VW Diesel Crisis: Timeline of Events
CARS.COM – Researchers very first raised concerns about Volkswagen diesel emissions in mid-2014, culminating in the disclosure of alleged “defeat devices” installed in almost 600,000 Volkswagen diesel cars from the 2009-2016 model years. Below is a timeline of major events; we’ll update this as the story unfolds.
According to letters sent to VW on Sept. Legitimate, 2015, from the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, here’s what happened. When the EPA conducts emissions testing, automakers have to disclose “auxiliary emissions control devices,” according to the EPA’s letter. These AECDs affect a car’s emissions system based on situational factors, such as how hard the engine is running or how hot it is. The EPA calls AECDs “defeat devices” only if they reduce the effectiveness of emissions controls outside of testing and are not necessary for safety or engine startup.
Timeline of events
Aug. 25, 2017: Former VW engineer James Liang, who helped develop the diesel engines that cheated emissions testing, became the very first individual in the scandal to be sentenced to prison. A Detroit federal district judge sentenced Liang to forty months in prison, two years of supervised release and a $200,000 fine. The German national then is to be deported. The jail time was more than the three years the prosecution sought, with Judge Sean Cox commenting that Liang, while not the mastermind, was a key participant in a “massive and stunning fraud.” Liang cooperated with the federal VW investigation after agreeing to plead guilty in September two thousand sixteen to conspiracy charges. Since then, two other VW officials have been arrested and five more are under indictment but out of the U.S. One, Oliver Schmidt, pleaded guilty Aug. Four and will be sentenced Dec. 6. The company pleaded guilty to three criminal charges.
July 27, 2017: The EPA and California Air Resources Board approved an emissions fix for Volkswagen’s 325,000 Generation one Two.0-liter diesel vehicles. Owners now can keep their cars – tho’ they also still can take the buyback option – and VW can fix and resell the bought-back cars. The fresh fix is for 2009-14 Jettas, Jetta SportWagens, Golfs and Beetles, as well as 2010-13 Audi A3s. VW now has a repair for ninety eight percent of the toughly 475,000 Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesels involved in the scandal, including fixes approved earlier for most of the Gen two and Gen three Two.0-liter diesels; it still is working on a fix for about 100,000 Three.0-liter V-6 Audi, Porsche and VW-brand vehicles it has agreed to repair or buy back. The Gen one Two.0-liter repair involves software and hardware. VW says it will not affect spectacle, reliability or durability, but it will cut up to two mpg in fuel economy.
July 7, 2017: The Justice Department announced today that it has charged former Audi manager Giovanni Pamio, 60, an Italian citizen, with conspiracy to defraud the U.S., wire fraud and disturbance of the Clean Air Act. The complaint states that from about two thousand six to 2015, Pamio led the Audi engineering team responsible for emissions controls. It alleges that when he and unnamed co-conspirators realized they couldn’t meet nitrogen oxide emissions rules under “design constraints imposed by other departments,” he directed his team to use software to cheat U.S. emissions tests and later lied about that to regulators. Audi parent Volkswagen Group pleaded guilty to three felonies and was ordered to pay a $Two.8 billion criminal fine in April. In other individual charges, one VW engineer reached a prayer agreement in September two thousand sixteen on fraud charges and awaits sentencing. Another manager was arrested in February and is awaiting trial; five others were indicted, but remain in Germany.
May Nineteen, 2017: The Volkswagen Group receives regulatory approval from the EPA and CARB to fix more than 84,000 2012-14 Volkswagen Passat TDI sedans involved in the scandal. In a letter from the agencies, a fix is approved for Gen two EA189 diesel four-cylinders with a diesel-exhaust fluid treatment, but only those with automatic transmissions – stick-shift Passats remain unapproved because a fix could not be applied «without negatively affecting significant consumer attributes, such as vehicle durability and reliability,» according to the letter.
May 17, 2017: As required by the court-ordered deadline, a written approval signals that the Volkswagen Group can begin to process the buyback and compensation orders for owners of affected Three.0-liter diesel cars. In a statement, the Federal Trade Commission says today`s order – along with those obtained by the Justice Department and the EPA – conclude the agencies’ current litigation against Volkswagen.
