Volkswagen’s diesel scandal centered on software that, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), recognized emissions testing and changed how emissions controls operated during the test. The U.S. case involved specified Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche diesel vehicles—not every diesel Volkswagen or every market—and led to separate civil settlements and a criminal case.
What did Volkswagen do?
The EPA said software in certain diesel vehicles detected when they were undergoing emissions tests and activated full emissions controls only during the test. In normal driving, those controls did not operate in the same way, according to the agency’s account of the alleged defeat device.
In its 2016 announcement concerning the U.S. 2.0-liter settlement, the EPA said affected vehicles could pass laboratory tests while emitting nitrogen oxides at levels up to 40 times EPA-compliant levels in normal on-road driving. That was the agency’s figure for the covered U.S. vehicles; it should not be read as a result for every vehicle, test or country.
How did the U.S. case unfold?
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2006 | The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) later said Volkswagen engineers began designing a diesel engine to meet stricter U.S. standards taking effect for model year 2007. This describes the alleged conduct’s earlier origins, not the date the public learned of it. |
| September 18, 2015 | The EPA announced its first public notice of violation, concerning certain 2.0-liter diesel vehicles. |
| November 2, 2015 | The EPA issued a separate notice concerning certain 3.0-liter diesel vehicles. |
| June 2016 | The EPA announced a proposed settlement for the 2.0-liter vehicles. |
| January 2017 | The DOJ announced Volkswagen’s agreement to plead guilty and pay a criminal penalty. |
| May 26, 2025 | The Associated Press reported convictions of four former Volkswagen managers in Germany; two received prison sentences. |
Which vehicles and remedies were covered?
The U.S. enforcement actions covered defined vehicle groups. Engine size, brand, model year and jurisdiction matter: a broad label such as “Volkswagen diesel” is not enough to establish whether a particular car was included or what remedy applied. EPA settlement records identify the covered model and model-year groups; consult the relevant record for a specific vehicle.
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| U.S. vehicle group | Scope and remedy described by the EPA | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| 2.0-liter diesel | The 2016 announcement described a proposed package valued at up to $14.7 billion and consumer buyback or lease-termination options for nearly 500,000 model-year 2009–2015 vehicles, alongside compensation and environmental measures. The EPA also recorded that Volkswagen was unable to demonstrate a repair that would bring those vehicles into compliance. | The figure is the value of the proposed settlement package, not a criminal fine. The buyback and lease-termination options applied to the covered U.S. group, not to all Volkswagen diesels. |
| 3.0-liter diesel | The EPA described a separate group of approximately 83,000 model-year 2009–2015 vehicles, with distinct recall and repair commitments. | This was a separate settlement group. Its remedies should not be conflated with the 2.0-liter buyback and lease-termination program. |
How do the civil settlements differ from the criminal case?
The EPA’s actions under civil enforcement and the DOJ’s criminal case were separate parts of the U.S. response. The DOJ said Volkswagen agreed to plead guilty to three felony counts and pay a $2.8 billion criminal penalty. Its 2017 announcement described that penalty as additional to the earlier 2.0-liter and 3.0-liter civil settlements.
The DOJ used approximately 590,000 U.S. diesel vehicles when describing the criminal case. That figure is not interchangeable with either EPA settlement group: the numbers refer to different descriptions and scopes. Nor should the criminal penalty be treated as the total value of all civil, consumer and environmental obligations.
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What happened in Germany?
The German proceedings involved individual former managers and are distinct from the U.S. actions against Volkswagen. The Associated Press reported on May 26, 2025, that a German court convicted four former managers and sentenced two to prison. The report said proceedings against other suspects remained open at that time. It does not establish whether there were later appeals, further developments or a different status by October 2026.
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What the record does—and does not—establish
- The central U.S. allegation was that software changed emissions-control behavior when it detected testing.
- The public U.S. enforcement story began with certain 2.0-liter vehicles and expanded to a separate 3.0-liter notice. The listed settlement groups and remedies were not universal across diesel vehicles.
- The civil settlements, the DOJ criminal penalty and the German individual proceedings are distinct legal matters; their figures and outcomes should not be combined as if they described one case.
- The figures and proceedings described here do not establish a definitive global affected-vehicle count or the current status of every German case.
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