Skip to main content

EMISSIONS DEFECTS


Nationwide Representation
Nationwide Success

Auto Defect Lawyer Reviewing Emissions Defects

In connection with the high-profile 2015 Volkswagen emissions scandal, police arrested a senior manager at Porsche in Germany to assist in the long-running investigation. Porsche—as well as Audi and Lamborghini—is part of the Volkswagen Group.

The executive was arrested because police feared he might flee or suppress evidence. The arrest follows raids by prosecutors on Porsche and Audi offices while they searched for evidence of fraud.

Volkswagen’s scandal began in 2015 after the car manufacturer was caught cheating on diesel emission tests. After Volkswagen’s diesel cheating software was discovered in September 2015, the auto industry was under increased scrutiny regarding “real-world” vehicle emissions.

Joe Lyon is a highly-rated and experienced product liability attorney, reviewing emissions fraud cases nationwide.   

Emissions Fraud Lawsuits

Ford and supplier Bosch are the targets of a lawsuit regarding the illegal emissions of over a half million of its heavy-duty F-250 and F-350 trucks sold between 2011 and 2017. The noxious emissions were tested as high as 50-times the permissible limit.

Ford and Bosch are accused of conspiring to hide emissions by programming the computer to detect when the vehicle is undergoing official emissions testing. This kind of ‘defeat device’ was used as part of Volkswagen’s emissions cheating systems.


General Motors: Chevrolet/GMC/Buick

In 2016, the Chevy Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave were sold with information that indicated incorrect fuel economy ratings. GM blamed the issue on “improper calculations.”

For owners who purchased the affected vehicles, GM offered up to $900 or a free extended warranty to make up for the cost associated with the drop in fuel economy.


Daimler Diesel Defeat Device

A group of U.S. Mercedes owners filed a class-action lawsuit, alleging that the automaker’s BlueTEC diesel-powered vehicles shut off their emissions controls in real-world driving. A second class-action suit alleged software like a ‘defeat device’ similar to Volkswagen’s.

Both claims argue that Mercedes BlueTEC diesels shut down at ambient temperatures below 50 degrees. At the request of the U.S. Department of Justice, Daimler launched an investigation into its certification process for U.S.-market diesel engines.


Fiat Chrysler

A German news outlet reported that Fiat’s 2.0-liter diesel engine almost entirely shuts off its emissions control devices after 22 minutes of driving. An independent German environmental group claims a diesel 500X it tested put out between 11 and 22 times the legal limit of NOx emissions.

Fiat representatives refused to attend a meeting with a German Transport Minister to discuss the real-world findings. Fiat Chrysler said that its vehicles did not carry defeat devices, and that its products are legal under E.U. rules.


Mitsubishi

Nissan was the whistleblower that uncovered Mitsubishi’s fuel deception. Nissan revealed that Mitsubishi had been artificially boosting its fuel economy ratings by overinflating tires during testing. Mitsubishi admitted that the fuel economy deception began back in 1991, a routine effort affecting millions of vehicles.


PSA & Renault Lawsuits

French anti-fraud authorities raided Renault offices after many Renault diesel models emitted more than the legally permissible maximum in real-world driving situations.

Officials found no installed ‘defeat device,’ though the automaker recalled about 16,000 European-market diesel-powered SUVs and offered a software fix to reduce the emissions of nearly 700,000 diesel-powered vehicles. PSA, the maker of Peugeot and Citroën, faced similar anti-fraud raids by the same agency.

CONTACT THE LYON FIRM TODAY

Please complete the form below for a FREE consultation.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

ABOUT THE LYON FIRM

Joseph Lyon has 17 years of experience representing individuals in complex litigation matters. He has represented individuals in every state against many of the largest companies in the world.

The Firm focuses on single-event civil cases and class actions involving corporate neglect & fraud, toxic exposure, product defects & recalls, medical malpractice, and invasion of privacy.

NO COST UNLESS WE WIN

The Firm offers contingency fees, advancing all costs of the litigation, and accepting the full financial risk, allowing our clients full access to the legal system while reducing the financial stress while they focus on their healthcare and financial needs.

photo of attorney Joe Lyon
A Voice for Those who have suffered

Why are these cases important?

Serious injuries and accidents often result through no fault of the injured party, yet the injured victim suffers from life altering physical, mental and financial losses. Such economic and human losses can have devastating financial consequences on individuals and families if not properly compensated. Tort law allows those individuals to seek just legal recourse through personal injury lawsuits.

CONTACT THE LYON FIRM TODAY

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Questions about Emissions Defects

What is a Personal Injury Lawsuit?

Any kind of negligence by an individual or company that causes injury or harm can lead to filing a personal injury lawsuit. The amount a plaintiff is entitled to depends on several factors, particularly how egregious the act and how serious the injury.

Personal injury attorneys generally only will take cases on a confidential and contingency fee basis, which means your lawyer will only get paid if he or she is able to reach a settlement or positive verdict. The Lyon Firm will review your case for free and assess what compensation any plaintiff can expect through litigation.

