Volkswagen Touareg undergoes recall due to newly discovered illicit emissions control devices

Volkswagen Touaregs Recalled Due to Emissions Defeat Devices

Volkswagen has announced a recall of 56,700 Touareg SUVs with the 3.0 litre Euro 6 diesel engine, following the discovery of new emissions defeat devices. This recall comes after the U.S. Government ordered Volkswagen to recall 482,000 cars fitted with similar software.

The German Transport Minister, Alexander Dobrindt, revealed that Volkswagen did use their defeat device software in Europe to scam emissions tests, just as they did in the United States. This software, designed to mask emissions during official tests, is also present in the Touaregs being recalled.

Researchers at West Virginia University played a key role in uncovering Volkswagen's use of illegal defeat device software. Their findings have led to a global scandal, with Volkswagen admitting to fitting software to their 3.0 litre V6 diesel engines that acts as a defeat device.

The KBA, the German Automotive Watchdog, has ordered the recall of the affected Touaregs. About half of the affected vehicles are in Germany, but no figures are available yet for how many UK cars are affected.

Interestingly, the Touaregs with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) are able to reduce the amounts of AdBlue injected under some circumstances. However, it appears that under real-world conditions, two illicit devices fitted to the 3.0 litre diesel engine alter emissions control.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) had previously asserted that Volkswagen couldn't have cheated EU emissions testing. However, these latest revelations have cast doubt on this claim.

Volkswagen has a 'fix' for the issues, and all 56,700 cars will be re-programmed to comply with emissions regulations. It's worth noting that German authorities have already forced Porsche to recall the Cayenne diesel over defeat devices earlier this year.

Despite the illegal nature of the software, Volkswagen claims it is legal in the UK and Europe. However, the warming-up mode designed to reduce emissions in test situations on a rolling road doesn't work when the car is on the road, raising further questions about the legality of this software.

No information was provided about a potential "fix" for the issues with the 3.0 litre V6 diesel engines in the context of this article. It remains to be seen how Volkswagen will address these concerns and regain the trust of their customers.