Court grants final approval of VW “Clean Diesel” 3.0-liter settlement
Today, U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer of the Northern District of California granted final approval of a $1.2 billion (potentially up to $4.4 billion) settlement to resolve claims brought by owners and lessees of 3.0-liter TDI Audi, Porsche, and Volkswagen vehicles. The Court also approved a $327.5 million settlement reached with Germany’s Robert Bosch GmbH, which developed the emissions defeat software at the source of the “Clean Diesel” scandal, for 2.0 and 3.0-liter vehicles.
Motley Rice co-founder Joe Rice is a member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee and was one of the lead negotiators of both settlements.
The settlements, described by Judge Breyer as “fair, adequate, and reasonable,” contain several options for owners and lessees to choose which solution best meets their individual needs. Among the options are varying benefits for “Generation 1” and “Generation 2” vehicles. While buybacks, trade-ins, and an emissions modification (if approved by the EPA and CARB) are available for owners and lessees of “Generation 1” vehicles, Volkswagen AG believes that it can repair “Generation 2” vehicles to meet emissions standards. VW has until December 20, 2017 to receive repair approval or request up to a 90-day extension. In the event of an extension, VW must pay owners and lessees an additional $500 for every 30 days it extends the deadline. If a compliant repair is not found, VW must offer buybacks, trade-ins and emissions modifications (if approved), comparable to those initially offered to owners and lessees of “Generation 1” vehicles.
Under the settlement with Bosch, owners and lessees who filed or will file a claim in the 2.0-liter or 3.0-liter VW settlements will automatically get a check from Bosch for that same vehicle. If you excluded yourself from the VW settlements, you can still file a claim in the Bosch settlement by August 15, 2017 by visiting https://www.boschvwsettlement.com/en.
The 3.0-liter settlement affects nearly 80,000 vehicles, and comes after news broke Sept. 18, 2015 that VW had programmed more than 11 million vehicles worldwide, including roughly 482,000 in the U.S., to cheat emissions tests and environmental standards.
For more information on the settlement terms reached for 3.0-liter vehicles, the nearly $15 billion settlement reached for 2.0-liter vehicles, and updates on pursuing claims, visit www.vwcourtsettlement.com.
Read Motley Rice co-founder Joe Rice’s blog detailing the terms.