SACRAMENTO – Today the California Air Resources Board sent a letter to automobile manufacturers notifying them that ARB will begin using enhanced testing procedures for modern light-duty diesel vehicles to determine compliance with emission levels to which they were originally certified.

In addition, ARB made the following statement regarding actions related to cars with diesel engines manufactured by Volkswagen. 

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) are working with Volkswagen to evaluate potential recall solutions for the affected vehicles.  The September 18, 2015 CARB In-Use Compliance letter and USEPA Notice of Violation cover three generations of Volkswagen four-cylinder diesel vehicles.

Both CARB and U.S. EPA will evaluate the technical solutions that Volkswagen develops to ensure their emissions performance is corrected back or close to expected levels in real world driving.  Recall actions proposed by Volkswagen will also be scrutinized for any potential adverse impacts on consumers.   As both agencies and Volkswagen get closer to final recall solutions, those solutions will be communicated to consumers through the media and more formally by Volkswagen through recall action letters to affected vehicle owners. 

CARB will take actions that protect public health, air quality and consumers by aggressively continuing its ongoing investigation into Volkswagen’s defeat device, with additional testing and investigation of the potential presence of similar devices in vehicles across manufacturers.

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