Autumn 2017: the date where all affected vehicles from the car emissions scandal will be fixed, Volkswagen pledges

VW has given an undertaking that all 8.5 million (1.2 million in the U.K.) vehicles will be fixed by Autumn of 2017.

With the delays and problems so far though, we’re not holding our breath!

Since the scandal unravelled last year, VW has only fixed a handful of affected vehicles, and the recalls have been put back through technical difficulties and issues with getting fixes approved. All evidence still points toward the fact that there will be issues post-recall, which may be the reason for the slow progress.

A new timeline has been sent to the European Union Justice Commissioner, Vera Jourova. The promise was made days after the EU Commissioner, Elzbieta Bienkowska, announced that member states would be penalised for not strictly regulating emissions, or forcing VW to do more to compensate their victims. This could be seen as a bit of a  ‘knee-jerk reaction’ to keep the public officials and customers ‘sweet’ for the meantime.

Originally the German automaker had set out plans to fix all affected vehicles by the end of this year. However, as the year draws to a close, only 10 per cent of the vehicles in the U.K. have been fixed.

This is a disappointing result for VW as any confidence still left in the affected vehicles owners are likely to be dashed.

Written action plan

A written action plan was amongst the recall pledge, and VW board member Franciso Garcia Sanz has suggested that one should be sent to officials in Brussels by the end of this month.

Jourova praises the VW Group for setting a deadline date for all repairs to be finished, saying it was “an important first step” (source). It seems to be a great result for VW as they are seen to be acting on the matter and addressing the recalls in a positive manner. However, VW’s past efforts of repairing only 110,000 vehicles has drawn criticism from Louise Ellman, Chair of the Transport Select Committee who described their efforts as “simply unacceptable“.

On top of that, the huge issue of customers here in the UK still being refused compensation remains.

Consumer groups and lawyers alike argue that real compensation should be made in monetary value. This can be reflective of the loss they may suffer if they decide to sell on the car, as well as for being ‘duped’ into buying cars that were neither “green” nor “eco-friendly” as advertised by the VW Group.

Right now, we’re acting for thousands of people affected here in the UK, and we will not be backing down as we continue our fight for justice and compensation.

Will VW stick to their end of this new deal? Only time will tell…

Sharing is caring!

“The Italian Job” – Italy’s Antitrust Authority has fined Volkswagen 5 million euros in the car emissions scandal

“He knew about it from the start” – More reports suggest that Audi Chief, Rupert Stadler, knew about the “defeat device” in the Volkswagen car emissions scandal as early as 2010