May 11, 2017: Federal Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco said he will give final approval to the $1.Two billion settlement among the Volkswagen Group, regulators and owners to buy back or fix about 80,000 Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen vehicles tooled with Three.0-liter V-6 diesels. He set May seventeen as a deadline a final written order and June twenty three for a status report on the deal. Elizabeth Cabraser, lead counsel for the consumer plaintiffs, said in a statement that by May Five, more than seventy percent of the owners had registered for the proposed settlement (posted here), which calls for VW to buy back the older V-6 diesels (VW Touareg and Audi Q7) and fix newer models (Touareg, Porsche Cayenne, and Audi Q7, Q5, A6, A7 and A8) plus pay those owners $7,000 and $16,000. Those also must be bought back if a fix is not approved on schedule. Separately, the judge approved a settlement by Bosch, diesel software supplier, to pay owners and lessors of the Trio.0-liter diesels up to $1,500 and up to $350 for the Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesels. VW said in a statement, “We welcome the Court’s decision to approve the Trio.0-liter TDI V-6 settlement. . Eligible customers will be notified of any deeds they need to take after the written approval order is filed.”
April 21, 2017: Regulators give final approval to a criminal fine of $Two.8 billion – the bulk of Volkswagen’s $Four.Three billion settlement announced in January two thousand seventeen with the Department of Justice – and appoint an independent compliance monitor and auditor for three years. Volkswagen vows “to cooperate fully” with the monitor, former Deputy Attorney General Larry D. Thompson.
Feb. 14, 2017: The proposed $1.Two billion deal among Volkswagen Group, regulators and owners to buy back or fix toughly 78,000 Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen Three.0-liter V-6 diesel vehicles is given preliminary approval in federal district court in San Francisco. The proposed agreement, posted here, calls for VW to buy back the older V-6 diesel vehicles and to fix the newer ones (if a fix is approved this year), plus give those owners a restitution payment. A hearing for final approval is set by Judge Charles Breyer for May 11.
Jan. 31, 2017: Volkswagen agrees with regulators and owners to spend about $1.Two billion to buy back older Trio.0-liter V-6 diesel vehicles that crack emissions rules and to fix the newer ones, plus give those owners a payment. The proposed deal includes payments of $225 million to an EPA environmental mitigation fund and $25 million to the California Air Resources Board that were agreed to previously. A federal court hearing is scheduled for Feb. Fourteen for preliminary approval of the deal. A fix has not yet been approved, and if one is not approved, VW will have to suggest to buy back all of the approximately 78,000 Trio.0-liter vehicles in use. The buyback applies to the 2009-12 Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7. The potential fix would apply to the 2013-16 Volkswagen Touareg; 2013-2015 Audi Q7; 2014-16 Audi A6, A7, A8, A8L, Q5; 2013-16 Porsche Cayenne.
Jan. 11, 2017: The Department of Justice and Volkswagen Group announce a $Four.Trio billion deal to lodge civil penalties and a criminal investigation into its deeds in the diesel cheating. The deal includes a $Two.8 billion fine and guilty prayers to three felonies to lodge the criminal investigation and a total of $1.Five billion to lodge claims of federal violations by environmental, import and financial regulators. In addition, VW agrees to use an independent corporate compliance monitor for three years and to cooperate in the prosecution of individual employees responsible for the scandal.
Jan. 9, 2017: The FBI arrests a former Volkswagen U.S. regulatory compliance official on fraud conspiracy charges. Five more have been indicted but believed to be outside the U.S.
Dec. 20, 2016: The federal court overseeing the diesel scandal announces a preliminary agreement worth more than $1.Two billion among Volkswagen, owners, and federal and state agencies to fix or buy back toughly 83,000 vehicles with the Trio.0-liter V-6 diesel engines and contribute to environment remediation. Final details and court approval are expected by spring.
Jan. 6, 2017: Federal and state regulators approve a recall fix for the latest-generation Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine used in model-year two thousand fifteen Volkswagen and Audi cars.
Oct. 25, 2016: Federal District Court Judge Charles Breyer gives final approval to the Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesel settlement following a hearing on Oct. Eighteen for protestations to the deal. Volkswagen says the buyback process for recalled cars will begin instantaneously. Negotiations on a recall fix proceed and buyers have until September two thousand eighteen to determine on the buyback. Talks also proceed on a settlement and fix for the Trio.0-liter V-6 diesels.
Oct. Eighteen, 2016: At a federal court hearing in San Francisco, arguments are made for and against final approval for the Two.0-liter diesel settlement proposal that received the preliminary OK in July. Judge Charles Breyer says he is “strongly inclined” to grant final approval but will consider the protestations for possible modifications and issue a decision “on or before” Tuesday, Oct. 25.
