Mercedes Diesel Owners Urged to Join Claim after £193m VW Payout
Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz are two of the most popular carmaker names worldwide. No matter where you are, there’s always a VW and a Mercedes. Over the past few years, however, the two have been in the limelight for an entirely different reason: the Dieselgate diesel emissions claims.
The Dieselgate scandal broke in 2015 after the US Environmental Protection Agency discovered VW diesel vehicles installed with defeat devices being sold to American consumers. Defeat devices are emissions cheating software and are deceiving and illegal.
After a year or so, car owners in the United States decided to file a class-action lawsuit against Mercedes-Benz for allegedly installing defeat devices in their diesel vehicles. The scandal eventually spread to Europe, the UK, and other parts of the world. Other car manufacturers have also been implicated, including renowned brands such as Renault, BMW, Alfa Romeo, and Peugeot.
It’s been over five years since it broke, but manufacturers continue to feel the impact of the diesel emissions scandal. Volkswagen, Mercedes, and all other erring carmakers have been paying fines and compensations, facing group litigations and class-action lawsuits. Millions of affected vehicles have also been recalled (and corrected) over the years.
In May 2022, VW finalised an out-of-court settlement with affected UK carmakers. The carmaker knows that settling with their customers is the best way to avoid a lengthy, stressful, and costly court case. They agreed to pay around 91,000 affected car owners in Wales and England approximately £2,100 each, which totals to around £193 million.
Volkswagen’s Chief Legal Officer Philip Haarmann said that the VW Group is glad that the years-long litigation has finally ended. He considers the settlement an essential milestone that allows the company to move forward after the unfortunate September 2015 events. VW, however, warned that the settlement does not, in any way, indicate any guilt on their part.
Legal representatives of affected VW owners are encouraging Mercedes-Benz drivers affected by the scandal to join the claim against their manufacturer.
Mercedes-Benz emissions scandal
Like VW, US authorities also discovered defeat devices in Mercedes-Benz vehicles sold throughout the United States. These devices are designed to cheat on emissions when the car it’s installed in is in the lab for emissions regulatory testing.
Once the device detects the testing, it will automatically and artificially bring down emissions levels so these will stay within the legal and safe limits regulated by the World Health Organization. However, when the vehicle is taken out and driven in real-world driving conditions, it releases considerable amounts of nitrogen oxides at levels that are multiple times higher than the European Union and WHO limits.
Thus, Mercedes are alleged to have deceived and lied to its customers by marketing and selling their diesel vehicles as clean and safe when in reality, they were heavy pollutants.
In 2016, a Mercedes-Benz E350d BlueTec vehicle was tested and found to have voluminous amounts of NOx emissions of up to 500%. Prior to this, the carmaker was ordered by the KBA or German Federal Motor Transport Authority to recall over 700,000 diesel vehicles after its four-cylinder diesel-powered vehicles with SCR filters were found to have used AdBlue technology to artificially reduced NOx emissions. Around 90,000 of the affected vehicles belonged to UK car owners.
What NOx emissions do to your health
NOx or nitrogen oxide is a gas that is made up mainly of NO2 or nitrogen dioxide and NO or nitric oxide. It is dangerous for the environment and for human health. It affects vegetation and can damage crops and plants, stunting their growth. They also become more susceptible to diseases.
Exposure to NOx, even in small amounts, can affect your health. The most common impacts include difficulty breathing, aggravated asthma for those who already have the disease, asthma, eye irritation, headaches, loss of appetite, coughing and wheezing, appetite loss, and certain respiratory issues.
If you have been exposed to excessive levels of nitrogen oxides, the impacts on your health are more severe. This includes respiratory tract damage, chronic lung disease, increased susceptibility to cancer, laryngospasms, cardiovascular diseases, and asphyxiation.
Exposure to NOx is also said to trigger mental health issues, particularly depression and anxiety. Some cases also had the affected individual lose their senses (e.g. sense of smell).
There is widespread evidence as well that regular exposure to NOx at high levels can lead to early death. The case of Ella Kissi-Debrah, a nine-year-old UK resident who died in 2013, is proof of this. She was constantly exposed to nitrogen oxides as she and her mother lived in southeast London, close to the heavily polluted South Circular Road, Lewisham. Since it was the first case of its kind in the UK, an inquest was made into her death and in December 2020, the coroner formally announced that Ella died of a severe asthma attack due to air pollution.
Join the claim for Mercedes emissions claim
The devastating effects of NOx emissions on the environment and human health, in addition to the mis-selling of their diesel vehicles, are the main reasons why you should file a Mercedes emissions claim. You can get compensation equivalent to several thousands of pounds. All you have to do is find a panel of emissions solicitors, such as the ones at ClaimExperts.co.uk, who are trained and experienced to help car owners like you. They’ll guide you through the process and help increase your chances of winning. Visit their website here – https://www.claimexperts.co.uk/mercedes-diesel-emissions-claims-dieselgate-compensation/
