A federal lawsuit was filed against Volkswagen in Detroit by the Justice Department, alleging the car company of violating the Clean Air Act by importing vehicles that have a different design from the ones they have applied for a certification from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
"Car manufacturers that fail to properly certify their cars and that defeat emission control systems breach the public trust, endanger public health and disadvantage competitors," said Assistant Attorney General, John Cruden, in a statement. "The United States will pursue all appropriate remedies against Volkswagen to redress the violations of our nation's clean air laws alleged in the complaint."
According to the report from USA Today, the lawsuit was filed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA worked together with the California Air Resources Board to expose the violations of Volkswagen in rigging cars with 2- and 3-liter engines last year.
In a statement from the agency, EPA Assistant Administrator Cynthia Giles said that Volkswagen will be held liable in the suit, but negotiations between EPA and Volkswagen have been established to solve the issue with the recalls.
"With today's filing, we take an important step to protect public health by seeking to hold Volkswagen accountable for any unlawful air pollution, setting us on a path to resolution," Giles said in a statement.
ABC News reported that nearly 600,000 diesel-engine cars that were built since 2009 were installed with "defeat devices," a device that impairs the result of the emission control systems. These "defeat devices" send 40 times more pollutants in the air than what is allowed in the United States law.
According to the complaint, 499,000 cars equipped with the two-liter, four-cylinder diesel engines were designed to exceed the clean-air standards for Nitrogen Oxide of EPA, but was rigged with "defeat devices" that can detect if the car is under emission test and lower the pollutant level to the standard.
