It turns out Volkswagen isn’t the only automaker facing backlash for its diesel cars. Mercedes-Benz owners have filed a class-action lawsuit against the automaker over its allegedly high diesel emissions.
Led by U.S. law firm Hagens Berman, the lawsuit alleges the automaker knowingly programmed its diesel cars to emit dangerous levels of nitrogen oxides at low temperatures. The firm says the automaker likely used “cheat devices” to fool emissions tests.
“During virtually all real-world driving conditions, we found that Mercedes BlueTEC technology scarcely achieves any meaningful reduction of NOx emissions,” the firm wrote in a scathing letter to Mercedes-Benz. “Our equipment has recorded levels of NOx emissions between 4.5 and 30.8 times the legal limit in real-world driving conditions.”
BlueTEC is a filter system that uses urea injection to help rid exhaust fumes of harmful pollutants. It’s used in a variety of Mercedes and Daimler vehicles. The lawsuit alleges that multiple Mercedes vehicles are affected by the issue, including the ML, GL, E-Class, R-Class, S-Class, GLK, GLE, Sprinter, and others. Hagens Berman filed a complaint against Mercedes back in February, but it was more limited in scope. At the time, the Environmental Protection Agency had requested more information from Daimler in light of the claims, but hadn’t opened an official investigation.
Steve Berman, co-founder and managing partner at the firm, had a major role in litigation against Toyota for its intended acceleration fiasco. He was also co-lead counsel in the high-profile ignition switch case against General Motors.
Meanwhile, Mercedes denies any wrongdoing. “We consider this class action lawsuit to be unfounded. Our position remains unchanged: A component that inadmissibly reduces emissions is not used in Mercedes-Benz vehicles,” the automaker said in a statement to Reuters.
