SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea on Thursday ordered Volkswagen to recall more than 125,000 cars in the country, saying a government investigation had found that the German carmaker had illegally manipulated an emissions device in cars with older diesel engines.
The Environment Ministry began investigations after Volkswagen admitted in September that 11 million cars worldwide had been fitted with cheating software. The so-called defeat device made it appear that diesel-powered Volkswagens were emitting less nitrogen oxide than they actually did.
The ministry said it had confirmed the cheating in Euro 5 cars with the older EA 189 diesel engine, including the popular Tiguan model. But it said it could not determine whether Euro 5 and Euro 6 vehicles with the newer EA 288 diesel engine were similarly equipped, and it called for further investigation.
Volkswagen Korea must now pay 14.1 billion won, or $12.3 million, in fines, the ministry said. Officials said the ministry would expand its investigations to 16 other automakers, including Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors, which sell diesel cars in South Korea. Those investigations will be completed by April, the ministry said.
There was no immediate comment from Volkswagen Korea.
In a news release, the Environment Ministry said its investigators had made findings similar to those of their U.S. counterparts on how the defeat software sensed when the car was being tested, then activated equipment that reduced emissions.
The Tiguan engine met emissions standards in the first test run in laboratory conditions, the ministry said. But during subsequent test runs, the engine’s defeat device, incorrectly sensing that the test was over, switched out of test mode, and nitrogen oxide levels rose far above legal limits, the ministry said.
The engine also breached emissions rules when the car was not under the usual test conditions, as during sudden acceleration, when the air conditioner was turned on and when the car was on the road, the ministry said.