are repaired under warranty so it has not received a lot of Focus. Mercedes is charging exorbitant rates to fix an error that they knowingly ignore to be a significant issue.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #51

Sep 232020

CLA250

  • 61,000 miles
Wont pass emmisions for crank shaft breather that prevents from passing state inspection emmisions fault code P-052E71

- Worcester, MA, USA

problem #50

Jul 202020

CLA250

  • 40,300 miles
On this day, I was nearly killed in my 2014 Mercedes Cla250 4matic that stalled on a highway in New York city. The car has roughly 40,300 miles on the odometer. I was driving on the brooklyn queens expressway at 4:00am. The car's motor stalled and the car came to a stop in the left lane. There were no shoulders. I attempted to get the car restarted but all I got were flashing dashboard lights. I attempted to put up a warning triangle to the rear of the car, but the traffic was moving too quickly for me to safely do that. I sat in my car and buckled my seat belt. I called 911 to announce my emergency and I contacted my car's insurer for a tow truck (they provide such a service). Within moments, a Toyota with tlc plates smashed into my car sending me into the barrier. The rear of the car was broken and deformed. The front of the car is okay, but the appearance of the rear is such that I believe I lost my car. I read online that this model has a stalling problem and that others have gone through this. I was one of the unlucky owners and I will be suing. This car's airbags did not deploy and I am injured and being treated in a hospital.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #49

Feb 122020

CLA250

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Mercedes Benz Cla250. The contact stated that while at a stop light, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was restarted and was driven to the residence. The contact stated the vehicle was later taken to Mercedes-Benz of encino dealer, (16721 ventura blvd, encino, ca 91436) where it was diagnosed, and the conductor coil was replaced however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer however, technician could not find a failure. The contact was informed by the technician to drive the vehicle with the echo off. The vehicle was driven with the echo on and the failure recurred. The contact call the same dealer and schedule an appointment. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. The approximate failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

- Encino, CA, USA

problem #48

Dec 022019

CLA250

  • 65,569 miles
While driving the car shuts off without warning. After the engine shuts down, it will start after waiting for about 1 minute.

- Wilmington, DE, USA

problem #47

Jan 192020

CLA250

  • 14,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Mercedes Benz Cla250. The contact stated while driving 25 mph, the vehicle shut off. The contact stated the auxiliary battery light illuminated before the vehicle shut off. The contact stated the vehicle was towed to the dealer (Mercedes-Benz of alexandria: 200 S pickett St, alexandria, va 22304) and repaired the conductor plate which caused the vehicle to stall and shut off. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 14,000.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #46

Jun 262019

CLA250

  • 48,000 miles
The coolant pump fails after about only 48000 miles, which causes the engine overheated. I did my research online and found that many others who own a Mercedes cla 250 had the same coolant pump problem at low mileages (less than 50000 miles). Thus, I doubt that this coolant pump failure is a defect that needs to be recalled for. My car is still with the dealership so I do not have a report/receipt from them stating the problem yet.

- Binghamton, NY, USA

problem #45

Jun 252019

CLA250

  • 79,000 miles
I was driving my car when all of a sudden the car slowed down and the steering became stiff. The pre safe light came on the screen along with "parking brake" "traction control" although the parking brake was not applied. I had to have my car towed home because it was unsafe to drive.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #44

Jul 072018

CLA250

  • 22,000 miles
Driving on highway in left lane doing around 60mph and car goes into limp mode taking away all throttle control. I was forced to coast across lanes narrowly avoiding a collision and managed to pull into a bus stop. I learned that limp mode is to protect the car from further damage but the safety of the driver should come first. There should at least be some kind of advanced warning to pull vehicle over before it shuts down. This is completely unacceptable and endangers the life of the driver and other drivers on the road.

- Cliffside Park, NJ, USA

problem #43

Feb 232018

CLA250

  • 42,000 miles
After having 40K service about 6 weeks ago on my 2014 Cla250, 'service required: Do not shift gears, visit dealer' light came on from a parked position. Thank goodness I was parked! I've read several posts where this happened while driving at high speeds! this is a very dangerous occupancy... a critical failure! anyway, the error message came on when I started the car and the car immediately shut down. It had to be towed on a flatbed as there was no way to even start the car and is at the shop now. My car has less than 42K miles. This really is unacceptable and I am scared to drive the car now after reading it happens while driving too! I haven't read anywhere what the actual issue is, only that after sone people get it back after a software update it happens again. Mb really needs to find out what is causing this critical error and fix it since it is so dangerous!

- Prescott Valley, AZ, USA

problem #42

Aug 212015

CLA250

  • 16,000 miles
Purchased my new Cla250 in September 2014. In August of 2015 my car suddenly stopped accelerating while driving 65mph on the NJ garden state parkway!. the pre-safe warning was present on my dashboard. Luckily I was able to pull to the shoulder without causing an accident. This could have caused a major catastrophe killing me and others. I restarted the engine and drove to my destination making sure I stayed in the right lane on the parkway. It failed 2 more times while not on the highway but still a very dangerous situation. Took the car (which had 16,000 miles) to a Mercedes dealership when I returned and they performed a series of tests. They found a product technical support system update which involved updating the software. The failure did not occur again until Nov. 2017. I almost got hit by a bus in philadelphia when my car decided to stop accelerating. Finally, driving to the airport doing 70mph the car again displayed the pre-safe warning and rapidly slowed down almost causing a crash on I-78 in NJ. Took the car to a Mercedes dealership near me and they said since the car is 2,000 miles beyond the 50,000 mile warranty it's not covered. They are replacing a series of parts that will cost me over $4,000 to repair! there is no guarantee this will even fix the problem. Is Mercedes waiting for someone to die before they acknowledge this car has a very serious problem? I have to wonder if there has been any crashes involving this car and nobody survived to detail what was happening! the 2014 cla is not safe and Mercedes doesn't appear to be concerned.

- Jamison, PA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »