Mercedes pays $2,000 for a free repair — but the BlueTEC fix must be done by August 31

If you own — or ever owned — a 2009 to 2016 Mercedes-Benz or Sprinter BlueTEC diesel, Mercedes-Benz will pay you $2,000 for having the Approved Emission Modification installed. The installation itself is free, it happens at an authorized dealer, and it comes with an Extended Modification Warranty afterwards. The $2,000 sits on top of all that — it is an incentive to get the work done, not a reimbursement for a cost you carried.

The date almost everyone quotes is the wrong one

There are two deadlines. The modification has to be installed at an authorized Mercedes-Benz or Freightliner Sprinter dealer by August 31, 2026. The claim is then due September 30, 2026. If the fix is not done by the August date, the September one cannot save you — so if your vehicle has not had it yet, booking that free appointment is the entire job. If the modification was already done on or after August 1, 2023, you are ready to claim right now.

Which vehicles are covered

The BlueTEC II diesels: E250 BlueTEC 2014–2016, E350 BlueTEC 2011–2013, GL320 BlueTEC 2009, GL350 BlueTEC 2010–2016, GLE300d 2016, GLE350d 2016, GLK250 BlueTEC 2013–2015, ML250 BlueTEC 2015, ML320 BlueTEC 2009, ML350 BlueTEC 2010–2014, R320 BlueTEC 2009, R350 BlueTEC 2010–2012, S350 BlueTEC 2012–2013, and the Sprinter in both Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner branding — 4-cylinder 2014–2016 and 6-cylinder 2010–2016. Eligibility does not depend on which state you live in.

Who qualifies, and what disqualifies a claim

Current owners, current lessees, and people who have since sold the vehicle or ended the lease all qualify. Three things rule a claim out: a modification installed before August 1, 2023; a $2,000 incentive already collected under an earlier programme; or a modification installed somewhere other than an authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer.

Where the money comes from

Two separate settlements sit behind this. In 2021 Mercedes-Benz settled with the Department of Justice, the EPA, the California Air Resources Board and the California Attorney General over the emission control systems in certain model year 2009–2016 diesels — that is where the free modification comes from. A later settlement with a coalition of state attorneys general is what pays the $2,000, to get those modifications actually installed.

What to have ready before you start

Two documents: proof the vehicle was yours — the title if you still own it, the bill of sale if you sold it, or the lease agreement if you leased it — and the dealer's final repair order showing the modification was installed inside the window. One more thing catches people out: the online claim form asks for a 10-character Unique ID and a 4-digit PIN printed on the notice Mercedes mailed you, and there is no public route that skips them. If that notice never arrived or has been thrown out, the administrator issues them by phone on 1-888-865-4540. Sort that out first, because the form cannot be saved halfway through. ClaimBridge lays out what registering takes and readies your registration — you file it, and you keep 100% of the payout.