VW Recalls 500k Vehicles After Cheating Emissions Tests
Volkswagen (VW) vehicles once marketed as clean diesel have turned out to be not so clean. VW admitted last week that the automaker has cheated on diesel emissions tests in the United States for the last several years through the use of defeat device software.
The software enables the vehicle to know when it is in a testing environment so that it can limit the level of nitrogen oxide that the vehicle emits under those conditions. In all other driving conditions, the vehicle emits levels up to 40 times what is allowable by U.S. regulation.
The worlds largest automaker must now recall almost 500,000 vehicles in the U.S. and modify the emissions systems at its own expense. A total of 11 million vehicles with the same software are estimated to have been sold worldwide.
The German automaker could also expect fines of up to $18 billion from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The company has stated that it set aside an initial $7.3 billion to cover any fines and additional expenses that may arise.
Several lawsuits have already been filed by VW owners alleging that the company utilized misleading advertising and that the value of their vehicles has now depreciated. Many car owners originally purchased the cars because of their green qualities, and have stated that they would not have purchased the cars had they known what they know now.
The vehicles being recalled include 2009-2015 Jetta, Golf, and Beetle; 2014-2015 Passat; and 2009-2015 Audi A3.
Unfortunately, this is not the first automobile related scandal this year in which a company lied to regulators and consumers. General Motors and Takata Corp. have both been fined by regulators for attempting to hide a deadly safety defect.
If you have been injured because of a defective product, we can help you get the compensation you deserve.
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