A shocking revelation has emerged in the UK, where approximately one million Ford diesel cars were sold with critical flaws in their emissions control systems. This scandal, which has reached the High Court, involves vehicles produced and sold between 2016 and 2018, despite Ford's engineers being aware of the issues. Many of these highly polluting cars were never officially recalled or rectified.
The legal action, representing 1.6 million diesel vehicle owners, accuses five car manufacturers, including Ford, of employing "defeat devices" to cheat emissions tests for nitrogen oxides (NOx). The court heard that parts of Ford's emissions control systems became less effective when exposed to sulphur in fuel during regular driving conditions. In a damning test result, all 27 Ford vehicles with Euro 6 engines failed the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) emissions tests in 2017.
Thomas de la Mare KC, cross-examining Marcus Davies, Ford's former calibration manager, stated that the systems had not undergone sufficient testing and that the scale of the problem was immense, affecting nearly a million vehicles. Davies, however, downplayed the figure, insisting not every vehicle would have this issue.
From 2018 onwards, new software was implemented in production lines, and some Ford customers received a software update when their cars were serviced at official dealers. Despite this, there was no widespread recall.
In a broader argument, the claimants asserted that Ford deliberately calibrated its engines to pass certification tests rather than reduce real-world driving emissions. Ben Jaffey KC, representing the claimants, referenced internal documents indicating that as early as 2012, Ford was aware it wasn't utilizing the exhaust gas recirculation system (EGR) to reduce NOx as much as possible.
Jaffey questioned the calibration of engines to meet test requirements rather than actual driving conditions. Davies acknowledged that the system was calibrated to the NEDC requirements, and changes to capture more NOx would have impacted the capture of other gases.
Documents presented in court also revealed that NOx emissions from a Euro 5 transit van exceeded regulatory limits when tested inadvertently in sixth gear. The NEDC tests are typically conducted in fifth gear.
The Ford models included in the trial are the Mondeo, C-Max Fiesta, Focus cars, and Transit vans. Ford denies creating defeat devices and, in its written submissions, described the claim as "scientifically illiterate." Its lawyers argued that a reduction in NOx control could be a justifiable engineering compromise to maintain system stability and control other potentially harmful emissions.
This three-month hearing, which began last month, examines vehicles sold by Ford and five other manufacturers: Mercedes, Renault, Nissan, and Peugeot/Citroën. The "Dieselgate" scandal originated in the US in autumn 2015 when scientists revealed that many Volkswagen diesel engine cars were equipped with software to falsify emissions tests. This alleged misconduct affected millions of vehicles worldwide, resulting in significant costs for car owners and an estimated thousands of deaths and asthma cases in children.
The trial continues, leaving many questions unanswered and raising concerns about the environmental and health impacts of these vehicles.
