AI Damage2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250: common problems
Owners of the 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 filed 9 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 9
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 56% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 11% of all complaints
- 3 Electronic stability control 11% of all complaints
- 4 Engine 11% of all complaints
- 5 Service brakes 11% of all complaints
- 6 Steering 11% of all complaints
- 7 Vehicle speed control 11% of all complaints
- Air bags: 5 complaints (56% of all).
- Electrical system: 1 complaints (11% of all).
- Electronic stability control: 1 complaints (11% of all).
- Engine: 1 complaints (11% of all).
- Service brakes: 1 complaints (11% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 9 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
I have 2 mercedes, 2013 e350 convertible and a 2017 e400 coupe. Both purchased new. Both have had airbag recalls for years. Dealer says they have no idea when they will get parts to replace. I would think that mercedes would have a solution by now.
My vehicle has had a recall since january 2018 with a remedy scheduled for fix april 2020. There has been no update at all as to what is going on or when my vehicle will be fixed. It is now mid june 2020 with no fix in sight. This is not a timely manner and is the worst experience I have ever had owning a car.
The contact stated that while driving into the garage, the steering ceased, and the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle.
The purpose of this correspondence is to understand what caused my vehicle to lose its breaking power and have me almost have a near fatal accident. If I was not an experienced driver, I might not be sending this letter at this time. The incident happened on thursday morning, february 27, 2020.
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2013 mercedes-benz cla250. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 18v043000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.
Pre safe functions limited error message repeatedly comes on and loses acceleration.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 11,368 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 31% most complained about).
On average one model year of the CLA 250 has 30 complaints (15 years in the data). This year has 9, below average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Electronic stability control. ABS/ESC sensors, steering angle, codes after suspension repair.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
Other years of this model
- CLA 250 20127 sources
- CLA 250 2014179 sources
- CLA 250 201561 sources
- CLA 250 2016139 sources
- CLA 250 2017105 sources
- CLA 250 2018118 sources
- CLA 250 2019144 sources
- CLA 250 2020290 sources
- CLA 250 2021251 sources
- CLA 250 2022186 sources
- CLA 250 2023184 sources
- CLA 250 2024168 sources
- CLA 250 202575 sources
- CLA 250 202659 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, electrical system, electronic stability control. Total complaints: 9. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: stalls while driving (11%), steering or power steering problems (11%), windows, sunroof (11%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2013 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-06.