VAG to recall half a million cars in the US.

[grober]

VW have been found guilty of using specific software to fiddle their smog emission test results. The cars ECU was programmed to detect when the car was being tested for smog emission as opposed to driving along the road normally and switch to a smog emission lowering mode for the duration of the test. Not sure how this was done but involves monitoring steering inputs [ easy enough with electric steering I presume?] If no steering input was detected together with other unspecified sensor inputs the car switched its fueling regime to a lower emissions setting. Think this was for diesel cars only but not sure.


Volkswagen to recall 500,000 pollution-hiding cars in US - BBC News

 

[rhud]

I've been reading a fuller version of this in the New York Times. Affects diesel cars. Seems it was a deliberate attempt to subvert the US clean air legislation. Some VW owners saying they will never buy the marque again and calling for prosecutions,not just fines. Extraordinary.

 

[Stratman]

There's nothing new under the sun.

Cast your mind back to when the Common Market or whatever it was called then decreed that all cars must have published fuel consumption figures at (I think) 30, 56 and 72 mph.

Very soon after this decree, car testers were complaining of a massive flat spot between 50 and 60 mph.

 

[st13phil]

Around 10 years ago I was told by someone with intimate industry knowledge that "one of the German car manufacturer's other than MB" had ECU's that detected when they were on the EU Emissions & Economy test cycle and adjusted the fuelling parameters to achieve favourable results.

Sounds like it was VAG and that they've been rumbled.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

I'd be very interested to know how the authorities sussed them out; disgruntled former employee perchance?

 

[grober]

Whistle blown by the ICCT About the ICCT | International Council on Clean Transportation who then reported the issue to the EPA who did their own investigations.
[YOUTUBE HD]l9QIW7L1m1E[/YOUTUBE HD]

 

[Dryce]

I'd be very interested to know how the authorities sussed them out; disgruntled former employee perchance?

http://www3.epa.gov/otaq/cert/documents/vw-nov-caa-09-18-15.pdf

Refers to West Virginia University's Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines and Emissions undertaking a study for the ICCT and finding higher emissions and then VAG being approached.

Note that the linked letter uses terms like 'alleged violation'. It's being careful.

The large $$$ numbers being suggested by the press would indicate some lucrative work for lawyers and probably some sort of reverse scrutiny of regulations and compliance that the EPA would not like. A previous violation that involve 44,000 instances (about a tenth of the VAG instances) of non-compliance resulted in a substantially lower fine than the figures being talked about.

So I guess VW will be looking for a technical defence and a much lower settlement than the big numbers in the news articles.

Meanwhile it being the US all sorts of class action stuff will start to kick off and individual states such as California may also undertake their own actions.

 

[LTD]

Can we look at the emissions of the Hummers and Deuces outwith the US in battle trim ?

 

[DSB SL AMG]