Volkswagen Emission Product Liability Attorneys

Volkswagen has claimed to be the leading car manufacturer of “clean diesel” fueled cars in the United States. “Clean diesel” has been sold as providing more miles per gallon, greater range between fill-ups, lower cost of operation, and the thrill and fast acceleration of a turbo engine. Volkswagen told it’s American consumers, certain Volkswagen clean diesel vehicles included engine technology that would eliminate the chief disadvantage of diesel fuel which is the high emissions of pollution. Volkswagen told people they could feel environmentally responsible for buying a diesel car. For all this, Volkswagen charged its customers a healthy premium over similar vehicles with gasoline engines. On September 18, 2015, we all learned that VW’s diesel success story was a lie. The EPA charged Volkswagen with using a “defeat device” on its engines to deceive emissions tests. Under laboratory conditions, the affected cars’ emissions stay under the legal limit. On the open road, researchers found, emissions can be as high as 40 times the limit.

Vehicles Affected

Volkswagen has agreed to recall 83,000 3-liter diesel vehicles with model years between 2009 and 2016, in a deal with regulators, the Environmental Protection Agency said back in December 2016. Volkswagen has the option of buying back, modifying or terminating the leases of the 20,000 model year 2009 to 2012 vehicles.

The emissions modification must be approved by regulators. Hinrich Woebcken, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, said in a statement that the agreement is another “important step forward in our efforts to make things right for our customers,” calling it a “fair and reasonable resolution.” The German automaker faced fines after it was caught last year cheating on American air pollution tests by the EPA. The scandal has damaged the company’s reputation and hurt its sales.

Do I Need To File A Lawsuit?

As part of the agreement, Volkswagen will also spend $225 million to fund projects focused on reducing nitrogen oxide emissions. Reuters reported that Cynthia Giles, EPA assistant administrator, estimated that the costs of buybacks, fixes and diesel offsets were about $1 billion, including the $225 million going into a trust fund to offset excess diesel emissions. Volkswagen will also pay $25 million to the California Air Resources Board to support the use of zero-emission vehicles in the state.

Contact Williamson & Rusnak Now

Vehicle owners, who thought they were purchasing environmentally friendly vehicles, were intentionally misled and are now left with vehicles that may not be sellable. If you purchased or leased any of the diesel vehicles on the recall list, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact the the VW Recall Lawyers at Williamson & Rusnak immediately at 1-855-972-7783 to start your claim.