Fast die gesamte Fahrzeugpalette vom Abgasskandal betroffen

Another recall for over 120,000 Mercedes diesels.

The list of Mercedes recalls due to illegal switch-off devices is long - and is getting longer. The latest official recall by the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) affects more than 120,000 vehicles worldwide - across the entire vehicle range. With the OM 640, a previously unsuspected engine has also come into focus.

So far, the Daimler Group has stubbornly refused to admit the use of illegal manipulation software and to provide information in court proceedings. shutdown devices in its diesel vehicles. But the evidence against the Stuttgart-based carmaker is becoming more and more numerous. The latest recalls by the KBA are contributing to this. With a decision dated July 16, 2020, the authority recalled Euro 5 diesels from the Mercedes classes A, B, C, E and S from the years 2008 to 2011 to the workshops. In Germany alone, more than 30,000 vehicles are affected; worldwide, the figure is over 113,000. On July 20, a recall was also issued for the Mercedes C-Class model C300 Hybrid (series 205). This affects 7,325 vehicles worldwide, 896 of them in Germany.

Affected engines: A new suspect – and an old acquaintance

For the first time, the focus is now on the diesel engine OM 640, which was previously considered to be unsuspected and was installed in A and B class vehicles until 2012. The second engine affected, called OM 651, is already a familiar face in the emissions scandal. In 2018, during a large-scale recall Of the 280,000 Mercedes vehicles with the Euro 6b emissions standard, this engine was one of those affected. The 40,000 Mercedes GLK 220 models with the Euro 5 emissions standard, which the KBA sent to the workshops for a software update in June 2019, are also equipped with the OM 651.

OM 651 – Daimler's scandal engine

Once celebrated as a miracle machine, the OM 651, introduced in 2008, is now also a scandal engine of the EA189 from Volkswagen. It has earned this reputation with up to four illegal shutdown devices, most notably the so-called coolant target temperature control. This ensures that the coolant circuit is cooled down significantly. This delays the heating of the engine oil and reduces nitrogen oxide emissions - but only on the test bench and not in real driving conditions on the road. This software manipulation has now also been discovered in vehicles with OM 640 diesel engines.

For Daimler the coolant setpoint temperature control is just as legal as the also effective in the OM 651 thermal window. Both defeat devices serve, as the car manufacturer never tires of claiming, to protect the engine and should therefore be legal. The Advocate General at the European Court of Justice (ECJ), on the other hand, considers defeat devices that reduce the effectiveness of emissions control systems under normal conditions of use to be inadmissible and only allows exceptions in very limited exceptional cases. In any case, they do not apply to thermal windows.

What affected Mercedes owners need to know now

Mercedes owners affected by the current recall are now being asked in writing to bring their vehicles to the workshop and have a software update installed. However, it is unclear whether their diesel will actually run cleanly on the road after the update - as well as possible negative consequences, such as reduced engine performance, increased consumption of fuel and AdBlue, and sudden defects in wearing parts on the exhaust gas recirculation system.

"As the owner of an affected Mercedes diesel, you must expect a loss in the value of your vehicle due to the illegal switch-off devices. You should not accept that. Use your chance to enforce your claims for damages now. After the renewed recall, your chances are better than ever. Daimler can no longer deny the illegal software manipulation and many courts are now ruling in favor of the injured car buyers. It is best to get legal advice as soon as possible."

Partner Dr. Marco Rogert