The startling admission instantly makes the crisis one of the most expensive automotive scandals in recent memory. The crisis also threatens to upend the company on its rapid path to becoming the world鈥檚 largest automaker. The crisis began Friday when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency accused Volkswagen of installing sophisticated software on nearly 500,000 U.S. The technology tricks regulators into believing that 4-cylinder diesel vehicles comply with emissions standards, but the cars are actually admitting harmful pollutants at rates of up to 40 times acceptable standards. Volkswagen quickly halted sales of the cars after the allegations surfaced. The U.S. Justice Department has opened a criminal probe into the automaker's actions. The EPA's own investigation is ongoing, and foreign regulators are expected to launch their own probes. Tuesday in a statement. The scandal raises serious questions about whether high-level executives knew about the software, which had been installed on some nameplates for at least six consecutive model years. The EPA has said the company admitted to installing the software.
The agency said the software affected the four-cylinder diesel versions of the 2009 to 2015 Jetta, Beetle, Golf, the 2014 and 2015 Passat and the 2009 to 2015 Audi A3. The episode is likely to trigger a recall and a flurry of consumer lawsuits. It may prompt the company to compensate individual car owners or other measures. AUGUST 2015 -- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Volkswagen CC, Passat, and Tiguan, 2010-2013 Eos and Jetta, 2011-2014 Golf and GTI, and 2011-2013 Jetta Sportwagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, debris may contaminate the air bag clock spring, a spiral wound, flat cable that keeps the air bag powered while the steering wheel is being turned. This contamination may tear the cable and result in a loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag. A loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag will prevent the air bag from deploying in the event of a vehicle crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy for this recall is still under development. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. NOV 2014 -- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Volkswagen Jetta and Passat vehicles manufactured September 23, 2014, to October 9, 2014, and equipped with manual front seatback recliners. In the affected vehicles, the seatback recliner retaining bracket may not engage correctly, resulting in unexpected movement of the seatback. Unexpected movement of the driver's seatback may distract the driver, increasing the risk of a crash. Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the assembly of the seatback recliner retaining bracket, correcting it as necessary, free of charge. APRIL 2014 -- Volkswagen of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2014 Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, and Passat vehicles equipped with a 1.8T engine and torque converter automatic transmission. In the affected vehicles, the O-ring seals between the oil cooler and the transmission may leak fluid. The leaking transmission fluid could contact a hot surface and result in a vehicle fire. Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the O-ring seals in the transmission oil cooler, free of charge.
DECEMBER 2013 - Volkswagen Group of America, Inc (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Jetta Hybrid vehicles manufactured October 2012 through October 2013 and equipped with a DQ-200 direct-shift gearbox. Due to gearbox fluid additives, the control module within the gearbox may corrode. The deposits from this corrosion may cause an electrical short and result in a stall-like condition. This sudden loss of power while driving increases the risk of a crash. Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the gearbox oil with a non-corrosive version, free of charge. NOVEMBER 2013 - Volkswagen AG is recalling more than 80,000 vehicles in North America for electrical issues. Owners will be notified next month and dealers will replace the fuse with an upgraded version. The recall includes 62,155 Tiguan SUVs in the United States and 16,235 in Canada. Earlier this month, NHTSA opened an investigation into 61,000 Tiguan SUVs because of complaints about exterior lights.
