While hundreds of thousands of consumers in the U.S. continue to wait for Volkswagen to create a plan to fix vehicles that cheat emission standards, federal regulators are apparently looking to the future, asking the carmaker to produce more electric vehicles in the country as a sort of penance for its use of “defeat devices” in diesel cars. [More]
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VW Buyback Plan Seems More Likely As Company Struggles To Find Fix For Emission-Cheating Vehicles
By 1.29.16
Since Volkswagen admitted last year to using “defeat devices” in certain cars to cheat on emissions tests, some owners and consumer advocates have pushed for the carmaker to buy back affected vehicles from customers. VW had resisted this idea, but without any other resolution in the offing, a mass buyback offer is beginning to look possible.
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Volkswagen CEO: We Are Not Crooks
By 1.11.16
While Volkswagen is currently the target of numerous civil lawsuits — including one filed last week by the federal government — there is still the possibility VW could face criminal charges. But the company’s CEO contends that no real crime was actually committed. [More]
VW Reportedly Considering Buying Back More Than 50,000 Emissions-Cheating Cars In The U.S.
By 1.8.16
Volkswagen may buy back tens of thousands of vehicles in the United States if the company can’t find an easy way to remove “defeat devices” that allow the cars to evade emissions standards. [More]
Report: VW Knew About Fuel Efficiency Discrepancies A Year Ago
By 11.30.15
Earlier this month, Volkswagen announced that an internal investigation into the carmaker’s use of “defeat devices” to evade emission standards in nearly 11 million vehicles worldwide uncovered a second issue: nearly 800,000 cars included understated levels of carbon monoxide emissions and rule usage. But a new report puts the timing of the finding into question, with some sources claiming executives with the car manufacturer knew of the problem more than a year ago. [More]
EPA May Finally Ban Toxic Pesticide For Food Use
By 10.30.15
A federal agency entrusted with protecting the health of Americans has finally gotten around to doing the job it’s paid to do by taxpayers. And once again, the only reason this agency is doing anything is because a court has ordered it to. [More]
VW Investigating If Second Diesel Engine Line Contains “Defeat Devices”
By 10.22.15
Volkswagen has admitted to rigging the emissions control systems on 11 million diesel cars over the last seven years. But what about the company’s older diesel model vehicles? That’s apparently something the carmaker intends to find out by launching yet another investigation. [More]
Federal Trade Commission Opens Probe Into Volkswagen’s “Clean Diesel” Advertising
By 10.15.15
The list of state and federal agencies probing Volkswagen’s recent emissions scandal grew by one Wednesday: The Federal Trade Commission announced it has opened an investigation into the company’s advertisements that touted “clean diesel” vehicles, despite the fact the cars contained “defeat devices,” which are designed to cheat emissions tests. [More]
VW Moving Forward With New Emissions System, Electric Power For Future Models
By 10.14.15
Volkswagen’s immediate future is in a bit of a holding pattern. The company has a plan for how to properly handle diesel emissions in new vehicles, but it can’t implement it right away. Meanwhile, its 2016 lineup of diesels has yet to win approval from the Environmental Protection Agency. [More]
Volkswagen Recall Repairs Could Start In January, Might Take All Year To Complete
By 10.7.15
The new head of embattled car manufacturer Volkswagen says the company might not be able to start recalling diesel cars that cheat on emissions tests until January, and that it might take most of 2016 for all repairs to be completed. [More]
Studies Try To Estimate Number Of Deaths Tied To Rigged Volkswagen Emissions
By 10.5.15
Over the course of seven years, Volkswagen and its affiliated companies sold millions of diesel vehicles around the world — nearly 500,000 in the U.S. — with emissions control systems rigged so that the cars falsely appeared to meet environmental standards. While much of the focus has been on the carmaker’s alleged fraud and the financial cost to consumers and VW, some researchers have been trying to figure out how many people died as a result of the additional toxic emissions released into the air. [More]
Volkswagen To Announce Emissions Fix Plans In “Next Few Days”
By 9.29.15
Since the Environmental Protection Agency revealed earlier this month that Volkswagen had rigged its so-called “clean diesel” vehicles to cheat on emissions tests, owners of the approximately 11 million cars affected by this trickery have been waiting to find out when they might hear something other than apologies from the German carmaker. [More]
Audi Confirms 2.1 Million Vehicles Affected By Volkswagen Emissions Scandal
By 9.28.15
For more than a week, Volkswagen has been the center of an emissions scandal in which it admitted that nearly 11 million diesel engine vehicles worldwide come equipped with software that tricked emissions tests. While an order of violation from the Environmental Protection Agency included several Audi sedans, VW had yet to announce just how many of those vehicles were affected worldwide. Now we know: 2.1 million. [More]
VW Previously Recalled Some Vehicles Over Emissions Standards
By 9.24.15
Five months before Volkswagen was ordered by federal regulators to recall nearly 500,000 sedans that equipped with software that tricked emissions tests, the company sent notices to some owners that their cars were in need of an “emissions service action.” [More]
Volkswagen CEO Resigns Amid Emissions Violation Scandal
By 9.23.15
Less than a week after the Environmental Protection Agency ordered Volkswagen to recall nearly 500,000 vehicles equipped with software that tricked emissions tests, the company’s CEO announced he would resign. [More]
New York Is Now Investigating Volkswagen Recall
By 9.22.15
While federal regulators have yet to publicly confirm a reported criminal investigation into Volkswagen’s alleged attempt to deceive consumers and emissions tests, New York state is letting it be known that it plans to hold the carmaker accountable. [More]
Yes, Owners Of Recalled Volkswagens Can File Deceptive Marketing Complaints With The FTC
By 9.21.15
While Volkswagen and the EPA say the recently recalled VW and Audi diesel cars are safe to drive while waiting for the problem to be fixed, a number of car owners feel like they were tricked by the company’s “clean diesel” branding and slogans like “this ain’t your daddy’s diesel.” So what can these consumers do? One option is to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. [More]
VW To Stop Selling Vehicles Affected By Emissions System Recall
By 9.21.15
Two days after the Environmental Protection Agency took the unusual action of issuing a motor vehicle recall for nearly 500,000 Volkswagen and Audi sedans that used software to circumvent emissions tests, the car maker says it will stop selling all vehicles equipped with the same kind of diesel motors as those involved in recall. [More]
