VW the latest in long history of cheating car companies


Associated Press

WASHINGTON

In stock car racing, there’s an adage: If you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’. You could say the same sometimes for auto makers up against stricter environmental rules.

Volkswagen is far from the first company to stand accused of trying to game required emissions tests. Almost since the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970, major manufacturers of cars, trucks and heavy equipment have been busted for using what regulators call “defeat devices” – typically programing a vehicle’s on-board computer to boost horsepower or fuel mileage by belching out dirtier exhaust than allowed.

Critics blame a federal regulatory system that largely relies on manufacturers to “self-certify” that their vehicles meet required fuel economy and emissions standards. The Environmental Protection Agency spot-checks only a low percentage of the vehicles made in the U.S. or imported to test the accuracy of the data reported by manufacturers.

Donald Stedman, a University of Denver chemistry professor who specializes in testing the real-world emissions of cars and trucks, said the economics of the auto industry can make it profitable to cheat. Complying with clean-air regulations can add thousands of dollars to a vehicle’s sticker price while diminishing the driving performance that customers demand.

“Every car company has an incentive to do this,” Stedman said. “Some of them get caught.”

Revelations this month that Volkswagen used sophisticated software on its “Clean Diesel” models to beat emissions tests has rattled the auto industry and angered hundreds of thousands of customers who thought they bought environmentally friendly vehicles. Both state and federal investigations are underway, and congressional hearings are planned.

Over the years, several major auto manufacturers – including GM, Ford, Honda and, yes, Volkswagen – have been forced to pay hefty fines and recall vehicles after getting caught using defeat devices.

General Motors agreed to spend $45 million as part of a settlement with government regulators over defeat devices installed in Cadillacs sold between 1991 and 1995. According to EPA, the cars’ computers were programed to enrich the vehicle’s fuel mixture when the climate control system was turned on, increasing carbon monoxide emissions to as much as three times the legal limit.

GM agreed to a $25 million recall program to fix the emissions and agreed to pay $11 million in civil fines.