The Federal Motor Transport Authority has discovered inadmissible emissions control switch-off devices in BMW diesel models. Around 33,000 vehicles in Germany of the “X3 xDrive20d” and “X3 sDrive 18d” types are affected, reports the Reuters news agency. The Federal Motor Transport Authority previously had one Administrative decision published.
The Munich car manufacturer is cooperative and has developed suggestions for hardware and software updates. The estimated 100,000 to 150,000 vehicles built between 2010 and 2014 across Europe will probably be updated from June 2024. BMW was unable to provide any information about the costs. It has not yet been decided how extensive possible updates would be. The company also reserved the right to examine an objection to the KBA’s decision.
In January it became known that the Federal Motor Transport Authority had started a hearing against BMW on suspicion of exhaust manipulation in the X3 SUV model. Research by experts from the German Environmental Aid (DUH) led to the KBA taking another look at BMW vehicles. Until now, BMW was considered the only German car manufacturer that had not been confronted with allegations about diesel engines that were only clean on the test bench.
BMW says it is keeping legal recourse open because the decision is not yet final. The group is of the opinion that the engine control system used for exhaust gas purification complies with legal requirements. “Nevertheless, the company recognizes a potential problem with the durability of individual components of the exhaust gas purification system in the hardware of the vehicle model in question,” it said. As a result of the ECJ decisions, the requirements for diesel vehicles are being re-discussed. “A benchmark is applied retroactively to technologies that are up to 15 years old.” According to BMW, the affected cars were manufactured between 2010 and 2014.
The KBA’s investigation got rolling after Axel Friedrich, a former department head at the Federal Environment Agency and who has worked as an expert for environmental aid since 2016, tested older BMW diesel models together with software expert Felix Domke. According to DUH managing director Jürgen Resch, “the highest nitrogen oxide emissions ever measured” were discovered. Friedrich passed his findings on to the KBA – whereupon they started working there.