Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
Every model year 2016–2023: recalls, owner complaints, NHTSA crash ratings and EPA efficiency side by side, each value traced to the file it came from.
Which model year the record favours
Source: recalls and complaints per year on the roadOn the filed record so far, the 2016 is the cleanest CLS-Class year we hold, and the 2021 the one to check hardest.
Both figures are divided by the number of years the car has been on sale, because otherwise the oldest year on the page loses every time simply for having been around longer. The current model year and any year under three on the road are left out: their records are not finished.
What changed year to year
Source: computed from the filed record- 2022: best combined mpg 26 → 25; 3 → 1 EPA configurations
- 2019: added hybrid; dropped gas; best combined mpg 21 → 26
- 2017: best combined mpg 24 → 21; 5 → 3 EPA configurations
Common questions about the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kitsWhich Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class year is the best used buy?
On the recall record, the 2016 CLS-Class comes out top of the years before the current one: Safety Signal grade A (97/100), 1 recall and 0 owner complaints on file. That ranks paperwork, not condition — a specific car's history and service record still decide it.
What Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class years should I avoid?
2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 have the weakest recall records in this range. The year pages list every campaign, its severity and whether a repair exists yet. Every CLS-Class model year ranked, with the reasons.
How many recalls does the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class have?
Across model years 2016–2023, NHTSA has posted 45 recall campaigns for the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class. They are counted per model year in the table above, because a campaign almost never covers the whole run — it covers a build range.