2018 Mercedes-Benz AMG GLA45

The instrument cluster would fail intermittently, the speedometer would be my accurate speed, and then suddenly 0. Same for RPMs, gas, etc. Then after a period of time they would work again. Some times is was just oscillating back and forth between the failure modes. My blinkers would be on, but the instrument cluster and "click" would be out of sync. The "hold" feature that would hold the break was unavailable during the error state. All the instrument cluster lights would be blinking on and off rapidly. (have video)

NHTSA ID

11746825

Incident

May 1, 2026

I was driving the car at about 70 mph on an interstate highway during "rush hour" traffic when the Electronic Stabilization icon flashed on the dashboard screen and the car began to decelerate. I pressed on the accelerator pedal but the car continued to coast. A second or two later the dashboard screen flashed a warning stating something like "Brake assist activated" and the vehicle began to aggressively brake. I was in the middle lane of the interstate with vehicles around me travelling at 65 to 75 miles per hour and I could see a car rapidly approaching me from behind. It was apparent to me that my vehicle was going to come to a rapid stop in the middle of a busy interstate highway and that I was going to be struck from behind by one or more cars travelling at a high rate of speed. I did not think that I would survive such an impact and checked the right hand lane and noted no vehicles. Since all I could do with the car at that point was steer, I pulled my car into the right hand lane, attempting to avoid an inevitable high speed rear end collision. Unfortunately by that time my vehicle was still braking and travelling at a relatively low speed and was struck in the right rear area by another vehicle that was travelling at a much higher speed. Fortunately no one was injured in this crash, but there was extensive damage to both vehicles. I had not previously experienced this type of malfunction of the emergency collision avoidance system but on reviewing Mercedes Benz owners' blogs it is clear that this is not an isolated occurrence. I note that the owners of other car manufacturers have also experienced issues similar to mine, although most of them occurred in less dangerous situations and did not result in a crash. I believe that this "safety" system is flawed and placed my life, and the lives of others, in grave danger, much like the Boeing 737 Max issue, and that a recall and investigation is needed to prevent fatalities resulting from their malfunction.

NHTSA ID

11451776

Incident

Feb 10, 2022

Complaint Intermittent shift feel or thud/clunk noise perceived, such as a brief jerk or transmission reaction during certain driving situations. May be most noticeable when transitioning from a coasting condition to accelerator pedal application. May occur in all drive modes. Cause Dual‑clutch transmissions (DCT) inherently exhibit more dynamic shifting behavior compared to other types of transmissions. This is due to the use of physical clutches for starting and gear changes. In certain situations, dynamic driving behavior can lead to a slight jerk sensation which is a normal technical characteristic of the transmission. A typical example is a "Change of Mind" situation: • The customer is coasting towards a red traffic light. • The traffic light turns green while the vehicle is still coasting. • The customer then presses the accelerator pedal. In these situations, a slight jerk may occur briefly because the transmission must quickly engage the appropriate gear and control the clutches accordingly. Since shift forks are responsible for engaging the gears during shifting, a slight shifting noise may also be noticeable. Please note driving programs S, S+, and M are designed to provide sportier vehicle behavior and are not optimized primarily for maximum comfort, so this operation may be more audible. Remedy Verify the customer's concern and confirm proper transmission operation. If no faults or abnormal operating conditions are identified by IPR (Intelligent Predictive Repair), no hardware replacement is necessary. Inform the customer that the transmission has been designed to provide direct gear engagement and responsive vehicle performance. Under certain operating conditions, brief shift sensations may be perceptible and are consistent with the operating characteristics of the dual‑clutch transmission

