2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 44 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 0 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
44
Complaints
0
Recalls
1
Crash reports
1
Fire reports
1
Injuries
40.9
Severity index
Severity index 40.9 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 121 2018 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class ranks 71 of 121 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 41% of its model-year peers. See the full 2018 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 12 | 27.3% |
| ENGINE | 9 | 20.5% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 9 | 20.5% |
| AIR BAGS | 7 | 15.9% |
| STRUCTURE | 6 | 13.6% |
| POWER TRAIN | 4 | 9.1% |
| STEERING | 2 | 4.5% |
| SEATS | 2 | 4.5% |
The single most-reported system is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, cited in 12 of 44 complaints (27.3%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 7 |
| 2024 | 9 |
| 2025 | 11 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 3 |
Complaint volume is rising - the last three years carry 3.0x the filings of the three before them, which usually signals a wear-related defect surfacing with age.
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.