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Germany Detects Emissions Cheat Software In Audi Models (reuters.com)
The German government has accused Audi of cheating emissions tests with its top-end models, marking the first time the company has been accused of such wrongdoing in its home country. Reuters reports: The German Transport Ministry said it has asked Volkswagen's (VOWG_p.DE) luxury division to recall around 24,000 A7 and A8 models built between 2009 and 2013, about half of which were sold in Germany. The affected Audi models with so-called Euro-5 emission standards emit about twice the legal limit of nitrogen oxides when the steering wheel is turned more than 15 degrees, the ministry said. It is also the first time that Audi's top-of-the-line A8 saloon has been implicated in emissions cheating. VW has said to date that the emissions-control software found in its rigged EA 189 diesel engine does not violate European law. The 80,000 3.0-liter vehicles affected by VW's emissions cheating scandal in the United States included Audi A6, A7 and Q7 models as well as Porsche and VW brand cars. The ministry said it has issued a June 12 deadline for Audi to come up with a comprehensive plan to refit the cars. Ingolstadt-based Audi issued a recall for the 24,000 affected models late on Thursday, some 14,000 of which are registered in Germany, and said software updates will start in July. It will continue to cooperate with Germany's KBA motor vehicle authority, Audi said.
When you are testing emissions, you are doing it on a dynamometer - a big rolling drum. The car isn't moving. Thus, there is no reason to steer, and so the steering wheel won't be past 15 degrees either left or right. It's a perfect way to tell if you are testing, or actually driving. When you are on a real road, you are likely to turn the wheel past 15 degrees within the first 15 seconds of motion - pulling out of a parking space, backing out of a driveway, etc.
This isn't a bug - there is no reason for the steering to inform the tuning if the engine whatsoever. This is a deliberate cheat device.
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Its disabled for the whole driving session once the wheel is turned once.