— Mercedes-Benz says an M274 engine lawsuit should be dismissed because the plaintiff lacks standing to sue.
The plaintiff, who owns a 2016 Mercedes C300, alleges the M274 pistons cause engine failure.
The Mercedes M274 engine lawsuit alleges the 2016 C300 owned by the plaintiff suffered engine problems when the vehicle had about 95,000 miles on the odometer.
According to the engine lawsuit, a dealership said piston failure occurred in one cylinder and damaged other cylinders, and to replace the M274 engine would cost $20,000.
The plaintiff argues Mercedes should have paid for the repair because the C300 had just 95,000 miles on it, but the automaker refused.
An independent mechanic charged her $7,000 and the exchange of her M274 engine for a used long block engine.
The plaintiff claims Mercedes knew the M274 engines were defective because the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration allegedly opened a formal investigation in October 2022.
However, NHTSA only received a petition to open a formal investigation into model year 2015 Mercedes C300 engine piston wrist pins. The government has not yet granted or denied the petition to open a formal investigation.
Motion to Dismiss the Mercedes M274 Engine Lawsuit
According to attorneys for Mercedes-Benz, the plaintiff doesn't have standing to assert claims on behalf of a class of vehicle owners. Mercedes argues the M274 class action is based on claims predicated on an alleged defect with the pistons in certain vehicles equipped with M274 engines.
However, the problem allegedly doesn't include her vehicle.
The automaker says all the claims are based on an inquiry by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concerning certain pistons in only 2015 Mercedes C300 vehicles equipped with piston “wrist pins” having a particular coating.
But the owner who filed the M274 engine lawsuit has a 2016 C300, and Mercedes argues any problem with the plaintiff's vehicle could not have been caused by the alleged wrist pin issue.
Specifically, Mercedes-Benz says her 2016 C300 contains a different engine configuration with piston wrist pins without the coating that is the subject of the NHTSA inquiry.
"In fact, the NHTSA document plaintiff relies on for her defect allegations specifically declined to include engine pistons in vehicles other than the 2015 C300 for this exact reason. Plaintiff fails to plead facts connecting her vehicle’s alleged issue to that described in the NHTSA inquiry; to the contrary, her vehicle could not have experienced the alleged wrist pin defect—i.e., she has not suffered the injury she attempts to allege." — Mercedes
This allegedly means the M274 engine class action lawsuit should be dismissed for lack of standing.
The Mercedes-Benz M274 lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California: Lena Jamil v. Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC.
The plaintiff is represented by The Katriel Law Firm, P.C., and The Kalfayan Law Firm, APC.