Benz Vito recalled in Germany over emissions concerns
BY TUNG NGUYEN | 29th May 2018
GERMANY’S Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) has mandated that Daimler must recall its 1.6-litre turbo-diesel Mercedes-Benz Vito van due to questions surrounding the vehicle’s emissions control software.
The KBA claims the Vito is equipped with software that can manipulate emissions in testing conditions and that nitrogen oxide outputs in real-world driving conditions are significantly higher than claimed – similar to Volkswagen’s diesel emissions cheating scandal from 2015 that affected 11 million vehicles globally.
However, at this stage, only German-market Vito vans are affected in the call back, with Mercedes-Benz Vans Australia and New Zealand confirming that local vehicles are not impacted despite sharing the same 1.6-litre Euro 6-compliant turbo-diesel engines implicated in the recall.
According to Daimler, the software “functions are part of a complex emission-control system that is intended to ensure robust exhaust-gas cleaning during varying driving conditions”, and “is not required for passing the relevant NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) test cycle”.
Therefore, the German car-maker will dispute the claims that affect nearly 5000 Vitos worldwide, arguing that it has run afoul due to the KBA’s interpretation of the rules and will seek clarification in a court of law.
Nevertheless, Daimler will fully cooperate with authorities and will implement a software update after KBA approval.
“The Vito is already included in our service campaign with software updates for more than three million Mercedes-Benz vehicles, which will improve their exhaust emissions,” the brand said.
According to reports, German Transport minister Andreas Scheuer met with Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche earlier this week to discuss the emissions irregularities, with the former issuing a June 15 deadline to resolve the issue.
