The Dieselgate scandal first broke out in 2015 with the Volkswagen Group initially taking the heat for violating emissions regulations. Seven years later, VW and all the other carmakers involved in the diesel emissions scam are still feeling its repercussions. Manufacturers are still recalling affected vehicles and paying off fines, legal fees, and compensation.
One of the popular brands that have been in the news for years for their involvement in the Dieselgate scandal is BMW. The German carmaker was initially investigated, along with the VW Group and Daimler (Mercedes-Benz’s parent company), for colluding to delay and limit clean emissions technology introduction. They were charged in 2019 and fined £750 million in 2021.
Authorities raided the carmaker’s headquarters in 2018 for alleged emissions violations. Research funded by the government provided evidence that BMW diesel vehicles emitted nitrogen oxide (NOx) at levels at least seven times over the legal limit. A highly reactive gas, NOx has adverse effects on health and the environment. Any BMW vehicle driving around the UK is a pollutant.
BMW was required to recall affected vehicles and pay fines, fees, and provide compensation.
The affected BMW models are as follows:
- 750Ld xDrive
- 750d xDrive
- X3
- M550d
- 4 Series 420d
- 2 Series GT 216d
- 4 Series
- 5 Series
BMW claims are still quite new so more models can be added to the list as investigations continue.
What BMW did
By installing defeat devices in their diesel vehicles, BMW deceived customers as they marketed and sold the cars as high-performing, fuel-efficient, and emissions-friendly. In reality, the vehicles significantly contribute to air pollution, and they expose people to dangerous nitrogen oxide emissions.
A defeat device is programmed to sense when a vehicle is in the lab for regulatory testing. Once it does, the device automatically brings down emissions levels to within the World Health Organization’s (WHO) limits. So, the vehicle appears emissions-compliant.
However, this changes once the vehicle is out of the lab and on real roads. In real-world driving conditions, the vehicle releases dangerously elevated levels of nitrogen oxides. NOx negatively affects the environment and human health.
NOx has a combination of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and is responsible for producing other pollutants, such as ground-level ozone, which damages vegetation. It also produces acid rain and smog, which means it exacerbates the world’s air pollution problem.
If you are exposed to NOx emissions, you experience several health impacts, including increased depression and anxiety attacks. Your cognitive abilities can also weaken, which means you’re more at risk for developing dementia, specifically Alzheimer’s disease.
Other impacts on your health include breathing difficulties, more frequent asthma attacks, and respiratory issues such as bronchitis and emphysema. Fluid can also get into your lungs and lead to more health issues.
If you are exposed to high levels of NOx emissions, the effects can be life-threatening. The most common ones are laryngospasm, asphyxiation, certain cancers, and chronic lung function reduction. Strokes and cardiovascular diseases have also been linked to NOx emissions.
The most devastating effect of exposure to nitrogen oxide emissions is premature death. Each year, reports come out showing increasing cases of early deaths linked to toxic air. One of the first cases was that of south London resident Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, who died at an early age in 2013 after a severe asthma attack. She lived in an area near South Circular Road that has poor air quality and constantly breathed in toxic air as she walked to school.
Ella’s case is only one of the hundreds of thousands of early deaths that have made air pollution as dangerous as cigarette smoking and HIV and AIDS. Her death received a lot of attention that an inquest was ordered and in December 2020, the coroner formally declared air pollution as the primary cause of Ella’s early demise.
BMW emissions claims
You and other drivers affected by the BMW emissions scandal have the right to bring your carmaker to court through an emissions claim. BMW should be held responsible for all the danger and inconvenience they subjected you to. They lied about the diesel emissions in their vehicles and should pay for their actions.
A diesel claim will allow you to receive thousands in compensation, although the actual amount will be dependent on the circumstances of your case. Hundreds of thousands across the world have already received their payout from their cheating manufacturers. Volkswagen, the primary perpetrator of the Dieselgate scandal, has paid around 91,000 drivers in the UK. Each driver received approximately £2,100.
How do I start my diesel claim?
You can choose to file the charges yourself or you can join a group of affected drivers in an action similar to a class-action lawsuit in the US. However, the first thing you should do is to verify if you are qualified to bring forward a BMW emissions claim as not all vehicles are affected by the defeat device.
Visit ClaimExperts.co.uk to get all the information you need to verify your eligibility. Once you’re done doing so, you can start working on your diesel claim.
