According to AutoWeek, you waive a trial by jury, but can still sue only for vehicle emissions. So all other claims are waived.
VW DIESEL SCANDAL Porsche and Audi halt 3.0-liter TDI V6 sales amid diesel crisis
Porsche has issued a stop-sale order for the 2014 through 2016 model year Cayenne Diesel, with Audi halting sales of a number of its models that also use the 3.0-liter TDI engine, Automotive News ...
Germany will retest all current Volkswagen Group models sold in the country to gauge their actual emissions levels after this week's revelation by the automaker that some 800,000 gas and diesel cars may exceed advertised levels of CO2, Reuters reports.
The move by the Transport Ministry comes on the heels of a disclosure by the automaker that several 1.4-liter and 1.6-liter diesel engines, in addition to at least one gasoline engine in Audi, Volkswagen, Skoda and SEAT cars could be producing higher levels of CO2 than stated. The disclosure came after VW itself instituted a program of retesting cars for emissions, a move taken as part of an internal investigation by the company following the revelations of emissions-cheating software in 2.0-liter diesel engines in late September of this year.
VW has pointed out that the CO2 issue is not a mechanical fault with the cars themselves, but rather an "inconsistency" that is believed to be the result of inaccurate emissions testing. As such, a recall for the 800,000 cars is not currently planned. The majority of the affected vehicles were sold in Europe, and no recalls in the U.S. are expected.
VW Golf lineup
VW DIESEL SCANDAL Volkswagen avoids setback with hefty deals
To use the funds, customers will have to jump through a few hoops. A vehicle identification number must be used at a VW website,
Volkswagen Diesel Information, to see whether a car and owner is eligible under the offer. If a customer’s vehicle is covered, the owner must enter contact information and the current odometer mileage. Customers will then receive the prepaid cards in the mail within four weeks, VW said.
To activate the cards, customers must bring them into a dealership, along with the eligible vehicle, a driver’s license and proof of ownership.
A VW spokeswoman said the goodwill program does not include a waiver of legal claims stemming from the company’s emissions violations. The program’s terms and conditions include a trial by jury waiver, but that waiver only extends to claims related to the compensation program and does not affect a customer’s right to sue VW for claims related to its 2.0-liter diesel emissions violations.
VW continues to work on repair plans with the EPA and California’s Air Resources Board to bring the affected diesels into compliance with clean-air laws, VW’s statement said.
VW has said that each of the three generations of 2.0-liter diesel engines containing the illegal software will require different repairs. About 325,000 of the vehicles using the first generation of VW’s 2.0-liter diesel will require software and hardware changes, Horn told a panel of U.S. lawmakers on Oct. 8. Those changes could be extensive.
About 67,000 newer vehicles with the third-generation diesel meet emissions standards and can be made compliant with a software update alone, Horn told lawmakers.
The roughly 90,000 2012-14 Passats using the second-generation 2.0-liter diesel will need a software update, but it’s unclear if they will need hardware changes also.
VW offers 'goodwill package' to appease diesel owners originally appeared on
Read more:
VW offers $500 cash card to existing TDI owners and $500 for a new Volkswagen
