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Volkswagen Ordered To Recall 500K Vehicles Over Its Own Malicious Programming

Posted by Soulskill on from the hand-in-the-cookie-jar dept.

Etherwalk writes: The Obama Administration today ordered Volkswagen to recall 500,000 4-cylinder Volkswagen and Audi vehicles from model years 2009-15. The vehicles were programmed to turn on more thorough emissions control and generate cleaner readings when tested for emissions than they did when in ordinary operation. In effect, the software made everything operate normally when you looked at it, just like any good malware.

2 of 411 comments (clear)

  1. Built-in "performance chip" by istartedi · · Score: 5, Interesting

    So VW incorporated stuff you see advertised in the back of hot-rod mags into the car. Now they'll have to go after those after-market guys, assuming the chips actually do what they say. It's not like anybody even tells state inspectors they swapped out the chips. I'm not sure how much this goes on. I've got a relatively new car and have only had it smogged once since I bought it. No, I don't plan on ever messing with it. I just know that such things exist.

    --
    For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
  2. Re:Don't take yours in. by Moof123 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Driving around with a known polluting car is awful. You are a jerk for suggesting folks just ignore their cars being 40x out of compliance. Diesel particulate emissions are a major contributor to diseases like lung cancer, asthma, etc. Eff you.

    I couldn't easily find if VW is just going to update the software, or what?