Dear Mercedes-Benz Owner: In our continuing efforts to ensure the proper performance of Mercedes-Benz products and to enhance the satisfaction of our customers, Mercedes-Benz USA is extending the warranty coverage for the Diagnostic Module for Tank Leakage Detection ("DMTL") on your vehicle from the original New Vehicle Limited Warranty of 4 years / 50,000 miles to 15 years/150,000 miles (whichever occurs first). This applies to the vehicle regardless of ownership. Why the Warranty extension? On certain Model Year 2018 - 2024 A / C / CLA / CLS / E / G / GLA / GLB / GLC / GLE / GLS / GT / S / SL Mercedes-Benz vehicles, under certain circumstances, the DMTL may trigger erroneous Diagnostic Trouble Code ("DTC") entries that may result in the illumination of the Check Engine Malfunction Indicator Lamp ("MIL"). Any repairs under this warranty extension must be performed by an authorized Mercedes-Benz dealership. • If your preferred authorized Mercedes-Benz dealership performs a diagnosis and confirms that your vehicle has the issue, the repair will be covered under this extended warranty and performed at no cost to you. • This extended warranty does not apply to any other components or conditions beyond the ones mentioned above, and standard warranty terms apply, including the exclusions with respect to extra expenses, as identified in the Service and Warranty Information booklet.

Complaint A popup is seen on the HU with the message "data connection temporarily not available". Potentially affected functionalities in NTG4.5, NTG5 1.Weather 2.Local Search 3.IP Radio 4.Send2Car 5.Speech Detection Service 6.Navigation 7.iHeartRadio 8.Traffic Cams Cause MB Apps is sundowned for all vehicles with NTG4.5 and NTG5 Head Unit Variant. Remedy No support available for NTG4.5 and NTG5 Head Unit Variants for MB App related topics. Note: Please do not create TIPS. Please do not replace any components. HU/Hermes SW update / SCN coding will not fix the issue.

Complaint Clanking noise from the area of the speakers in the doors. Cause Under analysis. Remedy To narrow down the cause, first of all remove the door trim. • If the noise continues to occur even with the door trim removed, then continue the diagnosis working towards the speaker and if necessary, create a TIPS case with an informative video as an attachment. Information: Please refer to this document in the warranty claim and, after completing diagnosis, select the damage code corresponding to the component part that caused the problem. • If the noise stops when the door trim is removed, please proceed in accordance with LI72.10-P-067691. Information: In this case, do not use a damage code for the speakers in the warranty claim!

Single throttle lift-off clunking noise from the side shaft when moving off (audible at the outboard end). The noise is heard once in each instance when changing direction of travel. Note: Sound file in attachment Cause If the complaint is eliminated by experimentally loosening the outboard collar nut (by 1 turn), the problem is due to cracking of the microweld between the wheel bearing inner race and the joint housing of the side shaft. Note: The collar nut must always be replaced after being loosened. See also LI33.20-P-078406 Remedy Coat contact surface of side shaft with wheel bearing with Molykote paint. To do this, proceed as follows: 1. Remove side shafts 2. Clean contact surface A (see image file in attachment "Outer joint housing before") before coating with Molykote, using "spirit" (free of dust and grease) 3. Coat contact surface A (see image file in attachment "Outer joint housing after") with Molykote and leave to dry for "one hour" in removed condition 4. Reinstall side shafts Note: Before using the antifriction coating (Molykote), stir it or shake it thoroughly for (at least 1 minute).

Complaint After successful commissioning of the HERMES control unit (N112/9) with XENTRY Diagnosis DVD 03/2026, the message "SOS - service not activated" appears on the instrument cluster. In addition, the following two conditions are also met: • HERMES (N112/9) control unit: event code B15CE00 is ACTIVE and STORED (A+S) • Vehicle Documentation System: For the HERMES control unit, the EID1, EID2, ICCID, IMEI, IMSI, TELNR fields in the "Identification/Serial number" column have the value "-" Cause Still under analysis Remedy Recommission the HERMES control unit (N112/9) with XENTRY Diagnosis 03/2026 and add-on 33399 installed or carry out the procedure with a newer version of XENTRY Diagnosis: XENTRY→ "N112/9 - Control unit for telematics services (HERMES)" -> "Adaptations" -> "Control unit commissioning" -> "Commissioning of previously installed control unit"