Dirty lies: how the car industry hid the truth about diesel emissions

Dieselgate, as it became known, exploded into one of the biggest corporate scandals in history. Over almost a decade, Volkswagen acknowledged, it had embedded defeat devices in 11m cars, mostly in Europe, but about 600,000 in the US. The software detected when emissions tests were being run, and pollution controls – components inside the engine that reduce emissions, sometimes at the expense of performance or fuel consumption – worked fine under those circumstances. But outside the lab, the controls were switched off or turned way down, and NOx levels shot up as high as 40 times the legal limit. With mind-boggling gall, Volkswagen had even used the software update it was forced to carry out to improve cars’ ability to detect when they were being tested.

And, as it turned out, Volkswagen wasn’t the only one evading the law. Less flagrantly, but to similar effect, the vast majority of diesel cars were making a mockery of emissions rules. In the wake of the revelations in the US, European governments road-tested other big brands too. In Germany, testers found all but three of 53 models exceeded NOx limits, the worst by a factor of 18. In London, the testing firm Emissions Analytics found 97% of more than 250 diesel models were in violation; a quarter produced NOx at six times the limit. “As the data kept coming in, our jaws just kept dropping. Because it is just so systematic, and so widespread VW isn’t even in the worst half of the manufacturers.” With a few honourable exceptions, “everybody’s doing it”. read more »

Honda Facing Class-Action Lawsuit for Defective Infotainment System Plaguing Owners of Odyssey and Pilot Vehicles

Honda is facing a new class-action lawsuit alleging the automaker knowingly sold its 2018-2019 Honda Odyssey and 2019 Honda Pilot vehicles with defective infotainment systems which it refuses to fix, according to attorneys at Hagens Berman.

The defect can cause safety-related systems (including backup camera functions) to fail, and can create distracting random audio or video. The defect can also cause the entire center console to go black or blue while the vehicle is in motion, and cause navigation and other dashboard features to shut down completely while in use. read more »

German Prosecutors Uncover Calls Between VW Execs About Dieselgate

Prosecutors in Germany have uncovered a series of phone recordings between a number of high-ranking executives regarding dieselgate.

German newspaper Handelsblatt reports that prosecutors have recordings of calls between ex Audi and Porsche development boss Wolfgang Hatz, former VW Group executive Matthias Muller, and current Porsche executives Oliver Blume and Michael Steiner.

The calls were made in November 2015 and recorded by the wife of Wolfgang Hatz. Prosecutors discovered the recordings in email attachments on Mrs. Hatz’s mobile phone which were sent to Hatz’s attorney. read more »

Ford Explorer owners getting carbon monoxide poisoning in their cars, report alleges

Owners of fifth-generation Explorer SUVs are apparently complaining that exhaust leaks are causing carbon monoxide poisoning.

The issue, according to the report, involves the alleged intrusion of exhaust gases into the vehicle's cabin which can, in some extreme instances, lead to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Some of the symptoms of CO poisoning include headache, dizziness, nausea, loss of consciousness and death.

Ford has investigated owners' claims that they were experiencing some of these symptoms and in some situations, the Blue Oval found that the vehicle's exhaust system had been welded improperly, leaving gaps through which exhaust gases can escape. read more »