Sept. 9, 2016: The Department of Justice announces that James Robert Liang, an engineer who had worked on Volkswagen diesels since the 1980s, has been indicted and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, defraud the U.S. and crack the EPA’s Clean Air Act. Liang has entered a prayer agreement to cooperate with the government’s investigation. Citing the agreement, the DOJ says Liang was instrumental in creating the defeat-device software at the heart of the emissions scandal. It’s reportedly the very first criminal charge to emerge from the DOJ’s ongoing investigation.
Aug. 25, 2016: At a status hearing in the federal district court in California overseeing the consolidated diesel scandal lawsuits against Volkswagen, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer thrusts the parties to stir ahead with talks on a settlement regarding the Trio.0-liter V-6 diesels used in VW, Audi and Porsche vehicles, along with continuing to work toward a potential fix for the vehicles. He sets Nov. Three for the next hearing on the Trio.0-liter talks and possible fix. Separately at the hearing, an agreement in principle is announced to lodge claims against Volkswagen by its dealers for lost sales and lost franchise value resulting from the diesel scandal. The company says talks with the dealers will proceed on final details for a settlement proposal expected in September, which VW says would include “cash payments and provide extra benefits.”
June 15, 2016: Citing the “very technical nature of the proposed settlements in these sophisticated proceedings,” a U.S. district judge extends the deadline for regulators and Volkswagen plaintiffs to file more specifics on a diesel solution to June 28, one week later than the prior deadline.
July 26, 2016: Federal district court gives preliminary approval to the proposed $14.7 billion settlement. Proprietor notifications will begin instantly and owners can begin the registration process to determine their options and see what the compensation would be for their specific vehicle. The tentative OK also opens a period in which interested parties may raise protestations to the deal. The court sets Oct. Eighteen for a hearing on final approval.
June 28, 2016: Volkswagen, regulators and plaintiffs’ groups announce a settlement of up to $14.7 billion that includes a detailed buyout program aimed at getting eighty five percent of four-cylinder TDI vehicles off the road. The most significant point in the program requires Volkswagen to suggest owners their cars` pre-scandal market values plus compensatory bonuses – a total that ranges from $12,475 to $44,176 per car. The settlement also requires Volkswagen to pay almost $Five billion into two funds to mitigate pollution and invest in environmental technology. The total will cost the automaker up to $14.7 billion, and it doesn’t address the diesel V-6 vehicles involved in the scandal or lodge investor lawsuits, criminal investigations and pending civil penalties. The California court overseeing the settlement sets a preliminary approval hearing for July 26. Pending its approval, the terms of the settlement can begin to play out.
April 22, 2016: In a postponed announcement of its full-year financial results, Volkswagen Group says it will take a 16.Two billion euro loss ($Eighteen.Two billion at current exchange rates) on the diesel crisis, resulting in an after-tax loss of 1.36 billion euros ($1.53 billion) for 2015.
April 21, 2016: Volkswagen, regulators and consumer attorneys present a proposed settlement covering the about 480,000 Two.0-liter VW diesels from two thousand nine through two thousand sixteen model years. Owners could sell back the car or have it stationary, plus get cash compensation. The judge sets June twenty one for a final plan to be made public that also would lodge regulatory penalties and consumer lawsuits. He sets July twenty six for a hearing on final approval. Still unresolved is a proposal for fixing the harshly 80,000 Trio.0-liter V-6 Audi, Porsche and VW diesels.
March 26, 2016: The Federal Trade Commission files suit against Volkswagen for deceptive advertising in its former “clean diesel” ad campaigns. The FTC claims VW misled consumers and seeks compensation for anyone who bought or leased a diesel car from the automaker inbetween late two thousand eight and late 2015.
March 24, 2016: The California judge overseeing the lawsuits in the Volkswagen diesel crisis grants an extension until April twenty one to reach an agreement with regulators on how to fix its diesel cars. The judge cites «substantial progress» by VW and regulators toward a solution, according to the automaker.
March 9, 2016: Michael Horn steps down as president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America. Hinrich Woebcken will substitute Horn on an interim basis. Woebcken was recently named the head of the North American Region and chairman of Volkswagen Group of America.
