BMW under legal trouble: Investigation reveals emissions cheat device in X3 SUVs

Almost ten years have passed since the Volkswagen emissions scandal, widely known as Dieselgate, rocked the automotive world. The scandal revealed that Volkswagen had installed illegal software in its diesel vehicles to cheat emissions tests, resulting in billions of dollars in fines, vehicle buybacks, and a tarnished reputation for the company.

Now, another German automaker, BMW, is facing regulatory scrutiny over its diesel vehicles. Germany’s federal transport watchdog, the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA), has uncovered an emissions cheat device in diesel BMW X3 SUVs built between 2010 and 2014. The KBA alleges that BMW fitted these X3 models with 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engines, which produce emissions higher than legally mandated levels in certain circumstances.

The investigation began over allegations that the mandatory emissions systems deactivated on X3 models when the air conditioning was turned on – a practice that could allow emissions to exceed legal limits during real-world driving. The KBA now claims to have found software that allows the affected X3 models, specifically the sDrive 18d and xDrive 20d, to produce nitrogen oxides outside of legal limits when the air conditioning is on.

Approximately 33,000 German vehicles are believed to be affected, with up to 150,000 vehicles suspected across Europe. BMW has been working on a hardware and software solution to address the issue, which is expected to be implemented by June 2024.