Daimler halted deliveries of a type of diesel engine for trucks as a precautionary measure, after the company said it found issues that could lead to emissions “slightly” exceeding nitrogen oxide limits under certain conditions.
The Stuttgart-based company reported its findings to Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) at the end of June, and is in a “constructive dialogue” with the watchdog, it said Sunday in an emailed statement to Bloomberg News.
“The engine was used in Mercedes-Benz trucks in Europe until 2013 and is currently only sold in non-European export markets,” the carmaker said in the statement. “Until the technical issues have been clarified, Daimler has decided to stop supplying this engine as a precautionary measure.”
Daimler said it is talking to the KBA about a function in the on-board diagnostics system that prevents overdosing of the AdBlue fluid in non-standard operating conditions, such as the use of bio-fuels. AdBlue is an additive that helps eliminate harmful exhaust gases.
Bild am Sonntag first reported on Daimler’s issues, saying that a software function “switches off the exhaust after-treatment under certain conditions.” Daimler said this claim is “misleading”.
Daimler was sued by a shareholder last month over whether the carmaker misled investors about the severity of the diesel emissions scandal that has enveloped most of the German auto industry. The scandal has been most closely linked to Volkswagen, which admitted in a 2015 settlement with the US that it had rigged software to help millions of vehicles pass pollution tests.
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