INFO EUROPE 1
The summons was notified today to Daimler AG, producer of Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The Diesel Emissions Justice Foundation (DEJF) requests compensation for damage resulting from the use of manipulation software to falsify emission tests, that is to say for their role in "Dieselgate", this fraud systemic committed by a number of car manufacturers, starting with Volskwagen, with the aim of reducing the polluting emissions of some of their diesel and petrol engines during approval tests.
>> READ ALSO - "Dieselgate": all to understand accusations of rigged engines which target PSA
"At least eight illegal defeat devices"
The action that is being filed today is under the Dutch Collective Damage Claims Act (Wet Collectieve Afwikkeling Massaschade), known as WAMCA. The Diesel Emissions Justice Foundation has asked the Court of Amsterdam to be appointed "Principal Complainant", which enables the proceedings against Daimler AG to be carried out on behalf of all the European car owners, including the French, concerned. What is criticized by Daimler by the Diesel Emissions Justice Foundation is that it installed, between 2009 and the end of 2019, a "handling device" in millions of Euro5 or Euro6 approved diesel vehicles. The vehicles therefore appeared to comply with the emission limits for nitrogen oxides (NOx) but, in reality, greatly exceeded them under actual driving conditions.
"Our investigation reveals an astonishing number of at least eight illegal disabling devices that limit the operation of the vehicle's emission control system," said Femke Hendriks, the executive director of DEJF. "Daimler has bypassed increasingly stringent Euro 5 and 6 standards at the expense of their customers, public health and the environment," said Femke Hendriks.
French owners can join the class action
The vehicles concerned include, among others, the following models: Mercedes-Benz Class A, Class B, Class C, CITAN, Class CLS, Class E, Class G, GLC, GLE, GLK, Class M, Class S, SLK, SPRINTER , Class V and VITO. Daimler announced in its 2019 annual report that more recalls should be requested.
In the fall of 2019, Mercedes agreed to pay a fine of 870 million euros and admitted a breach of its monitoring obligations resulting in a violation of emissions, but according to the Diesel Emissions Justice Foundation, the German manufacturer must also compensate the French owners of affected Mercedes vehicles, i.e. those fitted with a BlueTEC diesel engine built between 2009 and 2019, can join the collective action on this site.