The VW defeat device scandal has rocked the auto world and brought up serious environmental concerns, but new discoveries may further tarnish the reputation of the embattled automaker. It seems that the company may have lied about more than just its environmentally-friendly diesel cars.
What Else Is Volkswagen Lying About?
In the U.S., automakers are required to report the injuries and deaths that occur in their vehicles to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, but a report by Stout Risius Ross Inc.—a financial firm—says that VW might not be telling the truth about their numbers.
What Did They Find?
The financial firm compared data from the automaker with actual crash data collected by the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and found that the automaker’s numbers were lower than expected. Volkswagen reported only 34 incidents per 1 million vehicles it sold in the US, which is far less than the national average of 301 reported incidents per 1 million vehicles.
What Were The Numbers From Other Automakers?
General Motors reported 524 incidents per million vehicles sold—the highest incident rate out of all 11 top automakers. Meanwhile, Honda reported 78 incidents per million vehicles, and Chrysler reported 101, but both of these automakers have admitted to underreporting their numbers, so can Volkswagen’s numbers really be so low?
“No,” says Clarence Ditlow, the director of the Center for Automotive Safety. “If a manufacturer is going to cheat in one area, they’re going to cheat in another.” He believes Volkswagen and other companies are using the NHTSA’s lack of crosschecks as a way to inflate their safety numbers.
With Volkswagen facing scrutiny from the EPA and the German government, it will be even more important for the victims of the defeat device scandal to come forward. Check out our VW recall page for more information, and keep following our blog for the latest developments.
Colson Hicks Eidson—Injury Attorneys