If you have a Mercedes-Benz that was bought between 2008 and 2019 and it is diesel-powered, you might be affected by the diesel emissions scandal.
The Dieselgate scandal that shook the automotive industry in 2015 started in the US after authorities, specifically, the California Air Resources Board and the EPA, discovered that the Volkswagen Group installed defeat devices in their VW and Audi diesel vehicles. VW initially denied the allegations but later admitted they knew about the cheat devices.
Defeat devices masked the actual volume of pollutants the vehicles emit. Their technology allows them to sense when a vehicle is in testing, and they then artificially alter emissions levels to come up with desirable but inaccurate results, reflecting emissions levels that follow World Health Organization (WHO)-mandated limits.
Once the vehicle is brought out and driven on real roads, though, it shifts to its default settings, resulting in the vehicle releasing excessive amounts of nitrogen oxide (NOx). These are often over the limits the EU and WHO set up.
Nitrogen oxide is a pollutant gas; therefore, any vehicle with a defeat device is an air pollution contributor.
The Volkswagen Group was required to pay fines and several class-action lawsuits and litigations have been brought against them over the years. Affected VW and Audi vehicles have been recalled for emissions correction.
Not long after the VW diesel emissions scandal, US authorities zeroed in on Mercedes-Benz for the same reason: the alleged use of defeat devices in their diesel vehicles. Additionally, Mercedes car owners in the US also joined together to start a class-action lawsuit against the carmaker.
The Mercedes emissions scandal officially reached the UK only in 2020, when the first group litigation was put together by affected car owners. Thousands upon thousands of drivers have had their vehicles recalled as well. However, there are many others who have yet to take action against the carmaker.
Unlike Volkswagen, Mercedes and its parent company Daimler continue to deny all the emissions allegations against them yet the recalls, litigations, and fines haven’t stopped.
Aside from VW and Mercedes-Benz, several other carmakers were also implicated in the scandal – Renault, Vauxhall, BMW, Alfa Romeo, Nissan, Peugeot, and Jeep are just some of them.
Understanding the impact of NOx
Nitrogen oxide, more commonly known as NOx, is a group of reactive gases that comes from vehicle engines. Two of its primary gases that significantly impact the environment are nitrogen dioxide (or NO2) and nitric oxide (or NO). Additionally, when NOx is pumped into the atmosphere, it has deleterious effects on the environment and on human health.
NOx is known as a catalyst for smog and acid rain. When other chemicals react with it, nitrogen oxide also forms ground-level ozone, a heavy pollutant that can weaken plants and crops and make them vulnerable to frost.
For persons exposed to nitrogen oxide emissions, the impacts can be life-threatening.
Someone with mental health issues may experience symptoms of anxiety and depression. In some cases, a person’s cognitive abilities can be affected, which may lead to Alzheimer’s and other similar health issues.
Low-level exposure to nitrogen oxide emissions may result in the following health impacts:
- Corroded teeth
- Difficulty in breathing
- Asthma
- Other respiratory diseases, such as bronchitis and emphysema
- Chronic headaches
- Fluid in the lungs
High-level exposure to NOx has more serious effects:
- Asphyxiation or asphyxia (deficient oxygen supply)
- Laryngospasm (vocal cords spasm)
- Chronic lung function reduction
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Cancer
- Premature death
The UK is one of the many countries that have recorded deaths due to air pollution, the first one of which involved a young girl named Ella Kissi-Debrah. Ella was only nine years old when she succumbed to a severe bout of asthma after numerous hospitalisations and emergency room visits due to respiratory-related issues. She and her mother Rosamund lived in the area near South Circular Road and constantly breathed in toxic air. In December 2020, after an inquest, the coroner ruled her death was caused by air pollution.
These environmental and health impacts are the reasons why every car owner affected by the Mercedes emissions scandal is encouraged to bring a claim against the carmaker.
Reasons for bringing a diesel claim
There are four reasons why you should make a diesel claim against Mercedes:
- They should be held accountable for cheating on you and other customers. They mis-sold Mercedes-Benz vehicles by marketing them as high-performing, environmentally safe cars and vans.
- They exposed you and the people around you to NOx emissions, which have dangerous health impacts.
- They sold vehicles that emitted excess levels of NOx emissions, thereby adding more pollutants to the air.
- You deserve to be compensated for all the dangers and inconveniences you have been
subjected to because of the defeat device.
How to make a diesel claim
To be eligible for a Mercedes emissions claim, you must meet the following criteria:
- Your Mercedes vehicle is diesel-powered and was purchased between 2008 and 2019.
- Its diesel engine is a BlueTec.
- You bought your Mercedes via a financing plan, through a lease, or in cash.
You can have your eligibility verified through ClaimExperts.co.uk. They have all the information you need to determine the validity of your claim. Once your claim is verified as valid, you can then proceed to make the Mercedes emissions claim.
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