December 07, 2015
December 07, 2015 - PRESSADVANTAGE -
One of the biggest scandals in the history of car industry became public in September 2015. Thousands of VW buyers discovered themselves to be victims of fraud and have joined a class action lawsuit against VW.
The “dieselgate” scandal started in September when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared that VW had installed “defeat device” software on certain 2009–2015 model year Volkswagen and Audi diesel vehicles to circumvent emissions tests. This software was designed to detect when the car is undergoing emissions test and to adapt the performance accordingly to fit the standards. As a result, the tainted VW cars comply with the emissions standards in the laboratory or testing station. In real life settings, however, the engines switch out of this test mode and emit nitrogen oxides (NOx) up to 40 times as much as the Clean Air Act permits.
Since the onset of the scandal, an increasing number of VW vehicle owners are worried as bad news have continued to arrive. Initially, the scandal involved the cheating software and affected around 500.000 VW diesel car owners in the U.S. Subsequently, the VW Group also announced that official CO2 and fuel economy figures for 800,000 of its vehicles were found to be incorrect. (http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/volkswagen/92893/vw-emissions-scandal-recalls-compensation-is-your-car-affected-latest-news) VW has thus betrayed not only those customers who bought a “green” diesel because they believed it to be an environment-friendly choice, but also those who preferred a VW car for the superior fuel economy and performance.
VW has now issued a worldwide recall to fix all affected vehicles. While in case of some models, the fixes will presumably be software updates, many vehicles will likely need many more physical changes to the catalytic converters and the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems to pass the strict U.S. emissions criteria. VW owners are concerned that repairing the cars in order to meet emission standards may result in significantly reduced power and fuel economy, as well as the resale value.
There are over 30 class action lawsuits against VW in progress already, and an increasing number of VW owners seek to get monetary compensation for the reduced value of their cars. VW vehicle owners whose cars could be affected by the scandal are encouraged to seek legal advice in order to determine their eligibility and pursue legal action against VW.
As of right now, there are eight vehicle models that may have been manufactured with a defeat device. In the United States, these vehicles include:
2009-2015 Audi A3 2.0 L TDI
2009-2015 VW Beetle 2.0 L TDI
2009-2015 Beetle Convertible 2.0 L TDI
2009-2015 VW Golf 2.0 L TDI
2015 VW Golf Sportwagen 2.0 L TDI
2009-2015 VW Jetta 2.0 L TDI
2009-2014 Jetta Sportwagen 2.0 L TDI
2012-2015 VW Passat 2.0 L TDI
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For more information about VW Class Action Attorneys, contact the company here:
VW Class Action Attorneys
Angela Smith
415-671-6163
4305 Center Avenue
Fresno, CA 93704
