New Jersey - An owner of a Mercedes BlueTec diesel car has filed a class-action lawsuit in the United States, accusing the carmaker of knowingly programming its Clean Diesel vehicles to emit illegally high levels of nitrogen oxide, according to law firm Hagens Berman.
Diesel car makers have been in the spotlight since Volkswagen admitted in September it had rigged US diesel emissions tests, and that up to around 11 million vehicles worldwide could have illegal software installed.
The US Justice Department is suing the company for up to $46 billion (R708bn) for alleged violations of environmental law.
Daimler has repeatedly denied that it has rigged tests as well, and said on Friday it saw the suit, filed in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey on Thursday, as unfounded.
A spokesman said the carmaker would examine the levels and defend itself against the suit.
Hagens Berman said in a statement that on-road testing had shown Mercedes's Clean Diesel cars produced average on-road NOx emissions that were 19 times above the US standard, with some instantaneous readings as high as 65 times more than the US limit.
Reuters