2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Powertrain & Transmission Problems

Please let me preface this by saying that I am a certified aircraft mechanic and have a good working knowledge of cars. My vehicle had NO prior indications, symptoms or abnormalities! This was completely out of the blue. Absolutely no warning that this was going to happen. The transmission of my 2014 CLA 250 Base model, while operating at 65mph on the interstate, all on its own, went into neutral and now will not engage into Drive. Initially following this incident, as I dogged the other vehicles on the interstate and coasted to the emergency lane, there were the following warning lights: ABS, TRACTION CONTROL, PARKING BRAKE accompanied with the alerts….PRE-SAFE Functions Limited, ABS/TRACTION CONTROL Currently Unavailable See O.M., Parking Brake See O.M. I then took it to the MB dealership and after they attempted transmission adaptation (which was not successful) they showed me the following fault codes: 079200-RPM sensor 1 has a malfunction, 287C00-Adaptation was not completed successfully. The alerts now state….Service Required: Do Not Shift Gears, visit dealer. The dealer wanted to change the transmission. I refused. I have had zero noticeable issues with the transmission with 72,000 miles. I had the transmission fluid replaced at 65,000 miles. I baby the car. I shouldn’t need to explain the dangers of a vehicle, while driving, randomly shifting into neutral, and not being able to be shifted back into Drive. I attempted all possible means of shifting the automatic transmission into drive, including the use of manual gear selection, and none of them worked, even after shutting the vehicle off and restarting multiple times. This is an extremely DANGEROUS malfunction!!

I just got the vehicle it’s losing power already, I was driving up a hill as a school bus was behind me, and my car started losing power and rolling back. I have a transmission issue they sold it this way also electrical.

The contact owns a 2014 Mercedes-Benz AMG CLA45. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the contact heard a grinding sound coming from underneath the rear of the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over safely but found no issues. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the rear differential to be replaced. The dealer changed the differential fluids but did not replace the rear differential. The contact drove the vehicle home and noticed that the vehicle was leaking fluid. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

While driving the transmission slips into neutral. Must come to a complete stop and turn off the car then turn it on again to shift into gear.

WHILE SITTING AT A RED LIGHT, THE VEHICLE WILL PUT ITSELF INTO NEUTRAL. IT'S HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES AND WE'VE BROUGHT THE CAR AT THE DEALERSHIP EACH TIME IT'S HAPPENED YET IT STILL HASN'T BEEN FIXED. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN AND MERCEDES NEEDS TO LOOK INTO A FIX ASAP BEFORE THEY HAVE A LAWSUIT ON THEIR HANDS. IN ADDITION, THE ENTIRE ENGINE HAS ALREADY HAD TO BE REPLACED! SO FAR, TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE ABOUT THE VEHICLE PUTTING ITSELF INTO NEUTRAL THE DEALERSHIP DID A TRANSMISSION CONTROL UPDATE AND REPLACED THE VALVE BODY. IT'S NOW BACK FOR A THIRD TIME AT THE DEALERSHIP AND WE'VE TOLD THEM THAT WE AREN'T PICKING IT BACK UP UNTIL THEY CAN GUARANTEE TEE THE ISSUE HAS BEEN FIXED. WHEN THE VEHICLE PUTS ITSELF IN NUETRAL THE 'PRE-SAFE FUNCTION LIMITED' APPEARS ON THE DASH. ALSO, IT'S HARD TO RECREATE THE ISSUE AS IT ONLY APPEARS RANDOMLY.

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.

WHILE TRAVELING WITH MY WIFE AND NEWBORN ON HIGHWAY 64 MY 2014 CLA MB CUT OFF( WHILE IN MOTION ) AND GAVE A CODE 'DO NOT SHIFT GEARS 'VISIT DEALER. SOMEHOW THE CAR SWITCH TO NETURAL WHILE I COAST THE CAR TO A SAFE EDGE OF THE ROAD. WE WERE TERRIFIED!! NEXT IT GAVE A TRANSMISSION CODE IN RED TO DO NOT SHIFT VISIT DEALER. I'M NOT SURE IF ANY RECALLS BUT THIS IS A SAFETY THAT NEEDS ATTENTION!!

