VW and Audi Diesels Recall
 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/19/business/volkswagen-is-ordered-to-recall-nearly-500000-vehicles-over-emissions-software.html?_r=0

The Environmental Protection Agency issued the German automaker a notice of violation and accused the company of using software known as a “defeat device” in 4-cylinder Volkswagen and Audi vehicles from model years 2009-15.

The device is programmed to detect when the car is undergoing official emissions testing. Only during such tests are the cars’ full emissions control systems turned on. During normal driving situations, the controls are turned off, allowing the cars to spew as much as 40 times as much pollution as the legal standard required under the Clean Air Act, the E.P.A. said.

Wow.

Cutting corners or finding loopholes in rules or installing an easy-to-defeat emissions device isn't surprising to me, but outright cheating on the emissions test like that... whoa. I'm shocked that they did that.

I wonder how common that is. Is it just that VW got caught and there are others out there doing this, or is this an isolated incident?

Wonder how differently it runs when it is in for emissions?


Sent from an abacus

One great thing about living in OK is no testing of any kind. Not even an annual safety inspection.

Texas has some pretty rough inspection guidelines but the last time I checked diesels were exempt from any smog testing.

So you still see a lot of 123 diesels running around.

Some links about it taken from a tdiclub thread.

EPA press release: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/bd4379a92ceceeac8525735900400c27/dfc8e33b5ab162b985257ec40057813b!OpenDocument

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

WVU study that uncovered the emissions scandal: http://www.theicct.org/use-emissions-testing-light-duty-diesel-vehicles-us

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Most folks have been getting better than EPA listed fuel mileage with the common rail 2.0 diesels. I would imagine the recall reprogram will bring the mileage down to the EPA rating. Performance wise, I would think it would suffer slightly. Longterm wise, I bet components are stressed and more component failures would happen.

And just why would anyone want to take theirs in for reprogramming? Resale bonus "not recall retrofitted' :D

May not have a choice. If the EPA were smart they would require all VW's to be reprogrammed and provide proof upon inspection.

If VW did this I hope the EPA fines the stuffing out of VW.

DeliveyValve, your links aren't working.

Many places don't have any inspection. If I had a VW diesel I wouldn't want this "defect" "repaired". BTW, in my experience EPA, being a government agency, isn't very smart.

I'm sure they did and I'm sure they will.

Of course they go after a vehicle that gets greater than 35MPG. Then leave the grocery getter SUV that can't get 20MPG.

They should work now.

Hundreds of people looking at the thread discussing this on TDIClub brought the server down yesterday :eek: Official: Volkswagen's Clean Air Act violations on 2009+ TDIs triggers massive recall - TDIClub Forums

This is a *HUGE* deal for VW. I'm amazed they would try to pull a stunt like this. CAT, Detroit Diesel, and several other large OTR truck makers tried it in the mid 90s and got busted too.

-J

I don't know that the EPA has the power to do this... inspections are under the guise of individual states. I could see that you could get fined for driving an unrepaired car -- just like you would for driving a car with disabled EGR etc. But how is a cop going to determine that on the roadside?

If there is no inspection it could be tied to registration then.