Fiat Chrysler Automobiles discussed using illegal software to cheat emissions tests in diesel versions of the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram EcoDiesel pickup as early as 2010, newly revealed documents show. The emails, which were unsealed last week as part of a proposed class-action lawsuit against FCA show the company was interested in using... New emails show FCA knew of diesel cheats as early as 2010: report
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles discussed using illegal software to cheat emissions tests in diesel versions of the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram EcoDiesel pickup as early as 2010, newly revealed documents show. The emails, which were unsealed last week as part of a proposed class-action lawsuit against FCA show the company was interested in using...
Toyota may supply independent mechanics with parts and instructions for repairing, but not replacing, potentially faulty inverters on certain 2014 Prius models, Green Car Reports has learned. According to Automotive Career Development Center founder Craig Van Batenberg, Toyota for the first time has released parts for mechanics to potentially fix...
Early in 2014, Toyota filed a voluntary recall notice with the NHTSA to fix a defect in roughly 800,000 third-generation Prius Liftback hybrids sold in the U.S. from 2010 through 2014. The company said it would make unspecified changes to software that controlled the vehicle's inverter, which varies the voltage in the vehicle's hybrid system...
When the Oklahoma Legislature passed a bill earlier this year that imposed new fees on owners of hybrid and electric cars only, it was swiftly sued by the Sierra Club. Now the Oklahoma Supreme Court has rendered its verdict in that suit, filed in August. In a 6-3 decision, the state's highest court struck down the bill as an unconstitutional tax...
As a Tesla lawsuit over the state of Michigan's dealership franchise law grinds on, the Silicon Valley automaker scored a recent legal victory. A federal magistrate has ordered two Michigan lawmakers to turn over their communications to the company's lawyers, including emails they sent to lobbyist groups. State Senator Joe Hune and State...
An ongoing lawsuit continues to complicate life for potential buyers of the Tesla Model 3, and the automaker's other electric cars, who live in Michigan. Tesla and the state remain locked in a legal battle over the state's franchise law, which requires automakers to sell vehicles only via an independently owned and franchised dealership. The...
Anniversaries often provide an opportunity to reflect on important past events, review what has happened since, and reflect upon the future. April 2 of this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling in Massachusetts vs EPA in which the EPA was forced to regulate carbon emissions. The passing of this anniversary was marked by an...
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles continues to be dogged by allegations that it cheated on various diesel-emissions tests. In the U.S., the company faces two lawsuits alleging that diesel vehicles use "defeat device" software to circumvent emissions tests in a similar manner to Volkswagen's cheating TDI vehicles. In January, the EPA said FCA had failed to...
The confirmation of Scott Pruitt as Environmental Protection Agency administrator was expected to rankle environmental groups. Pruitt is a climate-science denier who, in his previous position as Oklahoma attorney general, sued the agency he is now charged with many multiple times over its efforts to enforce environmental regulations. But what may...
Shock waves from Volkswagen's admission that it had installed "defeat device" software on its so-called clean diesels to cheat on emission tests continue to reverberate around the auto industry. The diesel-emission scandal that emerged in September 2015 has already cost VW Group more than $20 billion, and dozens of investigations around the world...
A lot has been said about Volkswagen's use of "defeat device" software in diesel cars to cheat on emissions tests, but a German court may win the prize for most-creative description. VW "defeat device" software is like putting horse meat in lasagna, three German judges decreed during a recent hearing related to the diesel scandal. Besides...
In the U.S., owners of Volkswagen 2.0-liter TDI diesel cars with illegal "defeat device" software have reached a settlement with VW—and a preliminary agreement for a smaller number of affected 3.0-liter V-6 diesels is largely, if not entirely, settled. It may have taken months of negotiating, but 2.0-liter diesel owners can be assured of...
Norway is widely acknowledged as one of the world's friendliest places for electric cars. A combination of aggressive incentives, public interest, and short average commuting distances have led to relatively high electric-car sales. That makes it one of the only places in the world where, in certain months, the Tesla Model S has achieved the...
The Volkswagen diesel scandal has led to numerous lawsuits against the German automaker in multiple countries. But now regulatory agencies in European countries have become caught up in the legal fallout from VW's emissions cheating. The European Union began legal action Thursday against Germany, the U.K., and five other nations. DON'T MISS: Every...
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and engine supplier Cummins are the latest companies to be accused of hiding excess diesel-exhaust emissions. A class-action lawsuit filed against the two companies Monday accuses them of conspiring to conceal illegally-high levels of emissions in Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 diesel pickup trucks manufactured between...
The Volkswagen 2.0-liter diesel settlement was approved in late October, but the company's troubles are far from over. VW still needs to reach a settlement with regulators over a smaller number of TDI models equipped with 3.0-liter V-6 engines, and it faces multiple additional lawsuits. It hopes to address most of those issues before...
Volkswagen has some legal troubles that go beyond the ongoing "Dieselgate" scandal. While VW waits for approval of a settlement for 2.0-liter 4-cylinder TDI cars with illegal "defeat device" software, it faces a class-action lawsuit related to another model. That would be the Jetta Hybrid compact sedan, which was removed from Volkswagen's U.S...