Recall Thread

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Thu Jan 08, 2015 5:37 pm

Honda doesn't tell the Feds about problems, gets fined $70M:

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the two $35 million fines also come with Honda's agreement to increase NHTSA oversight and enhance its third-party audits to make sure its reporting is current in the future.

The two fines were set at the maximum amount that NHTSA is allowed to assess by Congress for safety reporting violations.

NHTSA said the first fine relates to Honda's failure to report 1,729 death and injury claims to NHTSA from 2003 to 2014. Honda has previously disclosed the undercount, saying that its own investigation found that it misinterpreted what issues should be counted.

The second civil penalty involves Honda's failure to report certain warranty claims and claims under "customer satisfaction campaigns," in which a manufacturer quietly agrees to fix defects on cars even when they are outside the normal warranty period, over the same number of years, NHTSA said.
...
"We have resolved this matter and will move forward to build on the important actions Honda has already taken to address our past shortcomings in early warning reporting," says Rick Schostek, executive vice president for Honda North America, in a statement. "We continue to fully cooperate with NHTSA to achieve greater transparency and to further enhance our reporting practices."

Last year, NHTSA issued more than $126 million in civil penalties, which was a record. The agency says the total exceeded the total amount collected by the agency during its forty-three year history.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu Jan 22, 2015 2:48 pm

FDA issues warning to Purina

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Thu Feb 12, 2015 12:00 pm

Fitbit: take it off to avoid a rash:

Apparently, Fitbit's rash-ridden problems aren't over yet. An ABC7 News San Francisco report says the publication discovered over 200 cases on social media of people complaining about getting rashes from wearing Fitbit's bands. The company told Recode that it's aware of "of a very limited percentage of users reporting skin irritation," but maintains that those instances "are likely from wearing the band too tight; sweat, water, or soap being held against the skin under the device; or from pressure or friction against the skin." If you recall, complaints that the Fitbit Charge causes skin irritations started popping up shortly after it was released last year, but the company denied that the devices' materials are to blame.

Prior to that, Fitbit was forced to recall its older Force wristbands (with help from the government) due to an overwhelming number of users swearing the device gave them rashes. Fitbit Charge, by the way, is Force's successor, inheriting many of its features, including caller ID. When asked how rashes can be avoided, Fitbit gave this advice: take the device off and give your skin a break for hours, or even days. The spokesperson said rashes should go away after a short respite, though according to some of the people ABC7 News interviewed, theirs didn't heal even after they stopped wearing the fitness band.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Mon Feb 16, 2015 2:07 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:Fitbit: take it off to avoid a rash:

Apparently, Fitbit's rash-ridden problems aren't over yet. An ABC7 News San Francisco report says the publication discovered over 200 cases on social media of people complaining about getting rashes from wearing Fitbit's bands. The company told Recode that it's aware of "of a very limited percentage of users reporting skin irritation," but maintains that those instances "are likely from wearing the band too tight; sweat, water, or soap being held against the skin under the device; or from pressure or friction against the skin." If you recall, complaints that the Fitbit Charge causes skin irritations started popping up shortly after it was released last year, but the company denied that the devices' materials are to blame.

Prior to that, Fitbit was forced to recall its older Force wristbands (with help from the government) due to an overwhelming number of users swearing the device gave them rashes. Fitbit Charge, by the way, is Force's successor, inheriting many of its features, including caller ID. When asked how rashes can be avoided, Fitbit gave this advice: take the device off and give your skin a break for hours, or even days. The spokesperson said rashes should go away after a short respite, though according to some of the people ABC7 News interviewed, theirs didn't heal even after they stopped wearing the fitness band.

I really think the silicon bands do not work well with fitness trackers which require snug skin contact. I swapped the one on my basis band out for a leather watch band and I've had much less irritation.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 1:29 pm

NHTSA fining Takata:

The U.S. government announced this morning that it is fining Japan-based auto-safety-equipment company Takata $14,000 a day for refusing to cooperate with a probe of its faulty airbags by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Takata has refused to recall cars with the airbags, which can inflate explosively, tearing loose from their mountings and blowing shrapnel into occupants. And it has dragged its feet responding to government demands for information.
...
The fine is the maximum $7,000 per day for violating each of the two special orders.

