Volkswagen recalls 500,000 cars in America due to pollution

ArabiaWeather.com – At the behest of the US Environmental Protection Agency, German automaker Volkswagen has decided to recall 500,000 vehicles in the US due to a built-in device that hides pollution levels.

The device, called a "defeat device", allows cars to pass pollution tests even though they emit 40 times the legal standards.

According to the BBC, the US Environmental Protection Agency pays special attention to pollution issues resulting from car exhausts, and prevents violations of the Clean Air Act that applies in the United States.

Volkswagen is expected to incur losses of up to $18 billion (£11.5 billion).

The decision affects the Jetta cars in 2009 and 2014, and the Beetle, known as the Beetle, and the Audi A3, Golf and Passat cars in 2014 and 2015.