In August, a fire incident involving a Mercedes-Benz EQE electric vehicle occurred in the underground parking lot of an apartment in Incheon. In response, 24 vehicle owners have filed a lawsuit for damages against Mercedes-Benz's German headquarters, its importer, and its dealerships.
Alleging that the company concealed vehicle defects and engaged in false advertising, they submitted a complaint to the Seoul Central District Court.
At a press conference on the 10th, Attorney Ha Jong-seon (Law Firm Naru) announced the lawsuit, stating that the plaintiffs are currently seeking partial compensation of 10 million KRW per vehicle.
They plan to increase the claim amount based on the outcome of the Korea Fair Trade Commission's investigation into the alleged false advertising.
The core of the lawsuit revolves around the battery installed in the EQE model.
The vehicle owners claim that although most EQE vehicles are equipped with Chinese Farasis batteries, Mercedes-Benz falsely advertised that they were using batteries from CATL, China's leading battery manufacturer.
At the center of the issue is a statement made by Mercedes-Benz Vice President Christoph Starzynski in a 2022 interview with the Korean media, where he mentioned that the EQE model would be equipped with CATL batteries.
Attorney Ha emphasized, “The battery is a crucial factor in the choice of an electric vehicle, and it is clear that Mercedes-Benz misrepresented this information, which constitutes false disclosure."
He also pointed out that despite the thermal runaway risk of the Farasis battery, Mercedes-Benz failed to implement adequate preventive designs or devices, leading to the demand for punitive damages.
In this lawsuit, the plaintiffs are seeking approximately 70 million KRW for the replacement cost of the Farasis battery pack, and an additional 350 million KRW in punitive damages, which is five times the claimed amount.
This is based on the provision in the Automobile Management Act that allows for up to five times the damages for concealing vehicle defects.
One of the plaintiffs commented, "I chose an electric vehicle with the environment in mind, but after the fire incident, my concerns have grown," and called for an apology and recall from Mercedes-Benz.
https://www.sankyungtoday.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=48692
24 Mercedes-Benz EQE Owners File Class Action Lawsuit Over Fire Incident, Alleging False Advertising and Defect Concealment
In August, a fire incident involving a Mercedes-Benz EQE electric vehicle occurred in the underground parking lot of an apartment in Incheon. In response, 24 v
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