(credit: Oxfordian)

Politicians and regulators in the European Union are finding many instances of automakers using loopholes to circumvent emissions standards. Although so far only Volkswagen has been found using software to cheat the emissions tests specified by regulators, other automakers including Jeep, General Motors, and Mercedes-Benz are taking advantage of regulatory gray areas for diesel vehicles sold in the EU, according to a report from the New York Times.

Specifically, the Times noted that EU regulations allow car makers to kill the emissions control system on diesel vehicles if there’s a risk that running the emissions control system could cause engine damage—“which in some cases is nearly all the time,” the paper wrote.

Cold weather is often cited as a reason to deactivate emissions control in the interests of extending the life of the engine (car companies in the US used such a justification against the accusations of environmentalists as early as the 70’s). But a German study found a Jeep Cherokee sold by Fiat Chrysler in Europe turned off certain emissions controls when the car experienced temperatures as high as 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Recently, an independent investigation by a German environmental lobbying group, the magazine Der Spiegel, and a German TV program called Monitor found that Opel’s Zafira was turning off emissions controls at high altitude and at speeds greater than 87 mph. Opel has denied that it’s done anything illegal in designing its diesel cars.