Ford under criminal investigation for emission testing problems

Ford Motor Company admitted in a financial filing on Friday that it is under investigation by the US Department of Justice about its internal emission testing. The study is still in the "preliminary stages", according to the automaker.

In particular, Ford says the survey has nothing to do with the use of "defeat units" or software intended to trick regulators, which was the problem at the center of Volkswagen's dieselgate scandal.

In February, Ford announced that it had launched a survey of its own emission test practices after employees red-flagged potential impact problems. The employees who discovered Ford may have lost the calculation of "road load", which is a measurement of the forces ̵[ads1]1; such as aerodynamic wear or tire resistance – on a car when it is constantly moving on a flat, flat surface. (Getting up with a lower safe in the lab versus in the real world, for example, might lead a car manufacturer to believe his cars got better fuel economy and thus less pollution.)

The company said there was law firm Sidley Austin to conduct the investigation and notified the Environmental Protection Agency. Ford said on Friday that it is also working on the California Air Resources Board to fix any issues.

"The Ministry of Justice contacted us earlier this month to tell us that they had opened a criminal investigation," the company said Friday in a statement to The Verge . "Ford is fully cooperating with the government, and we keep it updated on what we find through our investigation and technical review."

Both Daimler (Mercedes-Benz's parent company) and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles are also allegedly under criminal investigation for emissions, but as Volkswagen, they allegedly used defeat units to get some diesel cars cleaner for regulators. Daimler and Fiat Chrysler have also had civilian charges. In January, Fiat Chrysler settled a civil case with the US Department of Justice for $ 800 million. The company also recalled 862,000 cars in March. Meanwhile, a complaint action against Daimler in the United States recently received the green light to move forward in a New Jersey court.