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Ford under criminal investigation

Ford becomes the latest firm to face scrutiny by authorities over emissions tests. 
Posted on 29 April, 2019
Ford under criminal investigation

The US Justice Department is undertaking a criminal investigation into Ford's emissions certification process in the US, the car manufacturer has disclosed, saying it was cooperating fully with the probe and still conducting its own internal review. 

Ford said in a statement the Justice Department had notified it in early April of the criminal investigation, which makes the car manufacturer the latest to come under scrutiny for adherence to emissions standards by US officials.

“Ford is fully cooperating with the government, and we’ll keep them posted on what we’re finding through our investigation and technical review,” Ford said. 

However, Ford said the concerns did not involve the use of defeat devices – the cheat software used to deliberately lower emissions during official tests, which were at the heart of the Volkswagen “dieselgate” scandal in 2015.

According to the carmaker, the issue stems from miscalculations made during the testing process rather than an intentional attempt to deceive regulators.