Imagine driving a car you thought was environmentally friendly, only to discover it’s been silently polluting the air more than you ever imagined. That’s the shocking reality for about one million Ford diesel car owners in the UK, according to a bombshell revelation in the High Court. But here’s where it gets even more unsettling: these vehicles, sold between 2016 and 2018, allegedly had defective emissions control systems—and Ford’s engineers reportedly knew about the issues long before they hit the roads. Worse yet, many of these cars were never officially recalled or fixed, leaving drivers unknowingly contributing to air pollution.
This bombshell comes as part of a larger legal battle involving 1.6 million diesel vehicle owners suing five major car manufacturers, including Ford. The accusation? These companies allegedly used ‘defeat devices’ to cheat emissions tests for nitrogen oxides (NOx), a harmful pollutant. And this is the part most people miss: Ford’s emissions control systems, as calibrated by the company, apparently became less effective when exposed to sulphur in fuel during normal driving. In 2017, a staggering 27 out of 27 tested Ford vehicles with Euro 6 engines failed the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) emissions tests—a red flag that’s hard to ignore.
During the trial, Thomas de la Mare KC grilled Marcus Davies, Ford’s former calibration manager, pointing out that the systems were ‘not sufficiently tested’ and that the problem affected ‘the best part of a million cars.’ Davies downplayed the issue, claiming not all vehicles were impacted. However, the court heard that while new software was introduced in 2018 and some customers received updates, there was no widespread recall. Here’s the controversial part: even with the software fix, the cars reportedly still didn’t meet NEDC compliance standards. So, was this a genuine attempt to rectify the problem, or a Band-Aid solution to save face?
The claimants argue that Ford deliberately prioritized passing certification tests over reducing real-world emissions. Internal documents from as early as 2012 suggest Ford was aware it wasn’t maximizing the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system to reduce NOx. Ben Jaffey KC, representing the claimants, bluntly asked: ‘Was the system shaped to meet test requirements and not much else?’ Davies admitted the calibration was ‘in part’ tailored to the NEDC tests, claiming that further NOx reduction would compromise the capture of other gases. But is this a valid engineering trade-off, or a convenient excuse?
Adding fuel to the fire, documents revealed that NOx emissions from a Euro 5 Transit van skyrocketed beyond regulatory limits when tested in sixth gear—a scenario not covered by the standard NEDC tests, which are typically conducted in fifth gear. In real-world driving, however, Ford’s gear shift indicator encourages drivers to switch to sixth gear at speeds of 100 km/h (62 mph), where the NOx reduction system becomes ineffective. As Jaffey quipped, ‘It’s hardly Grand Theft Auto, is it?’
Ford denies creating defeat devices, labeling the claims as ‘scientifically illiterate.’ Their lawyers argue that reduced NOx control might be a necessary compromise to ensure system stability and prevent component damage. But with models like the Mondeo, C-Max, Fiesta, Focus, and Transit vans under scrutiny, the stakes are high. Is this a case of corporate negligence, or an unavoidable engineering challenge?
This trial, part of the broader ‘Dieselgate’ scandal that erupted in 2015 with Volkswagen’s emissions cheating, has far-reaching implications. Millions of vehicles worldwide were affected, costing owners hundreds of millions of euros and, more tragically, potentially leading to thousands of deaths and asthma cases in children. As the three-month hearing continues, one question lingers: Where do we draw the line between innovation and accountability? Share your thoughts in the comments—this is a conversation we can’t afford to ignore.
