You thought we were done with our Bosch piece? You thought Dieselgate, Nazi-era sins, and sanction-dodging were the worst Bosch had to offer? Mate, we’ve barely scratched the surface. The first article was just the appetiser – a taste of the rot festering beneath Bosch’s polished veneer. But there’s more. So much more. The kind of dirt that doesn’t wash off, no matter how many PR statements they churn out. So here we are, back in the grime, because Bosch’s laundry list of fuck-ups demands a second instalment. And trust me, it’s filthier than the first.
Let’s get one thing straight: Bosch isn’t some scrappy underdog. They’re a titan, a global behemoth with tentacles in everything from car parts to kitchen appliances. But with that reach comes a shadow – a long, ugly one. And it’s time to drag it into the light.
Antitrust Violations: Rigging the Game
Bosch doesn’t play fair. They never have. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice caught them with their hand in the till, pleading guilty to price-fixing and bid-rigging on car parts. Spark plugs, oxygen sensors, starter motors – the lot. For over a decade, they conspired to screw over consumers, inflating prices like a back-alley hustler. The fine? A slap on the wrist – up to $100 million, pocket change for a company like Bosch. But the damage was done. Trust? Shattered.
And it didn’t stop there. Fast forward to 2023, and Italy’s antitrust watchdogs are sniffing around Bosch’s e-bike empire, probing them for abusing their dominance in Europe. Raids in Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands – that’s not the kind of attention you want. Bosch scrambled, offering remedies like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. But let’s not kid ourselves: this is a pattern. Bosch rigs the game, gets caught, pays a fine, and moves on. Rinse and repeat.
Product Recalls: Playing with Fire
You’d think a company peddling precision engineering would get the basics right. But Bosch? They’ve got a nasty habit of shipping out products that could burn your house down. Take their dishwashers – hundreds of thousands recalled for fire hazards. Overheating power cords, electrical components gone rogue. In 2017, they expanded a recall to cover 663,000 units in the U.S. and Canada alone. Five reports of fires, property damage, no injuries – but it’s a miracle no one got hurt. And that’s not even the first time. Back in 2009, another dishwasher recall for the same damn reason. Thirty fires, mate. Thirty.
Then there’s the toasters. In 2023, Bosch yanked their Styline models off the shelves because they could catch fire. Imagine that – your morning toast comes with a side of flames. And don’t forget the angle grinders in 2016, overheating like a junkyard bonfire. Solar panels in 2017, too, for good measure. Bosch’s safety record is a joke, and it’s consumers who are left holding the bag.
Environmental Violations: Greenwashing’s Ugly Cousin
Bosch loves to bang on about sustainability, but their environmental rap sheet tells a different story. Beyond Dieselgate – which, let’s be honest, was a masterclass in eco-deception – they’ve racked up fines for hazardous waste and energy conservation violations. In 2003, their South Carolina plant copped a $16,000 fine for mishandling waste. North Carolina hit them with $14,244 in 2024 for the same shit. And don’t forget the U.S. Department of Energy slapping them with $8,000 fines in 2013 and 2014 for failing to meet efficiency standards. Small potatoes compared to Dieselgate’s half-a-billion in penalties, but it’s the principle. Bosch talks green, but their actions? Brown as mud.
Geopolitical Shenanigans: War Profiteering 2.0
Here’s where it gets really grubby. In 2024, while Russia was still knee-deep in its invasion of Ukraine, Bosch was caught selling appliances meant for the Ukrainian market in Russia. Products with Ukrainian instructions, Kyiv delivery stickers – all flogged on Russian platforms like Ozon and Wildberries. Bosch shrugged, saying they had “no data” on sales volumes, but the optics? Disastrous. It’s not just about sanctions; it’s about ethics. While Ukrainians were fighting for their lives, Bosch was quietly cashing in. War profiteering by another name.
Labour Controversies: Workers Be Damned
Bosch’s workforce? Expendable. In 2021, 3,000 workers in Germany took to the streets, protesting plant closures and job cuts. By 2025, 1,000 jobs were on the chopping block, all in the name of “transitioning to electric vehicles.” Fast forward to 2024, and the axe swung harder: 5,000 jobs gone, 3,800 in Germany alone, with whispers of 10,000 more at risk. Unions are up in arms, strikes looming. Bosch’s solution? Cut and run. Workers who’ve bled for the company are left in the dust, while execs pat themselves on the back for “adapting to the market.” It’s brutal, it’s heartless, and it’s Bosch through and through.
The Raw Takeaway
Bosch isn’t some shining fucking beacon of industry. The first article laid bare the big sins: Dieselgate, WWII forced labour, Russia sanctions, greenwashing, brake failures. But the dirt doesn’t stop there. Antitrust violations, product recalls, environmental fines, geopolitical dodges, labour disputes – it’s a laundry list of corporate malpractice. Bosch’s components might power your engine, but they’re wired with compromise, greed, and a blatant disregard for the little guy.
Even Cummins, for all its many, many faults, doesn’t carry this kind of baggage. Bosch? They’re dragging a suitcase full of skeletons, and it’s time to open it up.
Lee Thompson – Founder, The Cummins Accountability Project