The Dieselgate emissions scandal was first thrown into the spotlight in 2015 but car manufacturers in the UK and Europe continue to make the news for various emissions-related issues.
About a year ago, Mercedes-Benz’s parent company Daimler again made the headlines when the U.S. defeat device scandal chapter came out with court documents that required the German car manufacturer to pay their $2.2 billion (approximately £1.65 billion) settlement of claims to around 250,000 American Mercedes-Benz diesel car owners affected by the scandal.
This latest settlement is just one of several that have been handed down to Daimler over the course of around five years. While the company has always denied all emissions allegations against them, they have paid past charges and agreed to pay current fines, fees, and expenses charged to them by the lawyers of car owners allegedly scammed by the defeat device. The payment will give each of the 250,000 Mercedes-Benz diesel vehicle owners approximately $3,290 (around £2,468), which is used for getting their cars fixed and the defeat device removed.
Daimler is also paying the car owners’ lawyers’ expenses and fees, which total to over $83 million (or £62.3 million).
Despite the car manufacturer’s continuous denial of the allegations and even after agreeing to the U.S. settlement fees, German authorities are still pushing through with their investigation for criminal charges. Additional financial penalties are also expected for Daimler.
The diesel emissions scandal
According to the Justice Department, Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz diesel vehicles had at least 16 defeat devices or auxiliary emissions control devices that are intended to bring down emissions levels while laboratory tests are ongoing.
Daimler and Mercedes-Benz’s case is similar to that of the Volkswagen diesel emission scandal where VW used cheat software to make it appear that their vehicles had safe emissions levels. In reality, though, the defeat devices-equipped vehicles produced nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions levels that were way over the safe limits of the World Health Organization.
In essence, VW tricked its customers by making them believe that their cars were safe to drive and environmentally-friendly. However, the truth was that every time they went out to drive their vehicles, they emitted extensive amounts of harmful gases, much more than was advertised.
The VW emissions scandal affected around 600,000 U.S. vehicles, and over 12 million cars around the world. The company has paid fines and fees totalling to billions, but there are still cases filed against them at present.
Aside from Volkswagen and Daimler/Mercedes-Benz, several other car manufacturers have been implicated in the scandal. This includes Ford, Vauxhall, BMW, Alfa Romeo, Renault, Jeep, Fiat, Citroën, Peugeot, Nissan, and Suzuki. The U.S. Justice Department also started investigating Fiat Chrysler Automobile at about the same time Daimler received the department’s ruling. Fiat Chrysler is the maker of popular car brands Citroën, Opel, DS, and Peugeot. The company has paid a civil settlement amounting to around $650 million (£487.6 million) after U.S. authorities discovered that over 100,000 of the manufacturer’s diesel pickups and SUVs in the country used defeat devices to rig emissions tests.
Why defeat devices are illegal
The defeat devices installed in the emissions scandal affected vehicles are illegal because:
- They are used as cheat software; for rigging emissions tests.
- They fake the levels of nitrogen oxides or NOx that are emitted into the air, in order to pass regulatory tests
NOx has nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitric oxide (NO), which are dangerous, poisonous gases that can have serious negative effects on the environment and human health. Some vehicles with defeat devices have been shown to emit NOx levels at 40 times over the allowable limit in the United States (and even in the UK and Europe) when driven outside laboratory tests and in real road conditions.
Thus, Daimler/Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, and the other manufacturers implicated in the diesel emission scandal are not only endangering the environment but human lives as well. The companies, however, have instituted some changes in their processes to ensure their new product lines are environmentally safe. In addition, the majority have also been recalling the affected vehicles so these can be fixed and installed with new systems that comply with the WHO and other authorities’ emissions limits.
Nevertheless, there are still thousands of affected vehicle owners who prefer to file a diesel compensation claim against their manufacturer for the possible damage on their cars and inconvenience the defeat devices have caused them.
Claiming compensation
If you are one of the affected Mercedes-Benz car owners, you can choose to file an emission compensation claim against the Daimler-owned brand. Before anything else, though, you have to verify if your vehicle is affected by the Mercedes diesel scandal. All you have to do is visit the Mercedes website and find the list of affected vehicles.
After verification, you can start working right away on your Mercedes Benz emissions claim, but you need to find a team of experts in emissions claims first. Their expertise and experience will help you go through the compensation claims process with confidence – from the first down to the last step.
The team of experts at Emissions.co.uk has been assisting car owners like you in their fight against the implicated car manufacturers. Working with them will give you an edge and higher chances of winning your Mercedes emissions scandal compensation claim.
