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Before you buy a used Mercedes-Benz Clase A (W177).

2018–2026 · Petrol / Diesel / Plug-in hybrid · 6 engines

Taken only from Testigo's sourced sheets. Use it to question the seller and on the test drive: it does not confirm that any particular car is affected.

Mercedes-Benz Clase A (W177), real photo of this generation
Alexander-93 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo source

The essentials.

Typical faults by engine

The period and mileage are those mentioned by each sheet's sources. They are not a maintenance interval and do not predict that any particular car will fail.

All versions

Sheets the catalogue links to all 6 of its engines.

A 180 / 200 / 250 (M282/M260) · A 35 AMG (M260, 2.0) · A 45 S AMG (M139, 2.0)

Petrol

A 180 d (1.5, OM608)

Diesel

A 200 d / 220 d (OM654)

Diesel

A 250 e

Plug-in hybrid

We have no faults specific to this engine, only those common to every version.

Which engine has the fewest documented faults?

Documented faults and recalls by engine for the Mercedes-Benz Clase A (W177)
EngineDocumented faultsRecalls
A 180 / 200 / 250 (M282/M260)Petrol33 with conditions1
A 180 d (1.5, OM608)Diesel32 with conditions0
A 200 d / 220 d (OM654)Diesel32 with conditions0
A 250 ePlug-in hybridFewest documented22 with conditions1
A 35 AMG (M260, 2.0)Petrol33 with conditions1
A 45 S AMG (M139, 2.0)Petrol33 with conditions1

According to the data we have, the engine with the fewest documented faults is the A 250 e (Plug-in hybrid).

By fuel type, the one with the fewest documented faults is: Plug-in hybrid.

We only count the sourced sheets we have. An engine with fewer is not guaranteed to be more reliable: it may have been studied less or sold in smaller numbers.

Official recalls: ask before you pay

A recall existing does not mean this car is affected or that it is still outstanding: it depends on the chassis number, the market and the production date.

  1. Ask the seller for the chassis number (VIN): it has 17 characters, appears in the car's documents and can usually also be seen at the base of the windscreen.
  2. Ask an official Mercedes-Benz dealer, or the brand's official website if it lets you check by chassis number, whether each recall has been done or is still outstanding for that VIN.
  3. Manufacturer recalls are normally carried out free of charge by the official service network. If one is outstanding, ask for it to be done before you close the sale.
Recall: electric steering backup functionSteering

Engines: A 180 / 200 / 250 (M282/M260) (Petrol) · A 250 e (Plug-in hybrid) · A 35 AMG (M260, 2.0) (Petrol) · A 45 S AMG (M139, 2.0) (Petrol)

How to check it: Check VIN; update steering software.

View full entry

On the test drive: what to look and listen for

Taken from each sheet's symptoms and checks. You can tick off what you have already looked at: it is saved only in this browser.

0 of 5 checked

Injection / EGR / DPF

  • Look out for: Smoke, hesitation or hard starting (injectors); unstable idle, power loss and engine light (EGR); particulate filter warning in town use; oil consumption.

    Ask them to check: Identify the engine (OM607 until 2018, OM608 after), measure injector balance rates, check the EGR and particulate filter status and watch the oil level.

AdBlue / DPF / EGR

  • Look out for: AdBlue or emissions warnings with a start countdown; particulate filter warning; power loss or rough idle from a dirty EGR.

    Ask them to check: Read AdBlue and NOx sensor codes with Xentry, check the particulate filter regeneration history and how the car is used (short trips).

Known weak points

  • Look out for: On the M282, sometimes higher oil consumption (especially with non-approved oil) and some direct-injection carbon; a front lip that scrapes, a noisy air conditioning and an abrupt lane-change assistant.

    Ask them to check: Check every campaign by VIN; use Mercedes-approved oil.

Driver assistance

  • Look out for: Messages on the cluster: "Active Emergency Stop Assist not available", "Active Lane Keeping Assist not available" or "Active steering assist not available".

    Ask them to check: Ask the garage to apply note LI46.10-P-078012: do not replace the HOSWD control unit, update its software and check the steering wheel contacts, wires and ground connections.

Automatic gearbox

  • Look out for: Transmission fault message, engine warning light on and the gearbox shifts into neutral (N); the fault disappears after switching off and restarting.

    Ask them to check: Ask the workshop to check whether code P056300 was stored with a voltage of 15.75 to 16.5 V and update the transmission software according to note LI27.19-P-080823.

OBD codes worth looking for

If they let you read the fault memory with an OBD reader, these are the codes mentioned in this model's sheets:

U186B29B1E7614B1E7713P056300

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from these Testigo sheets and their original sources. Sources are not checked in real time.

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