Seven years after the Dieselgate scandal first shocked the automotive industry, German carmaker Mercedes-Benz is still in the spotlight for various diesel emissions-related reasons. One of the latest issues hounding the manufacturer is the legal action that approximately one million Mercedes-Benz owners in the UK have taken at the advice of their lawyers.
The group litigation claim is in response to the carmaker’s alleged mis-selling of diesel vehicles that were fitted with illegal defeat devices. These devices are designed to allow vehicles to detect when it is being tested so they can artificially reduce emissions to within or lower than World Health Organization limits. Once the vehicles are driven on the road, though, emissions are at least four times over the safe limit set by the WHO and EU.
In essence, Mercedes lied to their customers and mis-sold the diesel vehicles as safe and environmentally friendly. This is the reason why affected car owners and their lawyers are filing group litigation cases.
Vehicles affected by the illegal device were manufactured between the years 2008 and 2018.
How many claimants are there?
Lawyers working on Mercedes emissions claim cases revealed that there could be around one million affected drivers in the UK. It is estimated by experts that each car owner can receive compensation equivalent to at least £10,000, though this is not confirmed. An estimated 600,000 vehicles in the country are said to be affected by the Mercedes emissions scandal.
When the group litigation was first filed, one of the law firms already had over 14,000 driver claimants participating in the class action. The number of claimants should have doubled (or tripled) by now.
Declining performance
Seventy-seven-year-old retired chartered engineer Ian Thompson purchased his Mercedes-Benz in 2014 for approximately £36,000. His C300 hybrid has had problems with suspension and fuel consumption since he bought it. The Abbots Leigh resident said he purchased the vehicle for environmental reasons. He only wanted to do his part in saving the environment, but Mercedes denied him that.
Thompson also feels cheated because the car wasn’t as efficient in terms of fuel consumption as advertised. Suspension quality also gave him problems because it collapsed when he was driving, right in the middle of the road. To add insult to injury, he had to pay £1,000 to have the car repaired for low mileage.
According to his lawyers, the issues in his Mercedes C300 hybrid may be an indication of a decline in performance and is probably an effect of the illegal defeat device. For Thompson, joining the group litigation is one way of making Mercedes own up to the alleged mis-selling or misrepresentation.
Around 25% of the claimants reported similar problems with their Mercedes-Benzes, particularly those related to reliability.
Emissions From The Vehicles
Mercedes-Benz misled car owners by making them believe that their vehicles only emitted harmful gases in amounts that were within safe and legal limits. What the vehicles emit are NOx or nitrogen oxides, dangerous gases that severely affect the environment and human health.
Nitrogen oxides are responsible for creating smog, acid rain, and bad ozone or ground-level ozone. They also affect the ecosystem, making vegetables and plants unhealthy.
Constant exposure to NOx emissions affects human health, resulting to several illnesses and risks:
- Eye, ear, and nose irritation
- Lung problems
- Asthma
- Aggravated asthma for those who already have it
- Appetite loss
- Breathing problems
- Lung function is chronically reduced
- Other respiratory diseases, such as bronchitis and emphysema
In serious cases, NOx can increase the risks of cardiovascular issues and may even lead to premature death.
In 2013, nine-year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah died after a severe asthma attack. She had been in and out of the hospital for asthma and other related health problems. In December 2020, the coroner ruled Ella’s death was caused by air pollution.
As such, drivers and car owners affected by the Dieselgate scandal are expected to file a diesel compensation claim not only for the inconvenience and financial deception that their manufacturers subjected them to, but also because of the dangerous effects of excessive NOx emissions.
Filing an emission compensation claim
There are several things to consider before filing or joining an emissions claim:
- You should only file or join a claim if you have verified that your vehicle is affected by the defeat device. Mercedes-Benz typically notifies car owners whose vehicles might be recalled.
- Dieselgate compensation claims can take years to process in the courts. Mercedes emissions scandal allegations first surfaced in the UK in 2020 but claims cases are still ongoing today.
- Working on the claim on your own should never be a part of your action plan. The process is complex and involves legalities and technicalities that only a panel of emissions solicitors are familiar with.
Your ideal action would be to file a Mercedes emissions claim with the help of expert emissions solicitors, such as the panel at ClaimExperts.co.uk. Their panel’s knowledge, experience, legal training, and commitment will help increase your chances of winning the claim. Visit their website and get in touch with them to start the compensation claim process.
