Mercedes-Benz Settles Code 590 Mars Red Paint Issues Lawsuit

Filed in August 2018 with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, a class action lawsuit over Mars Red-painted cars and utility vehicles has finally come to a bitter conclusion for the German outfit.
 

According to Pinon, et al., v. Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz, this particular shade of red exhibits premature flaking, peeling, bubbling, erosion, and microblistering of the clearcoat. This condition ultimately results in outer body panel corrosion, which affects the value of the vehicle. The premium-oriented brand had allegedly concealed the defect although Merc should’ve known better when it published a certain technical service bulletin.
 
TSB L198.00-P-058914 puts the blame on “improper adhesion of the clearcoat.” Dealers were instructed to refinish the affected body panels, which is a superficial remedy at best. Even when faced with countless photos of shoddy paint quality in vehicles as expensive as the G 63, the carmaker had the audacity to deny liability and wrongdoing allegations.
 
According to documents published on Mars Red Paint Settlement, the Georgia-based federal court has required Mercedes to pony up $4,750,000 in attorneys’ fees for the work performed by the class counsel and up to $100,000 for the reimbursement of reasonable costs and other expenses.
 
As far as the plaintiffs are concerned, each will receive $5,000 in the guise of an incentive award. It’s safe to assume that some plaintiffs aren’t particularly happy with this amount because of the alleged loss of vehicle value attributed to the paint defects. What’s more, Mercedes not being required to recall these cars may not sit well with some of its customers.
 
The vehicles in question were produced between the 2004 and 2017 model year. These vehicles are the C-Class, CLK, CL, E-Class, CLS, GLK, S-Class, SL, SLS AMG, AMG GT, G-Class, SLC, SLK, and Maybach 57. Indeed, that Maybach 57 that Mercedes-Benz struggled to sell alongside the long-wheelbase 62 between calendar years 2000 and 2012. All told, the Three-Pointed Star has delivered in the ballpark of 3,000 examples of the breed.