Skip to main content

Air Resources Board rejects VW diesel recall plan

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has rejected Volkswagen Group of America’s submitted recall plan for 2-litre diesel passenger vehicles sold in California between 2009 and 2015, saying it is incomplete. CARB also notified VW of violations of California air quality regulations associated with the company’s use of a ‘defeat device’ in those cars. "Volkswagen made a decision to cheat on emissions tests and then tried to cover it up,” said CARB Chair Mary D. Nichols. “They continued and compounded
January 13, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has rejected Volkswagen Group of America’s submitted recall plan for 2-litre diesel passenger vehicles sold in California between 2009 and 2015, saying it is incomplete. CARB also notified VW of violations of California air quality regulations associated with the company’s use of a ‘defeat device’ in those cars.  

"994 Volkswagen made a decision to cheat on emissions tests and then tried to cover it up,” said CARB Chair Mary D. Nichols. “They continued and compounded the lie and when they were caught they tried to deny it. The result is thousands of tons of nitrogen oxide that have harmed the health of Californians. They need to make it right. Today's action is a step in the direction of assuring that will happen."

The rejection does not preclude a recall, but allows for a broader array of potential remedies. CARB will continue its investigation and technical evaluations with EPA to return the vehicles to legally required emission levels, determine mitigation for past and future environmental harm, and assess penalties.

Related Content

  • March 24, 2016
    Report highlights positive effects of US diesel emissions reduction program
    Clean diesel grants aimed at cleaning up old diesel engines have greatly improved public health by cutting harmful pollution that causes premature deaths, asthma attacks and missed school and workdays, according to a new report by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Since its start in 2008, the Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) program has significantly improved air quality for communities across the country by retrofitting and replacing older diesel engines. Diesel exhaust significantly con
  • October 16, 2015
    Volkswagen to step up EV development
    Volkswagen will cut investment plans at its biggest division by US$1.1 billion a year and step up development of electric vehicles (EV), as it battles to cope with the fallout from its cheating of diesel emissions tests, according to Reuters. The German company also said it would speed up cost cutting at the VW division, its largest by revenues, and put only the latest and ‘best environmental technology’ in diesel vehicles.
  • February 1, 2012
    Environmental impact assessments - where now?
    Peter George, MVA Consultancy, questions the future direction of environmental impact assessments
  • September 19, 2017
    New services and equipment helps cities tackle air quality issues
    With poor urban air quality shortening lives and fines being imposed for breaching pollution limits, authorities are seeking ways to clean up their cities. Poor air quality is topping the agenda for city authorities across the globe. In the UK, for example, a report from the Royal Colleges of Physicians and of Paediatrics and Child Health, concluded that poor outdoor air quality shortens the lives of around 40,000 people a year – principally by undermining the health of people with heart and/or lung prob