Trial, bond hearing dates set for VW emissions scandal executive in U.S.

A federal judge on Wednesday set for April 18 in Detroit the trial of a former Volkswagen AG U.S.-based executive charged with crimes related to the company's massive diesel emissions scandal, but the defense indicated it may seek a postponement.

Oliver Schmidt, who was the chief of Volkswagen's environmental and engineering center in Michigan, faces charges that could put him in prison for up to 169 years if he is convicted.

Volkswagen is set to plead guilty on March 10 in Detroit to three felony counts under a plea agreement to resolve U.S. charges it installed secret software in vehicles to enable it to beat emissions tests. read more »

Will Takata plea deal kill civil litigation against automakers?

Late this afternoon, the automakers Honda, Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda and BMW will head to federal court in Miami to argue that a $1 billion plea agreement between the U.S. Justice Department and the airbag maker Takata Corporation should absolve them from liability for installing dangerous Takata airbags in tens of millions of cars sold in the U.S.

Takata admitted as part of the plea that it reported incorrect airbag test results to carmakers. So according to the automakers, they are properly viewed as victims of Takata’s admittedly fraudulent scheme – not as perpetrators of their own deception of car buyers. As my colleague Joe White has reported, Takata has agreed to set up an $850 million fund to compensate automakers for the cost of replacing recalled airbags. read more »

Ford recalls 32,000 cars for different kind of Takata airbag problem

Jeez, Takata, get a grip!

Ford's latest recall involves Takata airbags that don't inflate properly, but it's not the same problem that spurred the big Takata scandal last year.

Ford issued a recall covering approximately 32,000 North American examples of the 2016-2017 Ford Edge, 2016-2017 Lincoln MKX and 2017 Lincoln Continental vehicles. The affected models have built dates between November 11, 2014 and February 15, 2017.

The issue involves Takata-sourced airbags, but is not related to the issue that kickstarted the scandal. In this case, if the front driver airbag deploys, misaligned components may cause the airbag to only partially fill. The airbag cushion might also separate from the airbag module. This presents a big ol' safety risk for occupants in the event of a collision. read more »