Newly discovered Volkswagen Touareg emissions device sparks recall

Volkswagen is recalling Touareg SUVs fitted with its 3.0-litre diesel engine following the discovery of an emissions cheat device.

More than two years after Volkswagen admitted to developing software to elude emissions test limits, the company is recalling 57,600 affected cars to adjust their engine management software.

Autocar is awaiting confirmation from Volkswagen as to how many UK cars are affected.

Germany’s transport authority, KBA, said that tests show the Touareg ran differently when tested in NEDC laboratory conditions than when it was tested on the road, suggesting the car has a system in place to improve its result in tests.

Cars featuring the optional selective catalytic reduction systems, which are added to lower emissions, were also shown to use reduced levels of AdBlue when not in test conditions. This would help the cars produce lower levels of nitrogen oxide in test conditions.

The Touareg was recalled just last year for a bearing bracket issue on its pedals. In total, 391,000 cars were recalled – of which 17,219 were from Britain – to receive a fix.

The news is revealed in the same month that Volkswagen UK boss Paul Willis told the Transport Select Committee that no models issued with emissions cheat device fixes have developed “systematic” issues.

This comes in the face of evidence, some of it collected by Autocar, that showed post-fix cars can suffer from worsened fuel economy and increased CO2 output. A report by the Volkswagen Diesel Customer Forum said that owners of models with the 2.0-litre diesel fix had also experienced breakdowns and mechanical issues.

Volkswagen has applied its fix to 820,000 cars since the emissions scandal came to light in September 2015. The company said it has handled 16,904 complaints and that “fewer than 1% of UK customers who own affected Volkswagen Group vehicles” have reported any issues after receiving the fix.

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