How to Claim Your $2,000 Mercedes-Benz Settlement Before September 30

Owners and lessees of certain older Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner Sprinter diesel vehicles have until September 30 to claim a $2,000 payment tied to the automaker’s emissions settlement, and the clock is now inside its final six weeks.

The payment is part of a $149.6 million settlement Mercedes-Benz reached with attorneys general in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico in December 2025, closing out the company’s long-running diesel emissions case in the United States. Drivers who qualify and complete both required steps in time receive $2,000 directly, plus a free repair and an extended warranty on the affected part.

Which Vehicles Qualify

The settlement covers 2009 through 2016 model year Mercedes-Benz vehicles equipped with BlueTEC diesel engines, along with Freightliner-badged Sprinter vans using BlueTEC II diesel technology. Eligible Mercedes-Benz models include the E250, E350, GL320, GL350, GLE300d, GLE350d, GLK250, ML250, ML320, ML350, R320, R350 and S350, in addition to four- and six-cylinder Sprinter vans.

Owners do not need to still have the vehicle to qualify. The settlement extends to anyone who owned or leased an eligible vehicle in the covered period, meaning drivers who have sold or traded in their Mercedes-Benz or Sprinter can still file a claim if they meet the other requirements.

Two Deadlines, Not One

The settlement has two separate cutoffs, and missing either one forfeits the payment entirely. First, eligible owners must have the required Approved Emission Modification, known as the AEM, installed at an authorized Mercedes-Benz or Freightliner Sprinter dealership no later than August 31, 2026. The installation itself is free and comes with an extended warranty covering the modified part.

Second, owners must submit a valid claim through the settlement’s official portal by September 30, 2026. Submitting a claim without having completed the AEM installation, or completing the installation but never filing the claim, both result in forfeiting the $2,000 payment. Owners who already had the AEM installed between August 1, 2023 and August 31, 2026 are eligible, meaning many drivers who had the work done months ago simply need to file the claim before the September deadline to collect their payment.

The AEM itself is a software and hardware update applied to the vehicle’s emissions control system, designed to bring real-world nitrogen oxide output closer in line with what the vehicle produced in official certification testing. Dealerships perform the update using manufacturer-approved diagnostic tools, and the process typically takes a few hours, similar to a routine service appointment rather than a major mechanical repair. Owners do not pay anything for the installation itself, and the extended warranty that comes with it covers the modified components beyond the vehicle’s original warranty period, which protects owners against a narrow set of future repair costs tied specifically to the modification.

How to File a Claim

Eligible owners can file directly at mbaemincentive.com by logging in with the unique claim ID and PIN included in the notice mailed to them by the settlement administrator. Owners who no longer have that notice, or who never received one but believe their vehicle qualifies, can call the settlement administrator at 1-888-865-4540 to confirm eligibility and request their login information.

Drivers who have not yet had the AEM installed should contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz dealership, or a Freightliner Sprinter dealership for Sprinter-badged vans, to schedule the installation before the August 31 cutoff. Waiting until close to that deadline carries real risk, as dealership service schedules can book up weeks in advance, especially as other owners rush to meet the same deadline.

The Case Behind the Payment

The settlement resolves claims that Mercedes-Benz used software and design choices in its BlueTEC diesel engines to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions controls under real-world driving conditions while remaining compliant in official testing, a pattern of allegation similar to what emerged in the broader diesel emissions scandal involving several manufacturers over the past decade. Rather than proceeding through prolonged litigation with all 50 states individually, Mercedes-Benz agreed to the multistate settlement, which requires the company to pay $120 million to the states immediately.

An additional $29,673,750 remains suspended and could be forfeited by Mercedes-Benz depending on how many affected vehicles receive the AEM repair, are removed from commerce, or are repurchased by the company by the August 31 deadline. That structure gives Mercedes-Benz a direct financial incentive to get as many eligible vehicles modified as possible before the cutoff, which is part of why dealerships have been proactively contacting registered owners of affected vehicles this year.

The case echoes the far larger diesel emissions scandal that engulfed Volkswagen beginning in 2015, when regulators found the automaker had installed software specifically designed to detect emissions testing and alter engine performance in the test cycle. Volkswagen paid more than $20 billion in fines, buybacks and settlements in the United States alone. Mercedes-Benz’s BlueTEC case is smaller in scope and did not result in the same criminal exposure, but it follows a similar underlying pattern: a gap between how a diesel engine performs in regulatory testing and how it performs on the road, with drivers left to absorb higher repair costs for emissions parts that wore out faster than expected under real-world conditions.

What to Do if You Are Not Sure You Qualify

Drivers unsure whether their Mercedes-Benz or Sprinter falls within the eligible model years and engine types should check their vehicle identification number against the list of covered models at mbaemincentive.com or call the settlement administrator directly rather than assuming they do not qualify. Some owners who bought a used BlueTEC-equipped Mercedes-Benz years after the original purchase are unaware the vehicle carries a diesel emissions history at all, as the AEM Incentive Program applies based on the vehicle itself rather than any specific ownership chain.

Owners who purchased their Mercedes-Benz or Sprinter secondhand should also check the glovebox and service records for any prior notice from the manufacturer, as a previous owner could have received the original mailing without acting on it. A dealership can typically confirm a vehicle’s eligibility on the spot by running its VIN, even without the original notice in hand, which makes an eligibility check worth the trip even for owners who are not sure whether their specific model and engine combination qualifies.

What Happens After September 30

Owners who miss the September 30 claim deadline lose access to the $2,000 payment permanently, though the underlying emissions modification requirement and any related warranty terms tied to the vehicle itself could still apply separately. With a fixed deadline and a significant dollar amount at stake, affected owners have a clear financial reason to confirm their eligibility and file well before the final week of September, rather than risk a dealership scheduling delay or a portal login issue costing them the payment entirely.

Sources:

• Open Class Actions, Mercedes-Benz AEM Incentive Program Settlement
• Dapeer Law, Mercedes-Benz BlueTEC AEM Settlement