NHTSA also is, in effect, advertising for Takata whistle-blowers and promising to protect those who contact it to provide damning information. There have been reports that Takata destroyed or falsified reports that a propellant it used in airbag inflators was dangerous. Takata has said those reports are false.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon Mar 02, 2015 3:00 pm

Stay tuned, as they may be recalling your hardwood floors.

Trading resumed Monday in Lumber Liquidators after transactions in the plunging stock were halted following a CBS report that the company sold flooring with higher levels of formaldehyde than permitted under California's health and safety standards.
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A "60 Minutes" segment on Sunday said it tested Lumber Liquidators' flooring in Virginia, Florida, Texas, Illinois and New York for levels of formaldehyde, a cancer-causing chemical.

"Out of the 31 samples of Chinese-made laminate flooring, only one was compliant with formaldehyde emissions standards. Some were more than 13x over the California limit," according to CBS.

Lumber Liquidators said it complies with applicable regulations regarding its products, including California standards for formaldehyde emissions.
...
Lumber Liquidators said that it believes the CBS show used an "improper test method" that does not "measure a product according to how it is actually used by consumers." The company added that it has documentation to support every step of its production process.

The flooring retailer also alleged in a statement that its chairman had addressed the company's test methodology, but "60 Minutes" had chosen not to include that information.

Whitney Tilson, the founder and managing partner of Kase Capital Management who originally brought the story to the CBS show, told CNBC that "Lumber Liquidators appears to have come up with its own testing protocol ... so they're the ones who are doing the bogus testing."
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Lumber Liquidators also said the U.S. Department of Justice may seek criminal charges against the company under an act aimed at curbing illegal harvest of tropical hardwoods.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Thu Mar 12, 2015 3:00 pm

LL offering formaldehyde tests:

The company said consumers can call its customer care line at 1-800-366-4204 to request a kit, and the test results will be analyzed by an independent AIHA-accredited lab and emailed to consumers within 10 days. Consumers can also use an online form or email llcustomerrelations @ lumberliquidators.com to get the kits.

The air quality tests can assess the amount of formaldehyde in the air, but can't identify where it's coming from. Other types of furniture and gas-burning stoves can also emit the chemical, which is a carcinogen.

Should the results exceed "accepted thresholds" Lumber Liquidators would consider whether to conduct further unspecified tests. The company didn't say whether it would pay for flooring removal and reinstallation.

The tests will be of the same quality used to assess workplace air quality under OSHA requirements, Lumber Liquidators noted in slides prepared for investors.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Thu Mar 19, 2015 12:40 pm

I get to take my Mac and Cheese back to Kroger.

Kraft's beloved, blue-boxed pantry staple has a lot of synthetic ingredients, sure. But shards of steel shouldn't be among them.

The food processing giant is recalling 242,000 of its Macaroni & Cheese dinners that may contain small pieces of metal. The recall affects 7.25-oz. sizes of the Original flavor dinners with "Best When Used By" dates between Sept. 18, 2015 and Oct. 15, 2015.

The products were shipped to grocery stores nationwide, as well as to Puerto Rico and some Caribbean countries. Canada is not affected.

At least that Kraft Dinner is safe.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue Mar 24, 2015 11:37 am

Do we need an Infectious recall thread? No?

Spinach with a side of listeria

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a major recall of Amy's Kitchen frozen spinach products over possible listeria monocytogenes contamination.

According to a release from the FDA, nearly 74,000 cases of Amy's Kitchen organic frozen meals containing spinach have been voluntarily recalled after an organic supplier notified the company of the problem.
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The full list of items, sold nationwide at distributors including Wegmans, Price Chopper, Tops and more (full list), includes frozen lasagna, enchiladas, tofu scramble, pizza and more. The FDA included product label photos and UPC codes in its release.