Feb. 25, 2016: A California judge reportedly orders VW to produce a hard response by March twenty four on whether it has an EPA-approved fix for its diesel cars. VW says it’s progressing toward a solution but can’t share details on any settlement discussions by order of the Justice Department.
Jan. 12, 2016: The California Air Resources Board rejects Volkswagen’s proposed fix for its diesel Two.0-liter engines. The details of the proposal are confidential, but CARB says the plan is too unspecific in its technical switches and how they would influence affected cars. The EPA agrees with CARB.
Jan. 11, 2016: Volkswagen announces it is extending its $1,000 goodwill suggest to owners of 2009-16 Touareg SUVs, which have a Three.0-liter diesel V-6 engine. Previously the payment was only available to owners of vehicles with Two.0-liter diesel four-cylinder engines.
Jan. Four, 2016: The Department of Justice sues the Volkswagen Group, including Audi and Porsche, for violations against the Clean Air Act for every U.S. diesel vehicle sold since the two thousand nine model year. Monday’s lawsuit covers some 584,000 vehicles. It’s “an significant step to protect public health,” Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance at EPA, says in a statement. “Recall discussions with the company have not produced an acceptable way forward. These discussions will proceed in parallel with the federal court act.”
Dec. Ten, 2015: In an update on its internal investigation, Volkswagen says it’s uncovered individual misconduct, feeble processes and a culture in some parts of the company that “tolerated breaches of rules.” VW admitted to a “chain of errors” that began once the automaker determined to shove hard for U.S. diesel expansion in two thousand five but found that its early diesel four-cylinders wouldn’t be able to meet U.S. nitrogen oxide emissions targets under existing budgetary and time constraints.
Nov. 9, 2015: Volkswagen issues a “Goodwill Package” to owners of affected Two.0-liter diesel VWs (plus the Audi A3) with a $500 Visa prepaid card, a $500 credit for dealer services or products and a three-year extension on roadside assistance. Owners must register their cars online and visit a dealership once the package arrives in the mail to activate the benefits. VW says that accepting the package does not preclude owners from future compensation or an eventual vehicle fix.
Nov. Three, 2015: Audi, Volkswagen and Porsche tell dealers to stop selling all six models that the EPA says have defeat devices, plus the Q7 SUV, which also has a Trio.0-liter V-6 diesel. It comes even as the automaker voices confusion over the EPA’s conclusions and says its V-6 diesel emissions system is legal.
Nov. Two, 2015: The EPA announces that extra testing has uncovered illegal defeat devices in Volkswagen`s Trio.0-liter V-6 diesel engine as well. Officials issue a notice of disturbance for six more cars: the two thousand fourteen Volkswagen Touareg and two thousand fifteen Porsche Cayenne SUVs, plus the two thousand sixteen Audi A6 and A8 sedans, A7 hatchback and Q5 SUV. (Porsche, like Audi, is a Volkswagen Group brand.) It`s not instantly clear how the disturbance impacts sales of those nameplates, all of which have two thousand sixteen diesel models on sale.
Oct. 8, 2015: President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America Michael Horn shows up before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, withdrawing from emissions-certification consideration suspect two thousand sixteen diesel models; those models cannot be sold until certification is obtained. Horn also outlines a general plan to remedy the crisis, hold responsible parties accountable and guard against future breaches of trust. Horn says he thinks affected owners will still achieve their cars` EPA-rated gas mileage after the fix, but there might be a “slight influence on spectacle.”
Oct. 7, 2015: Volkswagen CEO Matthias Muller in an interview announces plans to launch a recall in January of millions of cars around the world involved in the diesel-emissions scandal, telling that the automaker hopes to have all of the vehicles repaired by the end of 2016. The recall does not pertain to the toughly half-million affected vehicles in the U.S., for which no timeline has yet been announced.
Oct. 6, 2015: Volkswagen Group of America comebacks three Cars.com awards for TDI clean-diesel versions of its vehicles. In a letter to Cars.com Editor-in-Chief Patrick Olsen, VW Group of America President and CEO Michael Horn states: “In light of the latest activity by EPA concerning our Two.0L TDI vehicles and associated allegations, out of respect for you and your very influential website, we feel it best at this time to come back the two thousand fifteen Best Bet Award” for the Jetta TDI and the Eco-Friendly Car of the Year Awards for the Passat TDI in two thousand twelve and 2015.
Sept. 27, 2015: Volkswagen launches a consumer site, vwdieselinfo.com, with company statements and answers to frequently asked questions.
