Volkswagen Class Action Lawsuit over Diesel Engine Emissions

Volkswagen has been hit with a number of class action lawsuits alleging that the company duped consumers by selling “environmentally friendly” diesel engine cars that, according to reports, emit up to 40 times the permitted level of nitrogen oxide. According to the lawsuits, the cars are equipped with software that recognizes when the cars are being tested for emissions and “cheats” the system by reducing the cars’ performance to meet federal standards. The lawsuits call Volkswagen’s “green” claims a sham and seek compensation on behalf of anyone who owns the vehicles in question.

Which Models Are Affected?

The lawsuit claims that the following diesel-engine cars are affected by the emissions problem:

EPA Sends VW Letter Over Diesel-Engine Emissions Scandal, Recall Issued

Days before Volkswagen was sued, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent a letter accusing the automaker of selling cars equipped with “defeat devices” designed to evade federal emissions testing. The agency says that such software violates a federal law known as the Clean Air Act and that any cars with the “defeat devices” can’t be certified as EPA complaint.

According to the letter, the “defeat devices” can detect when the car is undergoing testing for emissions and will only then turn on full emissions controls, producing federally complaint test results. Under normal use, however, the EPA says that the vehicles can emit up to 40 times the standard permitted for nitrogen oxide emissions.

After the EPA sent Volkswagen the notice, the Obama administration directed the automaker to recall the cars. It is believed that nearly 500,000 cars are affected.

How a Class Action Can Help

The lawsuits against Volkswagen claim that recalling the cars aren’t enough. They say that the repairs to make the cars complaint with federal emissions standards could “substantially degrade” certain performance characteristics, including horsepower and efficiency. The suits say that, as a result, the diesel-engine cars will be worth substantially less in the used marketplace and that drivers will now have to pay more in fuel costs. It is believed that people paid between $1,000 to $6,800 more for cars the suits claim are “unhealthy and unlawful.” A class action lawsuit could help owners recover compensation for both losses in money and physical property.

Before commenting, please review our comment policy.