Two months after U.S. regulators opened an investigation into Mitsubishi over falsified fuel mileage data, the carmaker says its internal probe found that 20 of its models are affected, but none in the U.S.
Mitsubishi announced Friday that it manipulated fuel-economy on more models than previously thought, bringing the total to 25 models, including five that were made and sold under the Nissan brand, The Wall Street Journal reports.
In all, the company says that 20 of its vehicle models sold between 2006 and 2016 included manipulated tire pressure data that made mileage appear 5% to 10% better than it actually was.
Mitsubishi says that the manipulations were caused in one of two ways: the company used desktop calculations instead of fuel-economy tests to cut costs, or when tests were conducted, resistance ratings were manipulated to produce better rates.
To make it up to customers, Mitsubishi will set aside nearly $500 million for compensation. In all, the carmaker says it will offer compensation that could include payments for additional gas costs because the fuel economy was worse than advertised.
For example, it will pay $960 to each affected minicar owner and $290 to owners of five other models.
Back in April, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration directed Mitsubishi to hand over any information on its vehicles sold in the United States, Reuters reports.
“We’ve requested information from Mitsubishi about this issue,” a spokesman for NHTSA said at the time, declining to specify which models the agency sought data for.
Since then, Mitsubishi admitted that the falsified data could go back as far as 25 years. Following that admission, NHTSA ordered additional tests on the vehicles in the U.S. It’s unclear what the agency has determined.
Mitsubishi Motors Takes Nearly $480 Million Charge as Fuel-Economy Scandal Spreads [The Wall Street Journal]
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
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