The recall came alongside another frozen spinach recall for Wegmans organic 12 oz bags.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Apr 03, 2015 3:17 pm

Blinds To Go, Bauer goalie masks, Stokke Trailz strollers, water heaters

Propane and natural gas water heaters in 30, 40, 50 and 60 gallon capacities. The recalled water heaters are white with a red "Giant" logo on the front. The water heaters have a nameplate near the gas valve with the model number, date of manufacture and serial number. They were sold at distributors in Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania from April 2014 through October 2014. Details on the model and serial numbers can be found at http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2015/Gia ... Explosion/

KKBlue · Post by **KKBlue** » Thu Apr 09, 2015 9:50 am

Guess it's the hip thing these days? Listeria, got some?
Fingers crossed I didn't have the contaminated container because the recycling was taken away on Tuesday for me to look up any codes. I would be the first to go because I prepared it 3 ways (sample tasted) and finished off the roasted pepper I mixed from the classic version last night.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — April 8, 2015 — Colonial Heights, VA — Today Sabra Dipping Co., LLC announced that it is voluntarily recalling approximately 30,000 cases of its Classic Hummus due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. This measure is limited to five SKUs of Classic Hummus sold nationwide. To date, no other Sabra product is affected by this recall.

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm441863

Edit to add:
I had breakfast with my mom today. She said I would be very sick by now if I/we had the recalled hummus.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Tue May 19, 2015 3:27 pm

The Grandaddy of them all:

Japanese air bag manufacturer Takata Corp. will announce Tuesday it is declaring an estimated 33.8 million vehicles defective, a move that is expected to lead to the largest U.S. recall of any consumer product, surpassing the callback of 31 million bottles of Tylenol in 1982 following a poison scare.

...
The air bags are linked to at least six deaths and more than 100 injuries, caused when propellant explodes with too much force and sends dangerous metal fragments flying. Officials link the problem largely to exposure to high humidity and moisture, though the precise root cause is not known.

Takata is expected to announce it has filed a series of four defect information reports with U.S. auto safety officials declaring about 33.8 million vehicles with both driver and passenger air bag inflators defective — that's nearly double the roughly 17 million vehicles that 10 major automakers have recalled in the United States for Takata air bag inflators since 2013.

The four Takata defect reports cover nearly all of the 17 million vehicles already recalled, so the move means automakers will need to recall another estimated 17 million vehicles in the United States. NHTSA on Wednesday evening notified automakers of some details of the announcement.

The 10 automakers — BMW AG, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co., Honda Motor Co., Mazda Motor Co., Mitsubishi, Nissan Motor Co., Subaru Motors USA and Toyota Motor Corp. — launched an industry-wide joint testing initiative to get to the bottom of the issue.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue May 19, 2015 4:08 pm

You know what we need our next car? Passenger side fragmentation bags.

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Tue May 19, 2015 8:07 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote:The Grandaddy of them all:

Japanese air bag manufacturer Takata Corp. will announce Tuesday it is declaring an estimated 33.8 million vehicles defective, a move that is expected to lead to the largest U.S. recall of any consumer product, surpassing the callback of 31 million bottles of Tylenol in 1982 following a poison scare.

...
The air bags are linked to at least six deaths and more than 100 injuries, caused when propellant explodes with too much force and sends dangerous metal fragments flying. Officials link the problem largely to exposure to high humidity and moisture, though the precise root cause is not known.

Takata is expected to announce it has filed a series of four defect information reports with U.S. auto safety officials declaring about 33.8 million vehicles with both driver and passenger air bag inflators defective — that's nearly double the roughly 17 million vehicles that 10 major automakers have recalled in the United States for Takata air bag inflators since 2013.

The four Takata defect reports cover nearly all of the 17 million vehicles already recalled, so the move means automakers will need to recall another estimated 17 million vehicles in the United States. NHTSA on Wednesday evening notified automakers of some details of the announcement.

The 10 automakers — BMW AG, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co., Honda Motor Co., Mazda Motor Co., Mitsubishi, Nissan Motor Co., Subaru Motors USA and Toyota Motor Corp. — launched an industry-wide joint testing initiative to get to the bottom of the issue.

He urged car owners who get recall notices in the mail should immediately make an appointment to get their cars fixed. Owners can key in their vehicle identification number at https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/ to see if their car is part of the recall. The number is stamped on the dashboard near the driver's side windshield and also can be found on state auto registration documents. It may take weeks before all the identification numbers are entered into the database.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Tue May 19, 2015 9:55 pm

Takata is producing replacements at a pace of around 450K per month. By September they expect to be up to 900K. Still, better get a Snickers.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Thu May 21, 2015 10:18 am

Still no recall, but the CEO just stepped down:

Lumber Liquidators, the embattled hardwood flooring retailer, said Thursday CEO Robert Lynch "unexpectedly" resigned, following weeks of struggles stemming from safety concerns related to its products.
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Lynch also stepped down from the board of directors. John Presley, its lead independent director, will be non-executive chairman of the board. The appointments are effective immediately.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Jun 03, 2015 12:42 pm

Beats Pill XL Speakers

Apple Inc said it is recalling some Beats Pill XL portable wireless speakers due to a fire hazard caused by overheating batteries.

