The Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) is threatening Mercedes with shutting down thousands of diesel cars due to exhaust manipulation. According to a July 5 letter sent by the KBA to the Stuttgart group, some engines installed in vehicles with the Euro 6 emissions standard have “unacceptable defeat devices”.

German Environmental Aid published the letter on Friday; “Spiegel” and Bayerischer Rundfunk had previously reported on this subject.

The engines of the OM 642 series in question were already in the sights of the authorities; Mercedes needed to make improvements. The letter states that this has been “reviewed” and “approved” by the KBA. However, subsequent investigations deemed other software strategies to be “critical or impermissible shutdown devices.”

KBA is calling on Mercedes to inform by the end of July how the problems can be resolved, otherwise there is a risk of an “operation ban”, i.e. the removal of vehicles from use. According to “Spiegel”, the company has requested an extension of the deadline and a meeting with KBA representatives is planned for the end of September. The manufacturer will then be able to recommend software updates that the vehicles should bring to the workshop.

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When asked by AFP news agency, Mercedes confirmed that the letter was received in July. Accordingly, “KBA’s final decision on the matter” is still pending. “We are co-operating fully with the KBA,” a spokesman said.

Since the diesel scandal emerged, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has declared a number of engine functions unacceptable. With shutdown devices, the engine’s exhaust gas cleaning system is shut down. According to the ECJ this is only allowed if it can be proven that the engine could otherwise be damaged.

DUH, which filed a lawsuit against the use of disruptive devices and was proven right by the European judiciary, criticizes the fact that approximately 10 million diesel vehicles with illegal software settings are still on the roads in Germany. The letter KBA wrote to Mercedes was leaked to the organization by an “informant”.

Activists accuse Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) and the KBA of “conspiratorial cooperation” with car companies and state that, among other things, information about consumers, such as the emissions manipulation mentioned in the letter sent to Mercedes, has been made public. was kept secret.

In a landmark decision, the European Court of Justice ruled in June that drivers of diesel vehicles with exhaust gas manipulation are entitled to compensation.