A piston is a basic part of a vehicle whose movement inside a cylinder compresses the mixture of combustible fuel and air and drives the vehicle forward. The complaint for this class action alleges that Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) sells and leases certain vehicles that have defective M274 engines with pistons that are prone to failure, requiring the replacement of the engine.
The class for this action is all owners and lessees in California of Mercedes vehicles equipped with the M274 engine.
The plaintiff in this case, Lena Jamil, leased a new 2016 Mercedes Benz C300 in or around April 2016, and at the expiration of her lease, she bought the car.
Six years later, in or around April 2022, when the vehicle had logged 95,000 miles, the complaint alleges, she felt shuddering in the engine and the vehicle lost power on the freeway. Eventually, it would no longer start, which the complaint alleges was a safety risk.
“After [Jamil] had the car towed to MBUSA’s factory-authorized dealership,” the complaint claims, “she was advised the car [had] suffered a complete piston failure in at least one cylinder and pieces from that failed piston had penetrated other cylinders of the engine.”
She was told that she needed a new engine, the complaint says, a repair that would cost $20,000 or more. Although she eventually found an independent mechanic who would replace the engine with a used one, at a price of $7,000, the complaint alleges that MBUSA did not pay any part of that repair.
The complaint alleges that MBUSA “has received countless reports and complaints” from vehicle owners about the piston problem but has “turned a deaf ear, not only failing to make or cover repairs but also failing to provide any disclosure about this safety-related defect plaguing its cars.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defect Investigations (ODI) has now opened an investigation of the problem, the complaint alleges, after receiving a consumer petition and holding an initial review.
The complaint quotes from a news article that describes the experience of an owner of another C300 that was driving at a speed of 70 miles per hour, when he heard “a popping sound.” At this point the article quotes the driver as saying, “The car [lost] power, I pushed on the gas, and it started to shake violently. I panicked as the construction on the freeway was not allowing drivers a shoulder to pull over on.”
The complaint alleges that MBUSA knew of the defect at the time it was selling these vehicles to customers. “Despite its clear legal duty to do so,” the complaint contends, “MBUSA never provided any disclosure … about the presence of a defect to the pistons of the M274 engine.”
Article Type: LawsuitTopic: Automobile
Most Recent Case Event
Mercedes M274 Engine Defective Pistons Complaint
November 7, 2022
A piston is a basic part of a vehicle whose movement inside a cylinder compresses the mixture of combustible fuel and air and drives the vehicle forward. The complaint for this class action alleges that Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) sells and leases certain vehicles that have defective M274 engines with pistons that are prone to failure, requiring the replacement of the engine.
Mercedes M274 Engine Defective Pistons ComplaintCase Event History
Mercedes M274 Engine Defective Pistons Complaint
November 7, 2022
A piston is a basic part of a vehicle whose movement inside a cylinder compresses the mixture of combustible fuel and air and drives the vehicle forward. The complaint for this class action alleges that Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) sells and leases certain vehicles that have defective M274 engines with pistons that are prone to failure, requiring the replacement of the engine.
Mercedes M274 Engine Defective Pistons Complaint