The iPhone maker will recall about 222,000 speakers in the United States and about 11,000 in Canada, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said on Wednesday.

Apple has received eight reports of overheating speakers, the CPSC said in a statement.

The company did not disclose the number of speakers affected by the recall or the number of complaints it received, but said the recall does not affect any other Beats or Apple products.

Apple said it will issue store credit or a refund worth $325 within about three weeks of receiving the faulty speakers, which were introduced by Beats in November 2013.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 3:58 pm

Bottled Water (they say California company, but it all appears to be East Coast water from PA):

According to a news release from Niagra Bottling, the following brands— produced at its Hamburg, Pennsylvania, and Allentown, Pennsylvania, facilities— have been recalled:

1. Acadia
2. Acme
3. Big Y
4. Best Yet
5. 7-11
6. Niagra
7. Nature’s Place
8. Pricerite
9. Superchill
10. Morning Fresh
11. Shaws
12. Shoprite
13. Western Beef Blue
14. Wegman’s

Affected products include those with codes beginning with the letter F (from the Hamburg facility) and A (from the Allentown facility), and those that were produced between 3 a.m. June 10 to 8 p.m. June 18...

...A California-based water bottling company recalled 14 of its brands Monday after it detected E. coli bacteria in its water supply on Wednesday, June 10.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Thu Jul 09, 2015 2:31 pm

It's a feature. When ESET are weighing in about an automotive recall, it's a bit scary to me.

http://www.welivesecurity.com/2015/07/0 ... et-update/

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Mon Jul 13, 2015 5:24 pm

Stuffed Chicken?

Barber Foods is now recalling more than 1.7 million pounds of frozen, raw stuffed chicken products because of fears of salmonella.

The chicken products were produced from Feb. 17 to May 20, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service, and include chicken tenders, chicken Cordon Bleu and stuffed chicken breasts.

Frozen Raw breaded and/or stuffed chicken? Ack.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Jul 17, 2015 11:47 am

More chicken!

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has announced a second, very large frozen chicken recall. This time it involves nearly 2 million pounds of Aspen Foods products that may have been contaminated with salmonella.

The agency said Friday that it became concerned after three people in Minnesota became ill after consuming the chicken.
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Aspen Foods, a division of the Koch Poultry Company that sells products under numerous brand names at some of the country's largest retail supermarkets including Safeway and Aldi, said recalled products have “best if used by” dates between July 14, 2016 and Oct. 10, 2016 and include the following brands:

Acclaim

Antioch Farms

Buckley Farms

Centrella Signature

Chestnut Farms

Family Favorites

Kirkwood

Koch Foods

Market Day

Oven Cravers

Rose

Rosebud Farm

Roundy’s

Safeway Kitchens

Schwan’s

Shaner’s

Spartan

Sysco

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Fri Jul 24, 2015 7:05 pm

Fiat/Chrysler:

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) will patch 1.4 million US vehicles following the reveal of a hacking method by Wired. The "voluntary safety recall" -- which it seems will come in the form of a USB dongle -- applies to vehicles equipped with 8.4-inch touchscreen in-car-entertainment systems.

Full list:

Affected are certain vehicles equipped with 8.4-inch touchscreens among the following populations:

2013-2015 MY Dodge Viper specialty vehicles
2013-2015 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups
2013-2015 Ram 3500, 4500, 5500 Chassis Cabs
2014-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Cherokee SUVs
2014-2015 Dodge Durango SUVs
2015 MY Chrysler 200, Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger sedans
2015 Dodge Challenger sports coupes

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon Jul 27, 2015 3:01 pm

Fiat Chrysler fine

The enforcement action follows a public hearing earlier this month at which NHTSA detailed problems with 23 Fiat Chrysler recalls covering more than 11 million defective vehicles.

