Nissan is the latest manufacturer to be accused of having issues with its emissions systems.
South Korea’s Environment Ministry said yesterday it will fine the brand’s South Korean operation for manipulating emissions tests on its sports utility vehicles.
Nissan has strongly denied the accusation.
The ministry has threatened an NZD$410,000 fine and is ordering the company to recall 814 Qashqai diesel vehicles, sold since November. It also plans to file a complaint with prosecutors against Takehiko Kikuchi, the head of Nissan’s South Korean operation.
Authorities claim the car’s emission reduction device stops operating when the engine’s temperature reaches 35 degrees Celsius, about 30 minutes after the engine begins to work.
“Usually, some cars turn off the emission reduction device when the temperature reaches 50 degrees Celsius, to prevent the engine from overheating. The Qashqai was the only vehicle that turned it off at 35 degrees,” a director of the authority told a news conference.
“All auto experts expressed the opinion that it was clearly a manipulation of the emissions reduction device,” the director said.
Nissan Motor Co. in Japan denied any wrongdoing. It said South Korean authorities’ findings differed from those of the European Union, which concluded that Nissan vehicles used no illegal devices. The company said it will assess the situation and continue to work with South Korean authorities.
“Nissan has not and does not employ illegal defeat or cheat devices in any of the cars that we make,” it said in a statement.
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