German car-makers forced to recall 630,000 dirty diesels

Germany’s government has waded into the Dieselgate emissions scandal by ordering 630,000 vehicles to be recalled to fix an engine management software  issue that currently sees the affected diesel engines produce excessive amounts of NOx emissions that pose a significant danger to health.

Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Opel, Porsche and Volkswagen have all been hit with the mass recall after the German investigators discovered the car-makers all had models that exceeded the legal emissions limit.

Only Volkswagen was found to have illegal manipulation software installed.

Notable, by its absence, is BMW who is not part of the recall after officials said it had invested earlier in fuel-saving tech compared to its rivals.

Until the recall was ordered, European tests had found that some automakers were using a legal loophole that allowed its emissions tech to be “switched off” to protect its engines.

It’s been reported that that Mercedes-Benz’s emissions equipment stopped working below temperatures of 10C while GM’s European brand, Opel, after-treatment became inactive below temperatures of 17C.

Following this revelation, Germany’s government then questioned whether the loophole was justified before deeming the turning off of NOx-reducing tech was against the spirit of the legislation.

The recall has already prompted fears among owners thought to be affected.

According to engineering analysts, “switching off” a diesel engine’s emission tech not only improves an engine’s performance but also lengthens the time between servicing.

It’s not known if the recall will increase running costs by increasing the frequency of servicing for all models.

Friday’s announcement that a growing number of other car-makers might be involved in the emissions scandal follows, earlier in the day, Volkswagen’s announcing the biggest losses in its history.

Volkswagen Group reported a net loss of almost $2 billion, posting its first losses since 1993.

The German car-maker also announced it has stockpiled funds of almost $24 billion to pay the emissions cheating scandal.

Other non-German car-makers like Land Rover, Ford, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Nissan, Suzuki (that uses Fiat diesels), Renault and Dacia that are thought to be affected will soon also be asked to take part in the recall.