Mercedes-Benz and its parent company Daimler have been in the spotlight since they got involved in the Dieselgate diesel emissions scandal. They have had to deal with the allegations that defeat devices were installed in Mercedes diesel vehicles to cheat on emissions. Daimler has denied the accusations time and again but the fines, recalls, and litigations keep piling up.
The Mercedes emissions story started a few years after the 2015 Dieselgate scandal involving the Volkswagen Group, when US authorities found defeat devices in VW and Audi diesel vehicles.
In 2016, Mercedes car owners in the US started an initial action against the carmaker after authorities discovered cheat devices in approximately 250,000 of their diesel vehicles manufactured from 2009 to 2016. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board, Mercedes fitted their vehicles with auxiliary emission control devices or AECDs. By 2017, prosecutors in Germany raided Daimler’s manufacturing sites – 11 of them, in relation to the use of defeat devices in Mercedes’ diesel vehicles.
A year or so later, the German Federal Bureau of Motor Vehicles (KBA) ordered a recall of around 238,000 Mercedes vehicles in Germany, which were allegedly fitted with illegal defeat devices. An estimated 744,000 Daimler vehicles across Europe were found to have the cheat software. Mercedes’ C-Class, Vito van, and GLC models were the ones affected by the recall.
Overall, Daimler had to recall over three million affected vehicles across Europe so these could be corrected and installed with the correct emissions reduction software. The manufacturer is hoping that the action would make the vehicles clean and safe and car owners will once again be confident about driving a Mercedes.
According to Daimler, owners of recalled vehicles will have the option to get new software for vehicles using OM 607 turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder engines, such as the Mercedes-Benz GLA, CLA, B-Class, and A-Class. The new software is intended to reduce the vehicles’ nitrogen oxide or NOx emissions.
The OM 642 and OM 651 diesel engines were also affected. Additionally, Renault co-develops the OM 607 diesel engine.
Daimler is expecting to pay around £195 million for the whole process and assures that they are cooperating with German authorities. Every affected vehicle that underwent a correction or engine change took at least one hour to process, especially since the goal was to equip it with safer, cleaner, and better technology. Completion of the recalled vehicles was expected to take place in 2018.
What happened during the Dieselgate scandal?
The Dieselgate scandal unfolded in September 2015 and originally involved only the Volkswagen Group. As mentioned earlier, US authorities, specifically the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board, found defeat devices in VW and Audi diesel vehicles. These illegal devices are made to sense when a vehicle is being tested for emissions so they can artificially cap emissions levels to the legal limits regulated by the World Health Organization (WHO).
When the vehicle is brought out and driven on real roads, its releases massive amounts of nitrogen oxide at levels that go beyond the limits set by the EU and WHO. NOx emissions are dangerous and can be life-threatening. They also affect the environment.
If vegetation is exposed to NOx emissions, it becomes weaker and more susceptible to frost and damage. Crops and plants exposed to NOx stop growing as well.
A person exposed to nitrogen oxide emissions can suffer from various health impacts, including breathing difficulties, headaches, bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, and nausea and vomiting.
NOx emissions have also been proven to trigger anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. They can also reduce one’s cognitive abilities.
If the exposure is more frequent and involves voluminous amounts, the effects can be life-changing and threatening, including chronic lung function reduction, laryngospasm or spasm of the vocal cords, asphyxiation, and an increase in the risk of cancers and cardiovascular issues. The most devastating effect of excessive exposure to NOx is premature death.
The consequences of Volkswagen’s actions reverberated throughout the automotive industry. Eventually, other car manufacturers, aside from Mercedes-Benz, were implicated in the scandal, including Renault, BMW, Alfa Romeo, Nissan, Ford, Vauxhall, Peugeot, and Citroën.
These carmakers are guilty of lying to and deceiving their customers. They marketed and sold the vehicle as premium quality environment-friendly Mercedes-Benzes. In reality, the car owners drove their vehicles around the UK emitting excessive amounts of nitrogen oxides.
Affected car owners are encouraged to claim emissions compensation for all the trouble and inconvenience that their manufacturers have caused them. A Dieselgate compensation is equivalent to thousands of pounds, but the specific amount can vary according to the circumstances of the case.
The right diesel claim process
If you are determined to bring an emissions claim against your carmaker, you have to verify your eligibility first. The team at ClaimExperts.co.uk know exactly how to do this, so you should get in touch with them if you want to ensure your diesel claim is moving in the right direction.
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