Have you purchased a Volkswagen Diesel within the past 7 years?
If you bought it because:
- You care about the environment or
- Because you just wanted to spend less on gas or
- Because you hate gas stations and wanted to minimize your stops or
- Because you thought a VW would be a good investment & hold its value..
…the bottom line for any of these reasons is, we’re sorry to say, you probably will be:
- very disappointed!
How their cheating could affect you, and what you need to know:
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has accused Volkswagen of deliberately dodging air-pollution rules on nearly 500,000 vehicles sold in the U.S. since 2008 and an estimated 5 million vehicles sold world-wide.
Amidst one of the largest scandals in regards to emission standards, Volkswagen has announced their comprehensive plan to start recalling vehicles, beginning in January 2016, with plans to finish their emission standard fix by the end of calendar year 2016. As a result, Volkswagen has already set aside in excess of $7.5 billion dollars that the company will use to begin fixing the affected vehicles, although reports estimate that it will far exceed this figure.
Volkswagen intentionally installed “defeat devices” on their turbo-charged direct injection (TDI) diesel engine vehicles to make them appear cleaner than they actually were. The devices would allow the engine to appear as if it was operating at emission
standards when the vehicle underwent an inspection; however, once the vehicle was under normal driving conditions it would emit pollutants at up to 40 times the standard allowable under the EPA’s rules. By installing these “defeat devices” on their diesel engine vehicles, Volkswagen could bypass the EPA’s standards and market a “green diesel” vehicle to consumers at higher prices, when in reality the vehicles did not meet the EPA’s requirements. Volkswagen, because of its actions, could face billions of dollars in fines and litigation fees as this scandal continues to unfold.
The vehicles affected by this deliberate deception are:
- VW Jetta TDI (Model Years 2009 – 2015)
- VW Jetta SportWagen TDI (Model Years 2009-2014)
- VW Golf TDI (Model Years 2010-2015)
- VW Golf SportWagen TDI (Model Year 2015)
- VW Beetle TDI and VW Beetle Convertible TDI (Model Years 2012-2015)
- VW Passat TDI (Model Years 2012-2015)
- Audi A3 2.0L 4-Cylinder TDI (Model Years 2010-2013, 2015)
- ŠKODA Octavia (Model Years 2009-2013)
- ŠKODA Yeti (Model Years 2011-2015)
- ŠKODA Superb (Model Years 2009-2015)
Volkswagen has stated that all of the vehicles affected are still safe to drive; however, this serves as little redress for consumers who purchased these vehicles under false pretenses. Volkswagen, as a company, has lost nearly a third of its market value in the wake of this scandal, and as a result consumers are left with vehicles that are far less valuable than before.
If you or a loved one has purchased a vehicle listed above and are curious about your possible legal rights, please feel free to contact us and speak with one of our attorneys today or read more about current VW litigation.