Autocar
Daimler to recall 774,000 Mercedes models due to emission 'defeat devices'
Recall is understood to include newest, Euro 6 diesel engines; number of UK cars affected is unknown
Daimler to recall 774,000 Mercedes models due to emission 'defeat devices'
by Greg Kable
12 June 2018
The German transport ministry has ordered Mercedes-Benz to recall up to 774,000 cars across Europe after tests found that they contain unauthorised software, or a so-called defeat device, that could be used to manipulate diesel exhaust emissions.
In an official statement, the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA) said it had ordered Mercedes to immediately recall selected Vito, C-Class and GLC models in Germany.
“The government will order 238,000 Daimler vehicles to be immediately recalled Germany wide because of unauthorised defeat devices,” the KBA said.
Daimler is the parent company of Mercedes.
Among the models said to be affected are the Vito 119 CDI, C220d and GLC 220d.
The KBA has not indicated the age of the cars involved, although officials suggest they include latest-generation models with Euro 6 emissions certification.
News of the recall comes after the German transport minister, Andreas Scheuer, met with Mercedes chairman Dieter Zetsche in Berlin to discuss what has been described as “irregularities in independent test results of various Mercedes-Benz models featuring the German car maker’s turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine”.
Among the features brought into question by the KBA is software used to regulate the amount of Ad Blue solution injected into the SCR filter on the models in question.
Following the discussion, Scheuer said Daimler had pledged to remove the suspect software and co-operate with authorities.
Autocar understands that the software is programmed to lower the amount of Ad Blue being injected after a prescribed time. This lowers the efficiency of the SCR filter and leads to much higher nitrogen oxide emissions in real-world driving conditions than those claimed by Mercedes under test conditions.
A report in German newspaper Bild am Sonntag suggests the German Transport Ministry has identified up to five illegal Ad Blue and/or SCR switch off functions in various Mercedes-Benz diesel models.
In accepting the recall, Zetsche said Mercedes-Benz had developed a technical solution that would enable it to update the software in a move he suggests would see the company avoid possible fines by the European Union. However, in a separate statement, Daimler said the question over the legality of the software still needed to be clarified.
EU Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska tweeted her recommendation that all EU member states follow Germany's example of calling a recall: "We need mandatory recalls in all 28EU Member States. Other countries should follow quickly." She also urged a step-up in the progress of EVs.
In recent weeks, Mercedes has defended its diesel engine software, saying it conforms to the law prescribed by the EU. In certain situations, car makers are permitted to switch off the SCR filter in diesel engines in the interests of engine longevity.
At this stage, it is not known how many cars are affected by the recall in the UK. However, given the popularity of models such as the C220d and GLC 220d, the number is thought to be significant.
An official from the KBA told Autocar that it is only authorised to order a recall of cars within its own borders or cars issued with a pan-European road-worthiness certification, suggesting Mercedes diesel owners in the UK will have to wait until full details to a possible Britain-wide recall are revealed.
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Comments
11
Peter Cavellini
Well now!
12 June 2018
Any other car maker using Mercedes Engines......?
Peter Cavellini.
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xxxx
History repeating itself
12 June 2018
Top tip, if no ones takes their car in they're have to offer compensation! Bet VAG owners wish they'd done that then maybe they'd get the sort of service the Americans got.
Said this before and will say it again regardless of the trolls on this website
typos1 - Just can’t respect opinion
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jamesf1
xxxx wrote:
12 June 2018
xxxx wrote:
Top tip, if no ones takes their car in they're have to offer compensation! Bet VAG owners wish they'd done that then maybe they'd get the sort of service the Americans got.
Said this before and will say it again regardless of the trolls on this website
on balance I bet VAG owners wish their cars had been properly engineered in the first place
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Byzantine
Biszuihrenohrendarin
12 June 2018
One of those funny long words the Germans like so much = up to their ears in it. They all seem to be.
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Peter Cavellini
Engines
12 June 2018
if your Boffins can’t come up with an Engine that meets the Euro Co’2 regs,then, you have ask yourself, why are others not having this problem?, do they need to hire engineers who can?
Peter Cavellini.
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Roadster
Peter Cavellini wrote:
12 June 2018
Peter Cavellini wrote:
if your Boffins can’t come up with an Engine that meets the Euro Co’2 regs,then, you have ask yourself, why are others not having this problem?, do they need to hire engineers who can?
I've said it before on previous articles but it's because German car engineering, technical and design prowess isn't as good as we're all lead to believe. It's simply a myth. That's why they're having to cheat to cover up their inability to design and engineer engines and cars properly.
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Roadster
German companies strike again....and we still buy their cars.
12 June 2018
To be honest this does not come as a surprise because since Dieselgate we've heard frequent news regarding cheating, improper behaviour and unethical standards from the German car companies, And yet, in the UK at least, we keep buying tens of thousands of German cars every year. Why? When will we wake up? It's bad enough putting up with the awful unreliability of Audis, BMWs, Mercs, Porsches and VWs. Do us Brits really crave these badges so much that we overlook these scandals and put up with poor reliability from these corrupt German brands?
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The Apprentice
Always thought the GLC 220d
12 June 2018
Always thought the GLC 220d with 170bhp, auto box and 4wd was a technical marvel coming in at 128g/km, about the same as a 1.6 Qashqai with 2wd.But a couple of weeks ago the figure jumped to a more believable 159g/km overnight.
So I suspected this was coming next, another massive scam by a German 'superior engineering' company. JLR must take cheers that they couldn't make their cars anywhere near the Mercedes figures, but then they weren't cheating so had no chance.
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The Apprentice
Stelvio needs looking at next
12 June 2018
Stelvio needs looking at next, although Alfa did a good job of keeping the vehicle weight down, I don't believe a 4.6m 210bhp 8 speed auto with 4WD at 127g/km, not possible. The EU needs to pull this ECU apart next.
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fadyady
Euro 6!
12 June 2018
For those paid or unpaid diesel worshipping half-wits there goes your myth of Euro 6 diesels. RIP
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