Mercedes-Benz AEM Installation Incentive Program

About this settlement

This is a payment to get you to do something, not compensation for a loss. A coalition of state attorneys general settled with Mercedes-Benz over the marketing and sale of its diesel vehicles, and the settlement pays $2,000 to owners and lessees who have the Approved Emission Modification — the AEM — installed. The modification itself comes from an earlier settlement with the DOJ, the EPA and the California Air Resources Board over the emission control systems in model year 2009–2016 Mercedes diesels. The installation is free, it is done at an authorized Mercedes-Benz or Freightliner Sprinter dealer, and it comes with an Extended Modification Warranty afterwards. So the $2,000 is on top of a free repair, not a reimbursement for one. Eligible Subject Vehicles are 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 — both Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner branded — 4-cylinder 2014–2016 and 6-cylinder 2010–2016. Eligibility does not depend on which state you live in. What you can claim: a flat $2,000 per vehicle, and $2,000 is also the maximum. Current owners, current lessees, and people who have since sold or ended the lease all qualify, so long as the modification was done while it was theirs. Two dates, and the first one is the one that matters: the AEM has to be installed at an authorized dealer by AUGUST 31, 2026, and the claim has to be filed by SEPTEMBER 30, 2026. If your car already had the modification done on or after August 1, 2023, you are ready to claim now. If it has not, booking that free appointment is the whole job — miss the August date and the September one cannot save you. Three things disqualify a claim outright: an AEM installed before August 1, 2023; a $2,000 incentive already collected under any earlier AEM programme; and an AEM installed anywhere other than an authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer. Two documents go with the claim. 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 final repair order from the dealer showing the AEM was installed inside the window. Files upload as jpg, png, pdf, doc or zip, up to 20MB each. One thing to know before you start: the online claim form asks for a 10-character Unique ID and a 4-digit PIN printed on the notice Mercedes mailed you. There is no public route that skips them. If the notice never arrived or has been thrown away, the administrator issues them over the phone on 1-888-865-4540 — worth doing early, because the form cannot be saved halfway through.

Who is eligible?

• You own, lease, or previously owned or leased a Mercedes-Benz or Sprinter BlueTEC II diesel from model years 2009–2016 — including Freightliner-branded Sprinters.
• The free Approved Emission Modification was installed at an authorized Mercedes-Benz or Freightliner Sprinter dealer between August 1, 2023 and August 31, 2026 — or you book that free appointment before August 31, 2026.
• You have not already collected a $2,000 incentive under an earlier AEM programme.
• You can produce the title, bill of sale or lease agreement, plus the dealer's final repair order for the installation.