Personal Injury cases can range from minor auto accidents to complex lawsuits filed against large corporations. The Lyon Firm has handled both with equal care. Severe injury requires legal action on occasion, no matter if the injury is the result of a vehicle accident, a dog bite, a boating accident, workplace injury, defective consumer products, medical malpractice, or toxic exposure.

What is the Process?

Pre-Suit Investigation and Negotiations: Personal injury lawsuits are unique and require a thorough investigation before a lawsuit is filed. An initial investigation involves gathering all relevant medical records, accident reports, and interviews with available witnesses.  Preservation letters are drafted to notify the defendant of the case. The duty to preserve electronic evidence is critical in most cases to prevent spoliation.

Filing a Lawsuit in Cincinnati: If pre-suit negotiations are unsuccessful, then a lawsuit must be filed to preserve the statute of limitations.  Filing a lawsuit early in the process is often necessary to begin gathering evidence while the witnesses memories are fresh and documents remain available.

Once suit is filed by your personal injury lawyer, the court will set a case management schedule and the parties will begin exchanging information in the formal process of discovery. Depositions will be taken to preserve testimony for trial and to understand what certain witnesses are likely to say at trial.

Proving Negligence, Causation and Damages: In addition to lay witness testimony and other documentary evidence, personal injury claims rely upon medical and scientific evidence to prove negligence, causation and damages. The chosen expert in a case must have a reliable and sound basis in science and in the facts of the case or his opinion may not be admissible under the rules of evidence.

In the areas of Toxic and Environmental Torts, the admission of expert testimony may be scrutinized harder than in other areas simply because the subject may not have been as widely tested and may rest on novel scientific theories.

Has My Car Been Recalled?

Consumers can follow recall news or search for current and past recalls on the Web sites of the NHTSA, as well as on other car safety advocate outlets. Look on your car windshield for a 17-character Vehicle Identification Number. Your VIN is also located on your car’s registration card.

If your car has been recalled and you have suffered an injury, contact an auto defect attorney to investigate a potential claim

Can I File an Auto Defect Lawsuit?

You may not be aware that your car is defective. It is not always obvious when your seat belt or other safety component fails to function as intended. It can take an expert in auto engineering to determine what contributed to an accident or injury.

You can contact The Lyon Firm, and we will work diligently to review your auto accident case. If an auto defect was in part responsible for an auto injury, a lawsuit can be filed and a large settlement is likely.

If negligent manufacturers and automakers are directly responsible for an auto-related injury, a product liability and personal injury lawsuit may be filed and compensation may be recovered for accident victims. Plaintiffs may seek compensation that may include property damages, past and future medical expenses, lost wages and future earnings, and pain and suffering.

The Lyon Firm takes pride in representing consumers to make America’s roads safer by holding negligent auto manufacturers accountable for auto defects that lead to accidents and injuries. When car makers fail to institute basic safety measures and fail to test auto components before releasing cars tot he public, they may be targeted in product liability lawsuits.

Did an Auto Defect Cause my Accident?

Auto defects have been known to cause accidents in tire failure, tread separation accidents, brake malfunction and sudden acceleration cases.

Auto defects may not cause every accident, but they can play an integral part in causing injury in the event of an accident. This is common in defective seat back collapse, seat belt defects and airbag defects. When these crucial safety features fail to function as they were intended.

Who is Responsible for Auto Defects?

Auto manufacturers and car makers can be held liable in auto defect lawsuits. Many automakers outsource some of their production and may not always be aware of some defects. Honda, for example, purchased all their defective airbags from Takata.

Some defective auto part suits name other defendants like negligent auto dealerships or auto repair shops who alter car parts or fail to properly repair automobiles and leave a serious safety risk.

What Cars are Defective?

The list of defective automobiles changes each year, and it is more likely that certain components are defective rather than an entire brand name. Nowadays many car makers use the same third-party suppliers, which compounds safety issues when a defective auto part is produced.

What are the Most common Auto Defects?

In recent years, the most common auto defects have been faulty airbags. Millions of cars were recalled for defective airbags. Other common auto defects are defective throttles, defective car software, and tire failures. Tire failure has been an issue in many car accidents and truck accidents.

Why Hire a Product Liability Attorney?

A Cincinnati Auto Defect Lawyer can assist in not only reviewing your accident and injury case, but is able to hold large corporations accountable for the negligent actions in releasing unsafe products to the public.

Auto companies must be held liable in order to keep the roads safe in America. So not only can The Lyon Firm seek compensation for injured plaintiffs, but we can file lawsuits to punish car makers for failing to properly test their auto parts before they are sold to the public.

When car makers fail to produce reliable cars and fail to provide basic road safety features, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and product liability attorneys can hold them responsible and help mitigate injuries and future damages.

The majority of accidents and injuries on the road are preventable, but defective auto design and manufacturing defects may leave victims with huge medical costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, and, in many cases, permanent injuries.