Mercedes accused of using defeat devices on more diesel cars

The latest vehicles accused of being fitted with defeat devices are Mercedes model lines that use the OM642 engine with the Bluetec SCR system, for example, the E-Class, GLC, GL and G-Class.  

In April 2019, the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) accused Mercedes-Benz of installing defeat devices into its diesel vehicles to limit emissions readings during testing. This meant that the results of these tests were misrepresented, and the emissions emitted by the engines did not comply with EU requirements.  

While the KBA has said that it is aware of the eight defeat devices found by the DUH, it has previously ruled them allowable. This is because some car makers, including Mercedes, have used a legal loophole to be allowed to continue to produce diesel vehicles with excessive nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. This loophole allows defeat devices to be used in certain circumstances where they serve to protect the engine. However, following a recent opinion by an Advocate General of the European Court of Justice, vehicle manufacturers may not be able to use this loophole for much longer. Find out more here.  

Furthermore, the DUH claims that, of the devices it found, the very nature of how they work mean that “Daimler couldn’t plausibly claim that the defeat devices were needed for engine protection”. Instead, according to the environmental group, “The reason is as simple as it is cynical: it is about maximising profit at the expense of the environment and the health of the city dwellers.”