I JUST REPLACED THE VALVE BODY IN MY VEHICLE AND THE PROBLEM IS STILL THERE I WAS A MERCEDES-BENZ TECHNICIAN AND SOME FRIENDS ADVISE ME TO DO THIS BUT THEN I GOT THE CODE THAT SAID THAT THE Y3/14 WHICH IS LISTED IN THE 2016 MODELS. THIS WAS THE SAME PROBLEM I WAS HAVING AS DESCRIBED IN THE CAMPAIGN. I HAVE UPLOADED A PHOTO WHICH SHOWS THE SAME WHITE 3/14 FROM THE SCANNER. MILEAGE 49K EURO MOTORCAR WOULD NOT WARRANTY TRANS. PLEASE ADVISE [XXX] MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC 303 PERIMETER CENTER NORTH, SUITE 202 ATLANTA, GA, 30346 PHONE: (770) 705-0600 FAX: (770) 705-0117 MBUSA.COM TO: MERCEDES-BENZ DEALER PRINCIPALS, GENERAL MANAGERS, SALES MANAGERS, SERVICE MANAGERS, PARTS MANAGERS FROM: [XXX], DEPARTMENT MANAGER, VEHICLE COMPLIANCE AND ANALYSIS, ENGINEERING SERVICES RE: RECALL CAMPAIGN 2016060005 MODEL 117 (CLA), MODEL YEAR 2016 REPLACE DUAL CLUTCH DATE: JUNE 20, 2016 IMPORTANT RECALL LAUNCH INFORMATION THIS RECALL CAMPAIGN IS BEING LAUNCHED TODAY AND THE 1 AFFECTED VEHICLE IS FLAGGED IN VMI. GIVEN THIS NOTICE, IT IS A VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW FOR A DEALER TO SELL OR LEASE ANY OF THESE NEW MODEL YEAR 2016 GLE COUPE VEHICLES COVERED BY THIS NOTIFICATION IN DEALER INVENTORY UNTIL THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN REPAIRED. PARTS: PARTS ARE AVAILABLE. WHAT SHOULD CUSTOMERS DO: CUSTOMERS MAY CONTINUE TO DRIVE THEIR VEHICLES UNTIL THE RECALL IS COMPLETED. WHAT'S THE ISSUE: DAIMLER AG HAS DETERMINED THAT ON CERTAIN CLA-CLASS AMG VEHICLES (117 PLATFORM), A POTENTIALLY DEFECTIVE WELD BETWEEN THE CLUTCH DISK AND HUB MAY DEVELOP A CRACK. IF THE ENTIRE WELD CRACKS THROUGH NO TRACTION WOULD RESULT AT THIS CLUTCH. THE GEARBOX COULD THEN EITHER SHIFT INTO 'NEUTRAL' OR GO INTO A PARTIAL GEARBOX LIMP HOME MODE. IN THE EVENT OF A SHIFT INTO 'NEUTRAL' THERE WOULD BE NO TORQUE FROM THE POWERTRAIN AND THE VEHICLE WOULD COAST TO A STOP. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH IN 7TH GEAR IN THE AUTOMATIC 'DRIVE' TRANSMISSION MODE THE CAR SWITCHED ITSELF INTO NEUTRAL FOR A COUPLE OF SECONDS (LOSING ALL POWER/THROTTLE) UNTIL SWITCHING ITSELF DIRECTLY BACK INTO 7TH GEAR. THEN DID THE SAME THING AGAIN APPROXIMATELY 5 SECONDS LATER. EACH EPISODE OF HAVING NO ACCESS TO POWER IN NEUTRAL LASTED APPROXIMATELY 2 SECONDS.

THERE IS A DESIGN DEFECT IN THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL. MULTIPLE INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOPS HAVE REPORTED THIS. MERCEDES BENZ HAS AN INTERNAL "SERVICE TECHNICAL BULLETINS" TO THEIR DEALERS ON THIS.ISSUES. THERE ARE NUMEROUS REPORTS ON THIS ON DIFFERENT FORUMS ON MERCEDES CARS.