The automaker has since admitted to violating federal safety regulations by not executing effective and timely recall remedies, failing in its notification obligation to vehicle owners and dealers and not keeping regulators informed of safety problems.
...
In a signed consent order disclosed Sunday, Fiat Chrysler agreed to a $105-million civil penalty, the largest imposed by NHTSA. It also agreed to buy back the trucks, which have a suspension problem that can cause them to suddenly veer out of control.

The agency and the automaker described the terms differently. NHTSA said that Fiat Chrysler will have to buy back as many as 500,000 trucks. Company spokesman Eric Mayne said it won't be more than 193,000 because it has repaired the rest. The company said its agreement allows it to repurchase the vehicles, repair them and sell them.

Moreover, owners of 1 million Jeeps that are prone to deadly fires when rear-ended will receive a financial incentive -- a $100 gift card -- to bring their Jeeps in for inspection and repairs. The owners of 1993-98 Jeep Grand Cherokees also will have the choice of trading them in for $1,000 over fair market value.

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Fri Jul 31, 2015 6:25 pm

Nvidia Shield Tablet owner?

Being announced today and taking effect immediately, the tablets are being voluntarily recalled by NVIDIA on account of safety concerns with some of the batteries the company has used. Though NVIDIA’s announcement doesn’t go into significant detail on the matter, NVIDIA’s notice does specify that some tablets have been shipping with batteries have the potential to overheat, making them a potential fire hazard.

NVIDIA’s recall covers SHIELD Tablets manufactured between July 2014 and July 2015, essentially covering the entire lifetime of the tablet so far. Furthermore the company is asking that current owners do not use the tablets any more than is necessary to back them up and participate in the recall due to the aforementioned risk of fire.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Sep 04, 2015 2:45 pm

Kraft cheese

Kraft has massively expanded its voluntary recall of some American cheese singles, due to new consumer complaints about the plastic film representing a potential choking hazard, the company announced Thursday.

One month ago, Kraft announced it would voluntarily recall 36,000 cases of Kraft Singles American and Kraft White American pasteurized prepared cheese. Now, they're recalling another roughly 335,000 cases that had been shipped throughout the United States, as well as to some Caribbean countries and South Korea.

Ten consumer complaints, three of which included reports of choking, sparked the first recall. Since then, two new consumer complaints of choking have been lodged with Kraft, and the company is recalling products "due to the possibility that a thin strip of the individual packaging film may remain adhered to the slice after the wrapper has been removed," according to a Kraft statement. "If the film sticks to the slice and is not removed, it could potentially cause a choking hazard."

The recall affects a variety of 1-, 3- and 4- pound packages of Kraft Singles America and Kraft Singles White American with manufacturing codes of S54 or S55. Their "best when used by" dates range from Dec. 12 to March 2. Here's a full list.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Fri Sep 04, 2015 2:50 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:Kraft cheese

Kraft has massively expanded its voluntary recall of some American cheese singles, due to new consumer complaints about the plastic film representing a potential choking hazard, the company announced Thursday.

One month ago, Kraft announced it would voluntarily recall 36,000 cases of Kraft Singles American and Kraft White American pasteurized prepared cheese. Now, they're recalling another roughly 335,000 cases that had been shipped throughout the United States, as well as to some Caribbean countries and South Korea.

Ten consumer complaints, three of which included reports of choking, sparked the first recall. Since then, two new consumer complaints of choking have been lodged with Kraft, and the company is recalling products "due to the possibility that a thin strip of the individual packaging film may remain adhered to the slice after the wrapper has been removed," according to a Kraft statement. "If the film sticks to the slice and is not removed, it could potentially cause a choking hazard."

The recall affects a variety of 1-, 3- and 4- pound packages of Kraft Singles America and Kraft Singles White American with manufacturing codes of S54 or S55. Their "best when used by" dates range from Dec. 12 to March 2. Here's a full list.

Wait, you're supposed to peel the plastic off before eating?

Theyr'e not really cheese, are they? IIRC they were sanctioned for even calling them "food."

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 2:03 pm

Mexican cucumbers

A California distributor has begun recalling cucumbers imported from Mexico after they were linked to a salmonella outbreak that has killed one woman and sickened at least 285 others, health officials said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the cucumbers were most likely the cause of an outbreak of salmonella poona that began July 3 and has reached 27 states. The bacteria killed a 99-year-old San Diego woman and sent 53 people to the hospital, the federal agency said, and more than half of those infected have been younger than 18.

