EU threatens Mercedes with ban of cars over rigging pollution testing

Robert Besser
19 Sep 2023, 01:06 GMT+10

BERLIN, Germany: Mercedes-Benz has been warned that Germany could issue a recall for some autos found to have pollution-defeat devices installed into their software.
Defeat devices can be activated when an auto is undergoing emission tests.
According to media reports, the German transport authority KBA sent a letter to Mercedes-Benz detailing three devices found in cars to defeat environmental testing.

BERLIN, Germany: Mercedes-Benz has been warned that Germany could issue a recall for some autos found to have pollution-defeat devices installed into their software.

Defeat devices can be activated when an auto is undergoing emission tests. It can alter an auto's normal operating levels to ensure passing the test, only to return to operating levels that do not violate emission standards.

According to media reports, the German transport authority KBA sent a letter to Mercedes-Benz detailing three devices found in cars to defeat environmental testing.

The KBA warned Mercedes-Benz that they were obligated to remove such devices from their autos or have the autos banned from EU roads, based upon an earlier ruling by the European Court of Justice.

Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz has said it would comply with requests from the KBA and would update auto software to eliminate the defeat devices.

Mercedes-Benz said it will provide a list of autos with the defeat software to the KBA.

"We currently assume that software updates for vehicles that may be affected by a final decision on the functionalities ... have already been developed and are available in the field," the company added.

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Northern Ireland News.

More Information

15 ℃

Fair in Belfast/City

United Kingdom

Section

UK approves $621 million to Tata Steel's Welsh site

LONDON, UK: In a deal aimed at securing the future of the British steel industry, the United Kingdom (UK) government ...

Ukraine War Pushes NATO to Bolster Drone-Tackling Expertise

Vredepeel, Netherlands - A small drone flits over opened earth, and an explosion appears on the video feed.The drone has ...

6 Young Portuguese Activists Head to Court in Climate Fight

COSTA DA CAPARICA, Portugal - Sofia Oliveira was 12 years old when catastrophic wildfires in central Portugal killed more than ...

Nijjar killing: US confirms intelligence sharing by Five Eyes made Canada allege India role

New York [US], September 24 (ANI): Wading into the ongoing diplomatic showdown between India and Canada, David Cohen, the US ...

Ukraine's Peace Plan, Grain Deal 'Not Realistic,' Lavrov Says

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov castigated Ukraine's proposed 10-point peace plan and spurned a revival of the Black Sea Grain ...

ATP roundup: Alexander Zverev advances at Chengdu Open

(Photo credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports) World No. 10 Alexander Zverev of Germany defeated unseeded Pavel Kotov of Russia 7-6 ...

International

Section