OVER A YEAR I AM COMPLAINING THAT I AM GETTING UNUSUAL NOISE FROM MY CAR. MERCEDES BENZ SILVER SPRING TOLD ME THAT BECAUSE IT HAS LOW PROFILE TIRE AND RIMS GET BEND FROM INSIDE CAUSING THE NOISE. I TOOK THEIR WORD BUT ISSUE REMAIN THERE. I JUST TOOK THE CAR FOR OTHER ISSUE AND TOLD THE SERVICE MANAGER LOOK INTO THE ISSUE AND THEY CAME BACK WITH ISSUE 'SPLIT DIFFERENTIAL ISSUE' IN THE CAR WHICH WILL COST AROUND $4100.00. I DID INTERNET SEARCH AND FIND OUT THAT THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE WHO CLA 250 IN 2014 GOT THE EXACT ISSUE. I OWN CARS FOR SO MANY YEARS BUT NEVER HEARD ANYBODY HAVE SIMILAR ISSUE. MERCEDES IS NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT. PLEASE HELP. THANK YOU.

WHEN L DRIVE, SUDENTLY THE PRE SAFE MALFUNCTION ESP COME UP IN MY DASH, AND L LOST MY ACCELERATION IMMEDIATLY L PULL MY CAR OVER THE SIDEWALK.UNTIL NOW L STILL GET THE SAME PROBLEM. I WENT TO 3 MECANIC SHOP, THEY CAN NOT DO NOTHING. ITS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE A CAR LIKE THAT.

I WAS GETTING OFF WORK AND I WAS ABOUT TO GET OUT OF THE GARAGE AND I DROVE FOR ABOUT 100 YARDS AND I GET THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON, POWER TERAIN LIGHT ON SAYING DISABLED AND ON THE DASHBOARD IT SAID INOPERATIVE SEE OPERATORS MANUAL AND ALSO PRE_SAFE FUNCTIONS LIMITED. IT WAS GOING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THESE TWO. WHEN I WAS DRIVING GOING ABOUT 5MPH, THE CAR WOULD SPEED UP BY ITSELF WITHOUT ME TOUCHING THE GAS PEDAL, THEN IT WOULD SLOW DOWN AND SPEED UP AGAIN. IT WAS LIKE I WAS LEARNING TO DRIVING STICK SHIFT, STOP AND GO, EXCEPT THE CAR WAS DOING IT BY ITSELF. THEN I PARKED THE CAR, AND THE ARROW IN TACHOMETER WAS GOING UP AND DOWN. IT WOULD GO TO 1.5 AND THEN DROP TO .5 EVERY SECOND OR SO. THEN I STEPPED ON THE GAS AND FLOORED IT WHILE I HAD IT ON PARK AND IT DID NOTHING. I SHUT IT OFF AND STARTED IT AGAIN TO SEE MAYBE IT WOULD GET FIXED BUT IT DIDN'T. I LEFT THE CAR THERE OVERNIGHT AND THE NEXT MORNING WHEN THE TOW TRUCK CAME I STARTED IT, AND ONLY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON, EVERYTHING ELSE WAS GONE. I DROVE IT FOR ABOUT 500 YARD TO GET IT OUT OF THE GARAGE TO MAKE IT EASIER TO TOW. I HAVE HEARD MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAD SOME ISSUES WITH 2014 CLA 250

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 MERCEDES-BENZ CLA250. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE. THE BRAKE, ESC, AND MULTIPLE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, BUT THE CONTACT WAS UNSURE ABOUT WHAT PART WAS REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE OR REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

THE PRE SAFE MODE HAS HAPPENED 5 TIMES ON MY CLA 250 SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR LAST JANUARY. I THINK THE PRE SAFE MODE IS NOT SAFE AT ALL. ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE CAR JUST LOST POWER, NO ANY FEEDBACK WHEN I STEPPED THE GAS PEDAL, THE BEST THING IS THE BRAKE STILL WORKED. AFTER RESTARTING THE CAR, THE CAR WENT WELL BUT THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. HOWEVER, AFTER TWO DAYS, THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS OFF SO I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A CHANCE TO SHOW TO THE DEALER. IT'S VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE THIS CAR ON HIGH WAY, ESPECIALLY IN TRAFFIC JAM. *TR

VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION & THROTTLE RESPONSE IS JERKY & UNPREDICTABLE. ROTORS WENT BAD AT 5,000 MILES, BEGINNING TO GO BAD AGAIN AT 12,000. NUMEROUS UNKNOWN INTERIOR RATTLES.WINDSHIELD WIPER COMPLETELY FLEW OFF VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING IN HEAVY RAIN - VISIBILITY INSTANTLY REDUCED TO NEAR-ZERO. ON TWO OCCASIONS, THE CAR DISPLAYED "PRE-SAFE FUNCTIONS LIMITED/ESP INOP" MESSAGE FOLLOWED BY ENGINE IMMEDIATELY LOSING POWER ON FREEWAY, WHICH COULD HAVE ENDED VERY BADLY. NOT ONLY IS THIS VEHICLE OF POOR QUALITY, IT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING PURSUING STATE LEMON LAW. *TR

PULLING OUT INTO A BUSY TWO LANE HIGHWAY THE3 CAR WENT INTO "PRE-SAFE MODE." THE CAR STOPPED ACCELERATING LEAVING ME STRANDED IN FRONT OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THE DRIVE OF THE OTHER CAR THANKFULLY WAS PAYING ATTENTION AND HIT HIS BRAKES. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY PAINFUL INCIDENT. TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT MERCEDES HAS NO ANSWER TO WHY IT IS HAPPENING. ONLY A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL A CLA 250 OWNER GETS KILLED. NO LONGER WILL LET MY WIFE DRIVE THE VEHICLE AND HAVE DEMANDED THAT MERCEDES TAKE IT BACK. VERY DISAPOINTED WITH MERCEDES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 MERCEDES CLA250. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE HESITATED TO ACCELERATE. THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 11,000.

ON OCTOBER 17, 2014, VEHICLE 'PRE SAFE FUNCTIONS LIMITED, INOPERATIVE' LIGHT CAME ON THE VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE AT APPROXIMATELY 50-60 MPH. VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE SO COASTED TO SIDE OF INTERSTATE AND CAME TO A STOP. TRIED TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP, CAR WOULD ONLY MOVE AT A FEW MPH AND THE TRANSMISSION FELT LIKE IT WAS STUCK IN THE HIGHEST GEAR. TURNED CAR OFF AND BACK ON. PROBLEM SEEMED TO RESET AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME. DID NOT TAKE TO DEALERSHIP FOR THIS INCIDENT DUE TO READING ABOUT OTHERS' EXPERIENCE AND THAT DEALERSHIPS ARE UNABLE TO REPLICATE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON A MAIN ROAD WHEN SUDDENLY THE CAR SHUTS OFF COMPLETELY. I COULD NOT GET IT TO START, NOR PUT IT ON NEUTRAL GEAR, TO AT LEAST PUSH IT AWAY. A MESSAGE IN RED POPS UP ON THE SCREEN THAT SAYS "SERVICE REQUIRED, DO NOT SHIFT GEARS, VISIT DEALER". I COULD NOT PUSH THE CAR AT ALL, BECAUSE THE GEAR SHIFTED AUTOMATICALLY TO PARKING AND IT WON'T MOVE TO NEUTRAL. I WAS STUCK ON THE MAIN ROAD FOR 15 MINUTES. I WAS LUCKY NOT TO GET HIT OR RUN OVER BY THE INCOMING TRAFFIC. I CAUSED A PANIC ON THE STREET BECAUSE I WAS BLOCKING IT. FORTUNATELY, A POLICE CAR SHOWED UP, AND THE OFFICER HELPED ME BY DIVERTING THE TRAFFIC AWAY FROM ME. I HAD THE CAR CHECKED TWO MONTHS PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT AT THE DEALER, AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR, AND THAT THEY HAVE UPDATED ITS SOFTWARE TO THE LATEST VERSION. I HAD THE CAR TOWED BACK TO MERCEDES-BENZ NOW, AND WILL WAIT THE RESULTS. *TR