Stuttgart – Daimler has reached a settlement in a legal dispute that has been brewing in Canada for years with owners of Mercedes diesel cars due to excessive exhaust emissions. The cost for the approximately 83,000 affected cars and Sprinter vans was the equivalent of about 175 million euros, Daimler announced Friday. Accounting provisions have been made for the cost. Final approval of the competent court in Ontario is pending.

In Canada, Mercedes buyers filed class action lawsuits against several group companies in April 2016. Consumers accused Daimler of installing equipment with which exhaust gas purification is reduced to emit extremely high nitrogen oxide emissions.

Daimler again denies the allegations

The carmaker said settling the proceedings would avoid protracted disputes involving financial risks in court. However, Daimler again denied the allegations. “The company denies the essential factual claims and legal claims made by plaintiffs and members of the class action,” Daimler said. The comparison does not determine whether vehicles have work permissible cut-off devices.

The diesel emissions scandal, which began in September 2015, when it became known about the manipulation of diesel engines at Volkswagen, has already cost the Stuttgart carmaker several billion euros. Unlike VW, Daimler denies installing illegal defeat devices.