Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class: which model years to avoid
Complaint and recall totals for every Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class model year we track, ranked by severity.
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls | Crashes | Fires | Severity | Most-reported system |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 193 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 42.5 Medium | ENGINE |
| 2015 | 157 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 87.9 Medium | ENGINE |
| 2016 | 65 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 150.8 High | UNKNOWN OR OTHER |
| 2017 | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 88.9 Medium | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM |
| 2018 | 44 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 40.9 Medium | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM |
| 2019 | 51 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 94.1 Medium | POWER TRAIN |
| 2020 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 87.0 Medium | BACK OVER PREVENTION |
Across 7 model years, the 2016 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class carries the highest severity index (150.8, driven by unknown or other), while the 2018 is the cleanest at 40.9.
Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs. Complaint counts are not normalised by units sold; a high-volume seller will attract more filings than a rare trim.