Although it hasn’t committed felonies on the same scale as Volkswagen, Nissan has found itself caught up in the emissions scandal – in South Korea.
The South Korean government has accused the Japanese automotive giant of using what they call a “defeat device,” which disables its Qashqai’s emissions controls.
It is claimed that the device switches off the SUV’s exhaust reduction system when it is at normal operating temps.
Nissan deny the claims.
How Many Others caught in the emissions scandal?
The Qashqai SUV is built here in the UK and is powered by either a 1.5-litre of 1.6-litre diesel power plant.
The South Korean government took a closer look at it in the wake of VW’s emissions scandal, testing some twenty diesel models.
The results demanded closer inspection, and alarm bells sounded.
Now, the government has ordered 814 Qashqai’s to be recalled, and have fined Nissan $279,920.
Nissan have 100 days to dispute the fine.
In a statement, the company said: “Nissan has not and does not employ illegal defeat or cheat devices in any of the cars that we make.”
The accusation levelled against Nissan are just the latest in a series of emissions-related scandals that have rocked the automotive world.
Just last week, OSV reported how Mitsubishi admitted they had been illegally manipulating fuel economy tests since 1991.
In the same week, it was reported that Nissan were planning an audacious takeover of Mitsubishi.
