In 2015, one of the biggest scandals in the automotive industry, Dieselgate, took place, when the United States Environmental Protection Agency issued a notice of violation of the Clean Air Act to the German automaker Volkswagen Group. The consequences are still visible, and now another German company is facing a similar case. Mercedes-Benz is under scrutiny from the German Federal Motor Transport Authority for allegedly cheating on the new Euro 6 emissions regulations.

This information came to the public two months ago, and the published letter shows the 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine installed in the Mercedes-Benz E350 BlueTec version. Although in 2022 the European Court of Justice banned the installation of any additional device that changes consumption values and C02 emissions, it is alleged that Mercedes used three software-controlled devices, two of which changed the performance of the engine based on a certain temperature. German authorities have ordered Mercedes-Benz to fix the problem, or the cars will be recalled.

The first deadline for solving the problem was three weeks, but in agreement with the German authorities, the deadline was extended. Mercedes believes it has already developed and implemented the appropriate software updates needed to resolve the issue. Whether this is the final solution to the problem remains to be seen.

This is not the first time that the agency focuses its attention on Mercedes-Benz. Two years ago, the same OM642 diesel engine was suspected of using as many as eight emission-cheating devices that reduced the amount of injected AdBlue to neutralize emissions.

Source: Reuters