Recently, Volkswagen owners learned they were the victims of a deception. While many of these owners took pride in investing in vehicles believed to be equipped with some of the most environmentally-friendly technology, known as “clean diesel,†for which they paid thousands of dollars, these drivers instead learned that VW had done nothing more than engineer its vehicles to cheat on environmental tests.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, an investigation into VW vehicles was launched in 2014 to assess compliance with the Clean Air Act by VW diesel light duty vehicles model years 2009 to 2015. Questions had been raised after a study revealed that in the lab, VW vehicles complied with federal emission standards, yet road tests indicated the cars actually emitted nitrogen oxide over 40 times the federal limits.
VW has now admitted to installing software known as a “defeat device†in over 400,000 of its vehicles. This software can detect when emission testing is being performed and then activates countermeasures to reduce emissions. When the vehicles are not being tested, this emission-reducing technology is disabled, leading to the drastic rise in pollution levels.
For more than a year, VW deceived the EPA, telling regulators that the discrepancy between lab and road tests could be explained by “various technical issues and unexpected in-use conditions.†It was not until the EPA threatened not to approve VW’s 2016 line of diesel cars that the automaker decided to come clean and admit to its massive deceit.
Aside from its admission of guilt, VW has now halted sales of its diesel vehicles in the U.S. However, this is only the start of what will surely be a long road to recovery for the auto giant. According to EPA regulations, the company could be fined $37,500 for each car sold with a defeat device — a potential fine of $18 billion.
And aside from the regulatory penalties, consumers should be compensated for this deception.
The VW vehicles affected include:
2009 VW Jetta, VW Jetta Sportwagen
2010 VW Golf, VW Jetta, VW Jetta Sportwagen, Audi A3
2011 VW Golf, VW Jetta, VW Jetta Sportwagen, Audi A3
2012 VW Beetle, VW Beetle Convertible, VW Golf, VW Jetta, VW Jetta Sportwagen, VW Passat, Audi A3
2013 VW Beetle, VW Beetle Convertible, VW Golf, VW Jetta, VW Jetta Sportwagen, VW Passat, Audi A3
2014 VW Beetle, VW Beetle Convertible, VW Golf, VW Jetta, VW Jetta Sportwagen, VW Passat, Audi A3
VW Beetle, VW Beetle Convertible, VW Golf, VW Golf Sportwagen, VW Jetta, VW Passat, Audi A3
If you or a loved one have purchased any of these vehicles, please contact the attorneys at Chhabra & Gibbs, P.A., at 601-948-8005 or by going to our website at http://www.cglawms.com . You deserve to be compensated. It doesn’t cost you anything to call and talk to an attorney to see what options you have.
