US Files Civil Complaint Against Volkswagen for Emissions Violations

Volkswagen violated the Clean Air Act by "selling, introducing into commerce, or importing into the United States motor vehicles" designed differently from what the company had stated in applications for certification to teh US Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board, according to the US Department of Justice.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States filed a civil lawsuit against Volkswagen for violating the Clean Air Act and manufacturing some 600,000 diesel engine vehicles with defeat devices that resulted in increased air pollution, the US Department of Justice announced in a statement on Monday.

"The complaint alleges that nearly 600,000 diesel engine vehicles had illegal defeat devices installed that impair their emission control systems and cause emissions to exceed EPA’s standards, resulting in harmful air pollution," the Justice Department said.

Volkswagen violated the Clean Air Act by "selling, introducing into commerce, or importing into the United States motor vehicles" designed differently from what the company had stated in applications for certification to teh US Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board, the Justice Department added.

In September, the German automaker admitted that it had installed software in their vehicles to falsify emission tests. The company later clarified that an estimated 11 million diesel-engine cars worldwide were emitting up to 20 times more greenhouse gas than the tests showed.

Following the emissions scandal going public, Volkswagen announced it would set aside more than $7 billion to mitigate the emissions effects.