Volkswagen Reportedly Having Trouble Finding “Defeat Device” Fix

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Just a day after the Department of Justice filed a potential multibillion-dollar civil lawsuit against Volkswagen for installing so-called “defeat devices” in vehicles to skirt federal emissions standards, a new report says that the German automaker has run into difficulties finding a fix for the nearly 500,000 affected “clean diesel” cars in the U.S. 

Reuters, citing unnamed VW sources, reports that the car company is struggling to agree with U.S. authorities on a remedy to ensure that affected vehicles meet emission standards during testing and regular road use.

According to the source, coming up with a proposed fix for the issue has been more difficult than expected because it involves creating new components, which would then require testing.

Officials with VW, including chief executive Matthias Mueller, are expected to meet next week with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the Environmental Protection Agency — the agencies which revealed VW’s defeat devices in September.

The VW source says that while the company has run into trouble creating a fix for the emissions cheating vehicles, it’s still hopeful to meet a mid-January deadline to have a plan in place.

VW and officials for the EPA and CARB previously met in late November to discuss potential remedy plans for the vehicles.

The carmaker submitted an initial proposal at the time, and the EPA said it would review that plan. However, it’s unclear if that same plan will be discussed in upcoming meetings, or if the agencies are seeking a new remedy.

Volkswagen struggling to agree fix for U.S. test cheating cars: source [Reuters]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist