As Ford Authority reported back in February 2024, Ford is one of several automakers – including Mercedes-Benz, Renault Nissan, Volvo, Jaguar Land Rover, Vauxhall, Citroen, and Peugeot – facing allegations of cheating diesel emissions standards in the United Kingdom. Officials claim that these automakers used diesel engines that emitted harmful levels of toxic NOx gases and also skirted both European and UK-based regulatory standards, even using emissions defeat devices to conceal that fact.
Now, according to the BBC, that lawsuit is underway at the UK’s High Court, and lawyers claim that it’s the largest class action in legal history in that part of the world, with the potential to eventually involve as many as 1.6 million vehicle owners. To kick off this massive case, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot/Citroën, Renault Nissan will appear in court first, though each has denied the allegations thus far. Depending on the outcome of the case, nine additional automakers are potentially facing similar charges.
Unlike Volkswagen – which was previously found guilty of using defeat devices to cheat emissions testing – the automakers involved in this case deny engaging in that sort of illicit activity, and plan to argue that the software present in diesel models was needed to prevent engine damage. Generally speaking, defeat devices cause an engine to run below typical performance levels, resulting in a lower reading of nitrogen oxide emission during testing, enabling it to pass. Ford stated that these claims have “no merit.”
On the flip side, lawyers representing roughly 220,000 owners impacted by this case claim that those consumers were misled about how environmentally friendly their vehicles really were, adding that they also continue to emit harmful levels of emissions today. Regardless, the court isn’t expected to reach a decision on the case until summer 2026, though if it finds these automakers guilty, it could then determine what sort of compensation each would have to shell out by next fall.
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