The agency said multiple investigations had linked the outbreak to cucumbers distributed by Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce. The company, based in San Diego, announced a recall on Friday that covers cucumbers grown in northern Mexico and sold under the company’s “Limited Edition” label from Aug. 1 to Thursday. Consumers were advised to return the cucumbers or to dispose of them.
...
The cucumbers were shipped to 22 states, 18 of which have reported infections: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas and Utah. Infections were also reported in Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming, though the products were not shipped to those states. Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi and New Jersey also received cucumber shipments, but health officials in those states have not reported infections.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Sep 18, 2015 12:15 pm

Volkswagen

The Obama administration on Friday ordered Volkswagen to recall nearly a half million cars from the road, saying the German automaker used software intentionally designed to circumvent environmental standards for reducing smog.

The Environmental Protection Agency issued the company a notice of violation and accused the company of breaking the law by installing software known as a “defeat device” in 4-cylinder Volkswagen and Audi vehicles from model years 2009-15. The device is programmed to detect when the car is undergoing official emissions testing, and to only turn on full emissions control systems during that testing. Those controls are turned off during normal driving situations, when the vehicles pollute far more heavily than reported by the manufacturer, the E.P.A. said.
...
The software was designed to conceal the cars’ emissions of the pollutant nitrogen oxide, which contributes to the creation of ozone and smog. The pollutants are linked to a range of health problems, including asthma attacks and other respiratory diseases.

The state of California has issued a separate notice of violation to the company. California, the E.P.A. and the Justice Department are working together on an investigation of the allegations.

The allegations cover roughly 482,000 diesel passenger cars sold in the United States since 2009.

Affected diesel models include the Volkswagen Jetta (model years 2009-15), Volkswagen Beetle (model years 2009–15), Audi A3 (model years 2009–15), Volkswagen Golf (model years 2009–15) and Volkswagen Passat (model years 2014-15).

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Fri Sep 18, 2015 1:43 pm

What does VW gain by the software trick? Is it more hp or something? And why isn't there a large fine attached - the software makes it clear it is a willful move to violate the law.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Fri Sep 18, 2015 5:08 pm

stessier wrote:What does VW gain by the software trick? Is it more hp or something? And why isn't there a large fine attached - the software makes it clear it is a willful move to violate the law.

They can advertise it as having lower emissions than it really does and are allowed to sell it where otherwise they might not be. And a larger fine may be coming. The recall is just the immediate remedy.

BI wrote:VW could be subject to a maximum civil penalty of $37,500 for each of 482,000 cars that are affected, an EPA official told Business Insider.

$37,500 x 482,000 = $18,075,000,000. Will never be that high but it still may be quite painful.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Sat Sep 19, 2015 5:09 am

LawBeefaroni wrote:
stessier wrote:What does VW gain by the software trick? Is it more hp or something? And why isn't there a large fine attached - the software makes it clear it is a willful move to violate the law.
They can advertise it as having lower emissions than it really does and are allowed to sell it where otherwise they might not be.

But the levels were 10x-40x higher with the software off - there's no place in the country that would pass.

BI wrote:VW could be subject to a maximum civil penalty of $37,500 for each of 482,000 cars that are affected, an EPA official told Business Insider.
$37,500 x 482,000 = $18,075,000,000. Will never be that high but it still may be quite painful.

That would ruin them, but they need to get hurt on this one so it needs to be big (if not that big). I read an article where it said that the EPA first was tipped off when researchers published a paper that showed real life testing of two cars showed the higher emissions and they couldn't explain it. VW said they must have tested faulty cars, but the EPA also did tests that back it up. It was only when they refused to certify VW's 2016 models did VW tell them about the software trick. That's not just fine worthy - that's criminal.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue Sep 22, 2015 10:44 am

I heard about this Friday on my way home from work, but thought the hoopla was just that...hoopla. However, it has been escalating fast and furious over the last few days. The company's stock has dropped over 20 percent almost overnight, and it might turn out that VW isn't the only guilty party in this kind of thing.

Apparently, Europe has really shitty controls in place for this kind of thing...they don't even test cars off the production line. They test prototypes provided to them by the car manufacturers. Which is understandable once you realize that those testers are freakin' funded BY the car manufacturers themselves.

