Car manufacturer Volkswagen is facing major legal problems after the recent discovery of a massive deception over its emission tests.
According to Yahoo News, legal experts say that the German automaker is facing serious legal implications that may yield to criminal liabilities. Experts on the matter said that the implications will rise following Volkswagen's admission that it installed software on some of its vehicles in order to cheat emissions tests.
Volkswagen recently admitted that it had installed software that is designed to cheat emission test results. More than 11 million vehicles sold worldwide had this software feature.
The accusation came from the Environmental Protection Agency citing Jetta, Passat, Beetle and Golf packing such feature. The software enables the "clean diesel" feature every time they are tested thus making the cars emit less-polluting substances.
According to the Environment Protection Agency, the software also allows the cars to emit up to 40 times the allowed amount of toxic substances in order to improve their driving performance.
The United States Justice Department announced that it is working closely with the Environmental Protection Agency in order to get to the bottom of the issue.
Justice Department Environment Crimes Section's former chief David Uhlmann said in a statement, "If there is sufficient evidence to show that Volkswagen intentionally programmed its vehicles to override the emission control devices, the company and any individuals involved could face criminal charges under the Clean Air Act, and for conspiracy, fraud and false statements."
According to the BBC, an engineer working for Volkswagen has warned that company about its practice regarding the emission tests. The engineer claim that it has warned the company in 2011 about the possible implications it might face in the future if the practice is continued.