On 18 September 2015 it became public that Volkswagen diesel engines of the EA189 series contained software that recognized emissions tests. In normal driving, a large part of the exhaust cleaning system was largely switched off. About eleven million vehicles worldwide were affected. Chief executive Martin Winterkorn resigned on 23 September 2015. In 2017 Volkswagen paid 2.8 billion US dollars in a criminal settlement in the United States. Winterkorn’s trial began in September 2024.