—
Mercedes interior wood trim needs restoration from veneer wood finish defects, or at least according to a class action lawsuit that will move forward in court.
Mercedes-Benz tried to convince a federal judge to dismiss the entire interior wood trim lawsuit, but the judge dismissed only certain claims and allowed the majority of claims to proceed.
The interior wood trim allegedly needs restoration in these models.
- 2013-2022 Mercedes-Benz ML-Class
- 2013-2022 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
- 2013-2022 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class
- 2013-2022 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class
- 2013-2022 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class
- 2013-2022 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
According to the lawsuit, the interior veneer wood finish trim cracks, something Mercedes-Benz allegedly knew would happen but concealed from customers.
The class action says interior would trim restoration is expensive and vehicle owners shouldn’t be stuck with paying for defects in the veneer finish.
One owner who filed the lawsuit complains a Mercedes-Benz dealer told her it would cost more than $1,000 to replace the veneer interior wood trim and it would allegedly cause a loss of vehicle value. The plaintiff claims Mercedes should have paid for restoring or replacing the wood trim even though the vehicle was six years old.
The interior wood trim class action argues the cracked interior wood veneer makes the entire vehicle defective and unfit to drive. In addition, the lawsuit alleges the cracked trim means the vehicles are “not merchantable.”
The Mercedes-Benz class action lawsuit includes 11 plaintiffs who complain the automaker refuses to do anything for free about the cracked interior trim.
Motion to Dismiss the Mercedes Interior Wood Trim Lawsuit
Mercedes argues the 11 named plaintiffs lack standing to bring claims for vehicles they never leased or owned. For example, Mercedes argues none of the plaintiffs owned or leased a GL or GLK model nor any vehicle from 2019 through 2022.
However, Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr. ruled this issue is better considered at the class action certification stage of the lawsuit.
The judge went on to allow the majority of the claims to move forward. But he did dismiss several, including breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty, violation of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, and unjust enrichment with respect to all the plaintiffs except one.
Also dismissed are claims regarding a violation of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act, violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, and violation of the South Carolina Unfair Trade Practices Act with respect to all the plaintiffs except one.
More than 10 claims will proceed in court.
The Mercedes-Benz interior wood trim class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (Atlanta Division): Monilaw et al., v. Mercedes Benz Group AG, et al.
The plaintiffs are represented by Heninger Garrison Davis, LLC, Timoney Knox, LLP, Tycko & Zavareei LLP, and Frederick Law Group, PLLC.