Mercedes owners in France take legal action against Daimler

Three French Mercedes automobile owners filed legal complaints concerning the parent Daimler on Friday, accusing consumer fraud with regards to diesel engine emissions, following the opening of an official investigation by prosecutors in Germany.

The three, who own an A-Class, an E-Class and an S-Class, sent their complaint to the Paris prosecutor, their lawyer Frederik-Karel Canoy informed Reuters.

The complaint was received by the Paris prosecutor previously on Friday, as per a court source. A spokesperson for Daimler stated the company had no comment right now.

The action in France the opening of a German investigation by the Stuttgart public prosecutor on Wednesday into accusations of frauds and misleading advertising over vehicle emissions by unknown Daimler staff members.

Mercedes vehicles were amongst 24 brands evaluated by the French authorities following Volkswagen’s admission in 2015 that it utilized prohibited software to cheat on U.S. diesel emissions tests.

Since then, Paris prosecutors opened complete investigations into Volkswagen, Renault and Fiat Chrysler and are considering action against PSA Group, based on files submitted by France’s DGCCRF consumer protection company.

The anti-fraud watchdog has closed its own initial inquiry into General Motors’ European Opel department with no further action, while maintaining that referral to prosecutors is a possibility for other automakers involved in the testing program, including Daimler.

Some models in the Mercedes A-, B- and C-Class families are geared up with Renault diesel motor under a partnership deal finalized in 2010 in between Daimler and the Renault-Nissan alliance.