In short, Europe needs to get its shit together over this.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Tue Sep 22, 2015 10:44 am

I heard on CNBC this morning that the Justice Department has begun an investigation into VW. The more I think about it, the more mad I get. Somebody deserves jail time. Not the rest of their lives type time, but more than a weekend.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Tue Sep 22, 2015 11:02 am

stessier wrote:I heard on CNBC this morning that the Justice Department has begun an investigation into VW. The more I think about it, the more mad I get. Somebody deserves jail time. Not the rest of their lives type time, but more than a weekend.

Had an interesting discussion with a friend about this over the weekend. He contended that GM's ignition switch thing was worse. They knew about it for 12+ years and it led to some fatalities. They were found guilty of wire fraud. GM will only pay around $1B and face a 3 year probation after which they case will be dismiss the case if GM is good. I don't think anyone did jail time.

OTOH, every single one of the VW cars was spewing higher emissions than they should have been where as only a small percentage of GM cars had switches actually fail.

It's a tough call but if GM and Toyota (and their acceleration issue) are any indication, VW won't get over a few $B max in fines in the US.

I think they should face more and I think GM and TMC should have too.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Tue Sep 22, 2015 11:08 am

I haven't followed either the GM or Toyota case, so I can't make comparisons. What gets me with VW is that they set out from the very beginning to fake the data and get around the law. This isn't some code that accidentally does something no one intended - this was a planned circumvention of a law to allow them to sell cars. It's intrinsically criminal. I'm not sure how anyone could argue otherwise (not suggesting you are - just wondering how VW will respond).

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Tue Sep 22, 2015 11:14 am

stessier wrote:I haven't followed either the GM or Toyota case, so I can't make comparisons. What gets me with VW is that they set out from the very beginning to fake the data and get around the law. This isn't some code that accidentally does something no one intended - this was a planned circumvention of a law to allow them to sell cars. It's intrinsically criminal. I'm not sure how anyone could argue otherwise (not suggesting you are - just wondering how VW will respond).

Yeah, that was my chief "argument" to my friend. GM and TMC didn't start out wanting to put faulty parts in their cars. VW designed their computer to defeat the emissions test from the start.

He was just saying that the GM and TMC faults lead to actual deaths even after they knew about the faults. VW doesn't do that. Unless you count the emissions effects on health and global warming, which is almost impossible to quantify.

Apples to oranges. But in terms of trying to estimate the fines VW will face, I don't see them anywhere near $18B.

Also, VW has responded with Winterkorn (CEO) falling on his sword. He apologized for the "betrayed trust" and basically admitted it. He's probably done. He'll be the sacrificial lamb and Porsche will get their guy in.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Tue Sep 22, 2015 11:18 am

Another recall.

Toyota announced the recall of nearly 423,500 RAV4s due to the possibility of corrosion at the joint of the windshield wipers caused by dripping water.

This can result in severance of the wiper link from the motor crank arm, thus reducing the driver’s visibility. In the worst-case scenario, this problem can lead to an accident.As a result, Toyota recalled around 421,000 units of the RAV4 crossover SUV of model years 2009–2012 and 2,500 units of RAV4 EV of model years 2012–2014 in the U.S.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue Sep 22, 2015 11:45 am

I guess the wife will be getting a letter on that one.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue Sep 22, 2015 1:02 pm

VW: Did we say half a million? We meant 11 million:

Volkswagen's emissions scandal ballooned Tuesday as the automaker said it affects 11 million vehicles worldwide and will require the company to set aside 6.5 billion euro ($7.3 billion).
...
European regulators are expected to place Volkswagen under intense scrutiny. But it scandal also could bode poorly for Volkswagen in the world's largest vehicle market, China, where Volkswagen is No. 1 by market share.

"The problem is the Chinese are starting to realize they have got to do something with their air and this could have an effect on the relationship the Chinese have with Volkswagen," Sullivan said.

Mr Bubbles · Post by **Mr Bubbles** » Wed Sep 23, 2015 5:20 pm

Not sure if I read it in the thread, but apparently the reason why they did this is they wanted a higher performing vehicle. The emission controls reduced the horsepower of the engine and this cheat allowed them to "claim" high efficient engines, while not affecting performance. France, Germany and a multitude of other countries are already taken steps.