Germany orders Porsche to recall 22,000 units of the Cayenne 3.0 TDI

Using illegal software, Porsche Cayenne vehicles were able to detect whether they were being subjected to exhaust gas measurements in a laboratory, thereby temporarily altering their emission levels. Despite this, Porsche denied it a few weeks ago.

According to German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt, the Cayenne TDI models used a device that, upon detecting measurements, activated the filters needed to achieve the results required for these vehicles. The affected Porsche Cayenne units are those equipped with the 3.0-litre V6 engine.

The German government has caught Porsche and is forcing it to recall 22,000 Cayenne TDI units across Europe, while also prohibiting it from continuing to sell that version of the model. Despite the two years that have passed since the diesel scandal at the Volkswagen group in the United States broke for the same reason, the Stuttgart prosecutor’s office had not opened an investigation until now.

On 17 May, Volkswagen agreed to buy back 20,000 units fitted with the first generation of the V6 TDI engine from their owners and repair 58,000 units equipped with the second generation of this engine, which has so far cost the German manufacturer €1.046 billion, although it could in future be forced to carry out a recall of all models sold with this same engine.