Mercedes to Extended Warranty in Leaky Mini-Van Class Action Settlement

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Mercedes has agreed to provide an extended seven-year warranty that would cover AC units in Sprinter mini-vans in order to settle a class action lawsuit that alleged the rear air conditioners are defective.

The Mercedes class action settlement reached yesterday is expected to affect 8,000 California drivers from having to pay any out-of-pocket expenses to fix the alleged faulty AC unit. In addition to providing the extended warranty, Mercedes agreed to add an inspection of the AC unit seals to Sprinter’s maintenance schedule.

“The settlement is not only a fair, reasonable and adequate resolution of the claims asserted, it is a very favorable result for class members,” according to the motion for preliminary approval of the settlement.

The Mercedes class action settlement states that repairing the Sprinter AC unit can cost Class Members anywhere between $500 to $1,000.

Plaintiff Digby Adler Group LLC a.k.a. Bandago, a California car rental company, filed the initial Mercedes class action lawsuit in April of 2014. The complaint said that Sprinter vans could leak tremendous amounts of water into the interior of the vehicle.

According to the Mercedes lawsuit, “Owners describe the leaks as being similar to having it rain inside the vans, or to taking a shower in the van, or to being under a waterfall.”

The class action lawsuit was removed to federal court in May 2014, when Mercedes argued that because its principal place of business is in New Jersey, the case should be transferred to federal court.

Mercedes-Benz then filed a motion to dismiss the class action lawsuit informing the court that the claims of the leaks causing mold to grow inside the vehicle were not specific enough to carry the Sprinter class action lawsuit.

Mercedes defective AC class action lawsuit settlement Class Members include all U.S. residents who are current and former owners/lessees of model year 2010-2014 Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner Sprinter 2500 or 3500 vehicles with original-equipment rear air conditioning units who purchased or leased their vehicles in the U.S.

Instructions on how to file a claim for the proposed Mercedes Sprinter Van class action settlement was not immediately available. Keep checking TopClassActions.com or sign up for our free newsletter for the latest updates. You can also mark this article as a “Favorite” using your free Top Class Actions account to receive notifications when this article is updated.

Robles is represented by Anthony L. Label and Steven A. Kronenberg of the Veen Firm PC and Jonathan E. Gertler, Dan L. Gildor and Samuel P. Cheadle of Chavez & Gertler LLP.

Mercedes is represented by Troy Masami Yoshino, Eric J. Knapp and Steven Edward Swaney of Carroll Burdick & McDonough LLP.

The Mercedes Sprinter Van Class Action Lawsuit Settlement is Digby Adler Group LLC v. Mercedes-Benz USA LLC et al., Case No. 3:14-cv-02349, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

UPDATE: The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van air conditioner class action settlement is now open! Click here to file a Claim Form.