There are 6 stored owner reports matching the powertrain & transmission leading-label group for the 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 6 of 6 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)Rear differential is faulty. This is the second time it has failed. The first time was in October 2021 the mileage was 44,812 and it was repaired. More recently it was making a noise and I took it back to Mercedes Benz dealership for repair. It was not properly diagnosed over an 8 week period and now it has completely failed. After the fact, I discovered many more Mercedes Benz owners have had the same problem with this happening but there is no recall. I am reporting it so it can be noted that this is an on going issue with these vehicles and hopefully a recall of faulty equipment will be issued
I was driving on the freeway and the transmission shifted into neutral and the car lost power. The Red malfunction lights came on and said transmission malfunction, DO NOT SHIFT, STOP driving immediately, contact dealer. There is a class action lawsuit and a RECALL on the 2019 GLA 250 transmission of this car (mine is 2018 GLA 250) Mercedes customer service is telling me that my VIN is not included and I would like it to be included The NHTSA recall number for the 2019 cars is #21V033000 I was told by Mercedes that for this to be considered as part of the recall i would need an NHTSA inspector to see the car BEFORE i have any repair work done
The contact owns a 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA250. The contact stated while his mother was driving 45 MPH, the message that reverse was not available was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle shifted into neutral independently and the ABS inadvertently engaged. The contact diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the wheel center and transmission needed to be replaced. The wheel center was replaced; however, the transmission was not repaired or replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V033000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 59,762.
The contact owns a 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA250. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the transmission unintendedly shifted to neutral. No warning light was illuminated; however, the message "Transmission Error" was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. A dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
Summary: Transmission automatically shifts out of drive into neutral. Loss of ability to accelerate when transmission shifts to neutral. No preemptive warnings from the vehicle prior to incident. After transmission shifts to neutral, warning displaying, "Do not shift, bring vehicle for service" appears on multifunction display. Same safety issue as described in NHTSA recall #: 21V-033. Sequence of events: When driving on the highway, transmission automatically shifted from drive to neutral, resulting in a loss of power. Was able to coast to side of highway safely, but could have resulted in an accident with multiple vehicles on busy highway. The vehicle was towed to a Mercedes Benz dealership where the dealership inspected the vehicle and diagnosed the problem as low main battery voltage preventing proper communication among the powertrain control modules. Battery was replaced by dealership as recommended but problem still persists. The issue is reproducible and occurs every time after about 20-30 minutes of normal driving. Additional Details: - Transmission/transmission control module failure while vehicle was in motion. Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Problem is reproducible and occurs after approximately 20-30 minutes of normal driving. - Sudden and unexpected loss of ability to accelerate significantly increases the risk of a crash. - The vehicle was inspected and diagnosed by Mercedes Benz of Owings Mills in Owing Mills, MD. However, the problem was misdiagnosed by the dealership. - No warnings or messages displayed in the vehicle prior to each occurrence. However, vehicle displays warning message after each occurrence. - Have been in contact with Mercedes Benz USA in regards to this issue, but they have declined to assist with recalling the vehicle.
The contact owns a 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA250. The contact stated while his wife was driving and the vehicle was stationary at a traffic light, the vehicle shifted independently into neutral(N). The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The driver restarted the vehicle and was able to continue driving to her destination. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the battery replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience failure. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact stated that the failure was experienced several times. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Aug 31, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.