Group Action Lawsuit Filed by Mercedes-Benz Owners In New Emissions Scandal

Almost one million Mercedes-Benz owners in Britain may have been unknowingly releasing illegal levels of emissions into the air.

Lawyers say Mercedes has allegedly installed in diesel vehicles devices designed to cheat emissions tests.

International law firm PGMBM has filed a group action litigation claim against Daimler AG, Mercedes’ parent company, in Liverpool’s High Court, MoneySavingExpert.com reports. The law firm alleges the German carmaker installed “defeat devices” in hundreds of thousands of vehicles over the last decade.

London law firm Harcus Parker is also investigating claims regarding the defeat devices on behalf of 500,000 UK Mercedes owners, including 75,000 owners of diesel Mercedes V-Class and Vito taxis.

Two other law firms, Slater and Gordon and Leigh Day, are also pursuing legal investigations in the Mercedes emissions allegations.

Mercedes-Benz has denied the allegations that have been put forth. The law firms claim that the emissions scandal victims could receive up to £10,000 in damages, according to an Express.co.uk article. But Daimler AG has promised to put up a vigorous fight against any group action litigation. 

Defeat devices were in the limelight during the “dieselgate” scandal of 2015 when German automaker Volkswagen was cheating emissions tests. Defeat devices work by temporarily limiting the amount of nitrogen oxide in a vehicle’s exhaust to meet official requirements and therefore pass emissions tests.

Ninety thousand Audi, Seat, Volkswagen and Skoda drivers in England and Wales won a High Court legal battle against Volkswagen Group in April.

The judge ruled the software installed between 2007 and 2015 in the EA189 engines of these vehicles qualified as defeat devices.

The “dieselgate” scandal revealed that Volkswagen sold around 11 million vehicles with defeat devices. About 1.2 million of them were sold in the U.K. Volkswagen has contested this conclusion.

PGMBM claims the Mercedes emissions are up to ten times the legal EU and U.K. limits. The case against the emissions scandal alleges that cars and vans manufactured by Mercedes have been misleading drivers about the quality of their green emissions credentials. Mercedes-Benz owners may have had to bear the cost of higher than expected fuel bills and maintenance. 

Mercedes emissions may have been the cause of air pollutants and respiratory ailments. Nitrous oxide, the gas from the alleged emissions, can be a significant factor for pollution and lung conditions, particularly affecting the young and other vulnerable populations. The Mercedes emissions scandal may be responsible for illegal levels of air pollution.

The Royal College of Physicians has estimated that pollution causes over 40,000 deaths a year. 

“This case highlights how Mercedes has abused the trust of its customers by egregiously misleading them in the pursuit of profit,” PGMBM managing partner Tom Goodhead said. “We believe that Mercedes must be held to account for its unlawful and deceitful actions, and this case will give consumers the opportunity to do so, and be compensated for being misled by a supposedly trustworthy company.” 

Daimler AG has firmly disputed the allegations of the Mercedes emissions scandal, and a spokesperson for the company stated, “We believe that the claims are without merit and will vigorously defend against any group action.” 

At the centre of the Mercedes emissions case is an exhaust fluid called AdBlue, BusinessGreen.com reports. AdBlue can be added to diesel engines to cut down on emissions. Daimler AG uses a software system that regulates the injection of the exhaust fluid to break down nitrogen oxide produced by the engine and turns it into nitrogen and water. Mercedes has asserted that this method results in the “cleanest diesel cars ever.”

But PGMBM says the software system can be programmed to lower the amount of AdBlue being injected after the recommended time, causing much higher nitrogen oxide emissions. The conditions produced under real-world driving conditions can be much higher than the conditions produced under testing. 

PGMBM asserts Mercedes-Benz could potentially dole out £10 billion in damages to drivers. 

According to PGMBM, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is also currently investigating Daimler.

Are you a Mercedes driver concerned about your vehicle’s emissions? Let us know in the comments. 

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