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Known fault

OM651 diesel: contested defeat device, KBA authority recalls

It does not show up on every car. Check before you buy.

expensive

severity

not available

mileage

1

sources

1 source next to the write-up.

The fault

How you spot it

The Stuttgart public prosecutor investigated the OM651 diesel on suspicion of an illegal defeat device (Abschalteinrichtung): the engine management returns better emission figures on the test bench than in real use. According to the German technical press the suspicion covered more than one million cars sold in Europe and the USA between 2008 and 2016.

For Germany the suspicion was confirmed in KBA recalls supervised by the authority:

  • KBA 8227: GLC 220d / GLC 250d, 06.2015 to 06.2018
  • KBA 8251, 8252, 8253, 8314: Vito 2.2 diesel, 09.2014 to 09.2016 (partly classed as M1 passenger cars, partly as N1 commercial vehicles)

The ADAC lists these on top: C 220d / C 250d and C 220 / C 250 BlueTEC (12.2013 to 05.2018), S 300 BlueTEC HYBRID / S 300 h (12.2013 to 09.2016), ML 250 BlueTEC (08.2011 to 06.2015), and possibly the GLE 250d. In October 2019 the KBA ordered a third recall as well.

A large share of the cars exported out of the German market come from exactly this group, and the paperwork does not show whether the software update was done. In most countries this alone does not take the car off the road, but it hurts the car's value and how easily you can sell it on.

After the update many owners report higher fuel consumption and worse drivability: you notice that while driving, not from the documents. And in March 2021 the Stuttgart regional court found deliberate, immoral conduct on the maker's part and awarded a C 220 buyer around 25,000 euro in damages (7 O 224/20).

Which model

Who it affects

The card opens the generation, the engine or the transmission.

Engines and transmissions

Checklist

OM651 diesel: contested defeat device, KBA authority recalls

What you would check for this fault. Take it to the car.

Before you buy

Checklist

What you tick stays on this device only.

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Sources

How we know

Information, not an expert opinion

We write the descriptions, and we put the source next to them. A person reviews them before they go out. They are still information, not a technical expert opinion.

  • A fault on the list does not mean the car you are looking at has it.
  • A fault missing from the list does not mean the model is fault-free. Write-ups are made model by model. Not all of them are done.
  • You decide whether to buy. This is no substitute for an inspection. That needs a workshop and a history check.
Details in the terms