Atlanta, Georgia — Luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz appears to have run afoul of some customers who allege the automaker broke consumer fraud laws by failing to address rust and corrosion of the subframe on a number of models from the past decade.
According to a Feb. 10 press release, the law firms of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, and Corpus Law Patel LLC are taking the German OEM to task in Georgia federal district court amid allegations that 2010 to 2022 editions of C, E, GLK, G, CLS SLK/SLC, and SL class models are prone to premature rust corrosion.
The suit alleges that Mercedes has known about the defect for several years; a claim supported by documented complaints sent not just to Mercedes, but federal safety regulators like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA); and refuses to compensate customers for the necessary repairs.
Furthermore, the plaintiffs claim that “despite Mercedes’ refusal to acknowledge the defect or pay for the repairs it requires, Mercedes’ authorized dealers have told owners who complain that premature subframe corrosion is a common problem with Mercedes vehicles,” read a portion of the press release.
“The complaint explains that, because corrosion occurs ‘from the inside out,’ the defect is not apparent even to a trained mechanic until the rear subframe is dangerously corroded, near total failure, and has rendered the vehicle unsafe to operate. Replacing the rear subframe typically costs from $3,500 to more than $7,000.
“The lawsuit seeks an order that Mercedes-Benz fully acknowledges the rear subframe defect in its vehicles, warn all owners affected by the defect, void any would-be limitations expressed in the vehicle warranties that would let it avoid responsibility for the defect, as well as injunctive relief requiring Mercedes to reassess all prior warranty claims related to the rear subframe defect, to refrain from further deceptive sales practices with respect to the affected vehicles, and to pay for inspection and all repair and related costs owners incurred as a result of the defect.”
