Mercedes has to recall over 100,000 vehicles
Mercedes-Benz has to recall a large number of diesel vehicles due to so-called thermal windows, which reduce the exhaust gas purification system. They require a software update. Affected owners will be contacted and can check online whether their car is affected.
Once again, the Federal Motor Transport Authority has ordered the recall of a large number of Mercedes-Benz diesel vehicles that need to have a software update installed. The number involved is in the lower six-digit range, i.e. at least 100,000 vehicles in Germany, as reported by the German news magazine "Spiegel" and the Bavarian radio station Bayerischer Rundfunk. According to the two media outlets, the Federal Motor Transport Authority issued a corresponding notice in December. The Stuttgart-based car manufacturer is therefore writing to the owners of models with emission classes Euro 5 and 6b. Those who do not respond are threatened with having their vehicle taken out of service.
The reason for the recall is a manipulation of the diesel exhaust gas purification system, which ensures that the vehicle's exhaust gas purification system is only fully functional in a certain outside temperature range. The cars in question significantly reduce the cleaning system at lower and higher temperatures, which leads to significantly increased nitrogen oxide emissions. This manipulation is known as the thermal window.
Recall action is mandatory for owners
In a ruling last year, the European Court of Justice declared these thermal windows to be inadmissible. The Federal Motor Transport Authority has now followed suit. A spokeswoman for Mercedes-Benz told Bayerischer Rundfunk and "Spiegel ": "Until the ECJ ruling in 2022, the European type approval authorities generally considered such temperature controls for exhaust gas recirculation to be permissible. We have been in contact with the KBA on this matter for some time."
The company is currently informing its customers whether their vehicle is part of the recall order and whether a software update still needs to be installed by a service partner, according to the spokesperson. The company also wants to enable owners to check their vehicles online . According to Der Spiegel, the recall campaign is mandatory for vehicle owners. In the worst case scenario and in the event of repeated non-response to requests, the vehicle could even be ordered to be taken out of service.
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Source: www.ntv.de
