Mercedes recalls over 100,000 diesel vehicles from German market

(Patria) - German automaker Mercedes-Benz must recall more than 100,000 diesel vehicles in Germany due to renewed allegations of irregularities in exhaust emission controls.

The company confirmed to dpa news agency on Wednesday that the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) issued a recall notice, which is expected to affect around 100,000 vehicles.

The recall applies to various Euro 5 and Euro 6b diesel models, Mercedes-Benz stated. The vehicles now await a software update.

Customers will be notified in writing if their vehicle is included in the KBA order and if a software update is required, the company said.

The reason for the recall is the use of so-called thermal windows, which were also standard practice among other manufacturers.

Typically, part of the exhaust gas is recirculated directly back into the engine and burned to emit fewer toxic nitrogen oxides. However, depending on the outside temperature, this mechanism can automatically reduce recirculation.

Manufacturers have stated that the use of thermal windows protects the engine, reports Poslovni dnevnik.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled in 2022 that thermal windows are legal only if no other solution is available.

The court decision established that software enabling higher pollutant emissions "for a large part of the year" is fundamentally illegal.

- Regulators from the German KBA have now, based on the ruling, demanded that Mercedes-Benz change the calibrations in the engine control units of certain vehicles.

Until the ECJ ruling, European authorities generally considered such temperature controls for exhaust gas recirculation permissible, a Mercedes-Benz spokesperson told dpa.

Mercedes-Benz has faced allegations regarding diesel emissions for years.

Since 2018, the KBA has issued several recall orders for the German manufacturer's vehicles due to illegal exhaust technology, affecting hundreds of thousands of vehicles in Germany alone.

Since the issue came to light, the Stuttgart-based automaker has also been taken to court multiple times. In Germany, more than 30,000 consumers have filed lawsuits to date.

Investors have also turned to German courts, seeking hundreds of millions of euros in compensation for losses.