The Justice Department filed a civil complaint Monday against Volkswagen alleging nearly 600,000 cars with diesel engines in the U.S. violate emissions laws and that many were imported in violation of the Clean Air Act.
The lawsuit was filed in Detroit on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which worked with the California Air Resources Board in exposing the violations last year. VW has admitted to rigging cars with 2-liter diesel engines, and the EPA found violations in vehicles with 3-liter diesels as well.
The complaint alleges that the nearly 600,000 diesel engine vehicles built since 2009 were equipped with illegal “defeat devices” installed to impair emission control systems. That resulted in higher emissions than allowed by law. The lawsuit asks for penalties of up to $37,500 per car.
