Two US owners of Mercedes-Benz AMG vehicles have filed a class action lawsuit in the California Federal District Court, alleging that the metal emblem on the front seats of certain models has a design defect that can cause skin contact burns in high temperatures. The plaintiffs are seeking medical compensation and calling on the manufacturer to fund the removal of the offending emblems from affected vehicles.

The lawsuit states that the affected AMG models have a protruding metal emblem embedded in the front seat backrest, a position that easily comes into direct contact with occupants' upper back, neck, or shoulders. Plaintiffs Gabriel Lahijani from Los Angeles and Karendeep Bath from California suffered burn injuries in May and July of this year, respectively. Both individuals were wearing sleeveless tops when entering vehicles parked outdoors, and their shoulders and backs touched the rapidly heated metal emblem, resulting in red marks bearing the outline of the "AMG" logo. A professional dermatologist diagnosed the injuries as first- to second-degree burns caused by thermal contact.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs are demanding that Mercedes-Benz cover all related medical expenses and subsequent compensation for the physical and mental harm caused by the design defect. Additionally, they emphasize that Mercedes-Benz has a responsibility to take corrective action by safely removing the emblems for other owners facing the same risk, free of charge. As of now, Mercedes-Benz has not publicly responded to the class action.

This is not the only major legal dispute facing Mercedes-Benz in the US recently. Legal documents show that in December of last year, Mercedes-Benz USA and its parent company reached a settlement with a coalition of state attorneys general over allegations of installing illegal software in over 210,000 diesel vehicles produced between 2008 and 2016 to evade emissions tests, agreeing to pay a massive fine of $149.6 million.