A former EPA official says that Volkswagen’s claims that executives at the company were unaware of the emissions cheating that led to the Dieselgate scandal “just doesn’t pass the laugh test”. Volkswagen recalled 11 million VW and Audi diesel-powered vehicles worldwide after admitting that it had installed a "defeat device" that hid the high emissions levels of these vehicles from regulators.
A former Environmental Protection Agency official has dismissed recent claims by Volkswagen that just a few engineers at the company were responsible for decisions leading up to the German automaker’s diesel emissions cheating scandal.The former EPA official, now a senior fellow at the International Council on Clean Transportation, says that Volkswagen’s claims that executives at the company were unaware of the Dieselgate emissions cheating “just doesn’t pass the laugh test”.
At a press conference held in December 2015, Volkswagen chief executive Matthias Müller and Hans Dieter Pötsch, chairman of the company’s supervisory board, admitted that VW’s emissions cheating began in 2005, mu
ch earlier than had previously been thought. Although they revealed that nine VW executives had been suspended so far in connection with the diesel emissions scandal, the two executives denied that VW management knew about the emissions cheating, blaming the scandal on a small group of engineers at the company.
But according to the former EPA official, it is unlikely that Volkswagen executives had no knowledge of the emissions cheating given the massive scope of the problem. Volkswagen has admitted that more than 11 million Volkswagen and Audi diesel-powered vehicles—including nearly 500,000 sold in the U.S.—were equipped with a “defeat device” that was designed to fool emissions testing software and make the vehicles appear to emit lower levels of greenhouse gasses than they actually did.
Problems with VW’s “TDI Clean Diesel” vehicles were discovered earlier in 2015, when an investigation by the EPA found that VW and Audi diesel models emitted significantly higher levels of pollution under normal driving conditions than they did during emissions testing in the lab. Volkswagen was later forced to admit that this discrepancy in the emissions levels of its diesel vehicles was due to a deliberate act of deception on the part of the company.
In September 2015, Volkswagen announced that it would recall VW and Audi models involved in the diesel emissions coverup, including the 2009-2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, the 2014-2015 Volkswagen Passat TDI, the 2009-2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI, the 2009-2015 Volkswagen Beetle TDI, and the 2009-2015 Audi A3 TDI. The EPA later revealed that other diesel models sold by VW were also equipped with the emissions cheating software, including the 2014 Volkswagen Touareg, the 2016 Audi A6 Quattro, the 2016 Audi A7 Quattro, the 2016 Audi A8, the 2016 Audi A8L, the 2016 Audi Q5, and the 2015
Porsche Cayenne.
After admitting its role in the emissions cheating scandal, Volkswagen announced plans to recall the affected diesel models in order to fix the emissions issues and bring them into compliance with federal regulations. However, before VW can recall these TDI models, the company will first have to submit a plan to the EPA that will explain how the company plans to fix the high levels of emissions in its diesel models. This plan will likely mean a drastic reduction in the performance and drivability of these vehicles for consumers, who have already seen a significant reduction in the value of their cars due to the Dieselgate scandal.
Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche “TDI Clean Diesel” owners may be eligible to file a lawsuit against the German automaker for its false claims regarding the performance and emissions levels of its diesel-powered vehicles. The first step in filing a lawsuit is to talk with an experienced consumer fraud and product liability attorney who can guide you through the process of filing a case.
The attorneys at Heygood, Orr & Pearson have already filed lawsuits on behalf of Volkswagen and Audi TDI diesel owners. Our attorneys have successfully handled hundreds of lawsuits involving product liability and other commercial litigation claims on behalf of our clients, and plan to remain involved in the Dieselgate litigation.
