Every safety recall and technical service bulletin we track for both GLA generations, plus how to check your own car by VIN in under a minute — and what a recall does and doesn't cover.
X156 & H247 covered
OM651 chain bulletin logged
Full 2025 dataset [EM-VERIFIED]
Official routes, no account
The Mercedes GLA has been sold in the UK across two generations — the X156 (2014–2020) and the H247 (2020 onward) — and each carries its own recall and technical service bulletin history [PATTERN DATA].
Run your own VIN check first — it takes under a minute — then work through the generation tables and TSB list.
The GLA spans two distinct generations with different platforms and engine ranges: the original X156 (2014–2020) and the current H247 (2020 onward) [PATTERN DATA]. Each generation's recall history is tracked separately below, because a campaign affecting one does not automatically apply to the other.
Recall rows still carrying a [PLACEHOLDER] tag have not yet been sourced and dated against the DVSA recall database, and should not be treated as a definitive answer for your car. The official VIN check in the next section covers every registered recall regardless, so use it first — this table will carry only verified, dated entries before it is relied on.
| Generation | Recall Number | Date | Affected VIN Range | Issue | Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| X156 (2014–2020) | [PLACEHOLDER] | [PLACEHOLDER] | [PLACEHOLDER] | [PLACEHOLDER] | [PLACEHOLDER] |
| H247 (2020 onward) | [PLACEHOLDER] | [PLACEHOLDER] | [PLACEHOLDER] | [PLACEHOLDER] | [PLACEHOLDER] |
The X156 shared its platform with the A-Class and B-Class of its era, so sibling campaigns can be relevant when researching a specific car [PATTERN DATA] — our A-Class recall page, B-Class recall page and CLA recall page cover those shared-platform models.
A recall and a technical service bulletin are not the same thing. A recall addresses a safety defect: the manufacturer must notify owners and the repair is free at any authorised retailer, whatever the vehicle's age [PATTERN DATA]. A TSB is manufacturer guidance to workshops about a known fault pattern: it is not a mandated fix, not free by default, and is usually applied when the fault appears or during related service work [PATTERN DATA]. That distinction matters on the GLA, because the best-documented issues with its engines sit under TSBs rather than recalls.
| Engine | Bulletin | Documented Issue | Typical Mileage | Typical Repair Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OM651 | LI80.20-P-050001 [THIRD-PARTY] | Timing chain tensioner wear; injector seal failure and DPF/EGR clogging also documented | 80k–150k miles [PATTERN DATA] | Chain & tensioner £600–£1,500; injector seals £400–£1,200 [EM-QUOTE] |
| OM654 | No single published reference in our dataset | AdBlue system issues, EGR cooler failures, occasional timing chain wear [PATTERN DATA] | 100k–180k miles [PATTERN DATA] | AdBlue repairs £500–£1,500 [EM-QUOTE] |
| M270 | — | No entries in our 2025 failure-pattern table; full specification on its knowledge centre | — | — |
Diesel X156 cars (GLA 200 CDI and 220 CDI) used the OM651, later X156 and all H247 diesels (GLA 200d and 220d) moved to the OM654, and X156 petrols (GLA 200 and 250) used the M270 [PATTERN DATA]. The OM651 and OM654 knowledge centres carry the full fault record behind those codes. In our 2025 dataset the OM651 logged 1,250 engine enquiries and the OM654 logged 520 [EM-VERIFIED], with the GLA itself accounting for 272 X156 and 179 H247 enquiries [EM-VERIFIED] — volumes that reflect the model's popularity, not a recall judgement. Injector seal failure on the newer unit is documented in depth on the OM654 injector seal failure page.
The definitive recall check is free and takes under a minute:
One honest limit: our registration lookup identifies your engine and model specification — useful when cross-referencing the TSB table above — but it is not a substitute for the official recall check, and we never present it as one.
Recalls are narrow by design. They cover safety-critical defects — airbag, seat belt, steering, braking and structural items — that the manufacturer or regulator has formally registered [PATTERN DATA]. They do not cover:
When a fault turns out not to be recall-covered, the question becomes whether repair is worth it against the car's value. This site applies the 70% Mercedes repair-to-value threshold to that calculation, with the full method and worked examples on the repair, replace or scrap framework page.
Recalls are one slice of GLA ownership risk; the faults that actually put these cars on our enquiry feed are tracked on dedicated failure pages. Beyond the TSB-listed chain and injector items, the patterns most relevant to GLA engines include turbocharger wear on higher-mileage diesels and the emissions-system faults common to urban-driven cars. Our methodology for assembling these patterns is documented on the data methodology page, and every figure is checked per our data verification standards.
Yes. Both the DVSA recall search and any check run through Mercedes-Benz or an authorised retailer are free and need no account. The recall repair itself is also free, whatever the car's age or how many owners it has had [PATTERN DATA].
Find the 17-character VIN on your V5C, the windscreen base or the driver's door shut, then enter it into the DVSA recall search or give it to any Mercedes-Benz retailer. Both routes list every registered recall against that specific car [PATTERN DATA].
A VIN check shows the answer immediately — an outstanding recall appears as unresolved until a retailer completes and logs the work. If you've bought a used GLA with no recall paperwork, assume nothing and run the check; letters go to the registered keeper, so previous-owner correspondence may have been missed [PATTERN DATA].
No. A safety recall remains open and free to have completed for the life of the vehicle, regardless of age, mileage or how long the recall was first announced [PATTERN DATA]. Delaying simply leaves the defect in place.
Not by default. TSBs are workshop guidance rather than mandated fixes, so bulletin-related repairs — like the OM651 timing chain tensioner work — are normally paid service items unless a retailer offers goodwill [PATTERN DATA].
Book it in — the repair is still free at any authorised retailer even years later and regardless of who owned the car before [PATTERN DATA]. There's no penalty for a missed recall; the only cost of waiting is living with the defect.
Unverified recall rows are flagged, never filled from guesswork.
Mercedes-focused workshops across the UK network.
The enquiry base behind our fault and cost data.
No sponsors, no manufacturer influence.
Once your recall status is clear, identify your exact engine and spec, and weigh any non-recall repair against the car's value with our free tools.