Volkswagen recalling 500,000 cars for cheating emissions software

Automakers are under intense pressure to meet emissions regulations put in place by the world's governments. Volkswagen had a slightly different solution.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordered a recall of 500,000 Volkswagen and Audi vehicles equipped with four-cylinder diesel engines for software designed to sidestep emissions regulations, reports the New York Times.

In total, 482,000 vehicles are being recalled including the 2009-2015 Volkswagen Golf, Beetle, Jetta and Beetle, the 2014-2015 Volkswagen Passat and the 2009-2015 Audi A3. The cars were installed with a "defeat device," a piece of software designed to detect when the car is undergoing emissions testing and turn on all of the car's emissions control systems then. In normal driving, the systems would turn off, causing 40 times larger nitrogen oxide emissions, according to the E.P.A. Read more...