Senators Markey and Blumenthal Call on Justice Dept. to Investigate Potential Emissions Cheating by Mercedes Benz

Statement

Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today called on the Department of Justice to thoroughly and quickly investigate any allegations that Daimler AG, the manufacturer of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, used software to enable its vehicles to evade U.S. car pollution standards. Media reports indicate that the carmaker may have installed software that can detect when a vehicle's emissions are being tested and cause the vehicle to reduce harmful exhaust gases during the testing period, potentially deceiving federal regulators and consumers, and endangering public health. Daimler AG has denied any wrongdoing.

"But if the reporting is true, and the company did install software to enable its vehicles to evade U.S. emissions standards, such wrongdoing would violate the Clean Air Act.," write Senators Markey and Blumenthal, members of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. "Additionally, false advertising about the vehicles' low emissions may have misled and deceived hundreds of thousands of American customers and violated consumer protection statutes."

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