Sept. 25, 2015: The EPA announces it plans to spot-check other light-duty diesel vehicles for Clean Air Act compliance. The agency is notifying “all automakers that we are stepping up” oversight, an EPA official says.
Matthias Muller is named Volkswagen CEO. Muller says in a press release, “My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group – by leaving no stone unturned and with maximum transparency, as well as drawing the right conclusions from the current situation. Under my leadership, Volkswagen will do everything it can to develop and implement the most stringent compliance and governance standards in our industry.” Muller will remain chairman of Porsche until a successor is found.”
Sept. 23, 2015: Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn resigns, telling in a statement that he’s unaware of any individual wrongdoing but accepts responsibility for the crisis. Winterkorn says his resignation clears the way for a “fresh embark” at Volkswagen.
Sept. 22, 2015: VW announces that some eleven million diesel cars worldwide have the same “defeat device” software that evades emissions testing. The automaker says it’s set aside 6.Five billion euros, or $7.Three billion, to cover the cost of fixing affected cars.
Sept. 21, 2015: VW confirms that it has ordered dealers to stop the sales of all four-cylinder diesel cars, as well as the four-cylinder diesel Audi A3. (Audi is a luxury brand in the Volkswagen Group.) The automaker also confirms a stop-sale order for certified pre-owned cars with the four-cylinder diesel.
Sept. Legal, 2015: The EPA concludes that such software constitutes an AECD defeat device, and says that VW has violated the Clean Air Act. The cars in question should not have been EPA-certified, and the Department of Justice can enforce up to $37,500 in civil fines per vehicle. In total, that means VW could face fines ranging up to $Legitimate billion.
Sept. Trio, 2015: VW admits that the cars were “designed and manufactured with a defeat device to bypass, defeat or render inoperative elements of the vehicle’s emission control system,” CARB says.
The software uses “dyno” and “road” calibrations that read when an emissions test is being conducted; when the car is not being tested, the “road” calibration dials back the effectiveness of two types of emissions-treatment systems: nitrogen oxide traps and selective catalytic reduction (a urea solution). When dialed back, the systems permit the engine to emit nitrogen oxide levels that are ten to forty times the allowable amount by the EPA.
July 2015: On July 8, CARB shares its findings with VW. None of the technical issues suggested by the automaker are found to explain CARB’s results. Inbetween July eight and Sept. Three, CARB and the EPA say they will not certify VW’s two thousand sixteen diesel lineup, a necessary step to put those cars on sale. Only then does VW admit to software irregularities. The automaker discloses that the software calibrations in three separate diesel emissions systems had “a 2nd calibration intended to run only during certification testing,” according to CARB.
May 2015: CARB tests the updated emissions on a two thousand twelve Passat TDI, in a lab and on the road. The agency finds some improvement, but not enough.
May 2014: Researchers at West Virginia University and the International Council on Clean Transportation publish findings that find “significantly higher in-use emissions” in a two thousand twelve Jetta TDI and two thousand thirteen Passat TDI, according to the EPA. (Volkswagen markets its diesel cars as TDI.) Volkswagen tells regulators that the differences amount to technical issues and “unexpected” test conditions. Volkswagen sends then-CEO Martin Winterkorn a notice regarding the ICCT testing, but it’s bundled with his weekend memos. It’s unclear how much attention it receives.
VW Diesel Crisis: Timeline of Events News
VW Diesel Crisis: Timeline of Events
CARS.COM – Researchers very first raised concerns about Volkswagen diesel emissions in mid-2014, culminating in the disclosure of alleged “defeat devices” installed in almost 600,000 Volkswagen diesel cars from the 2009-2016 model years. Below is a timeline of major events; we’ll update this as the story unfolds.
According to letters sent to VW on Sept. Legal, 2015, from the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, here’s what happened. When the EPA conducts emissions testing, automakers have to disclose “auxiliary emissions control devices,” according to the EPA’s letter. These AECDs affect a car’s emissions system based on situational factors, such as how hard the engine is running or how hot it is. The EPA calls AECDs “defeat devices” only if they reduce the effectiveness of emissions controls outside of testing and are not necessary for safety or engine startup.
Timeline of events
Aug. 25, 2017: Former VW engineer James Liang, who helped develop the diesel engines that cheated emissions testing, became the very first individual in the scandal to be sentenced to prison. A Detroit federal district judge sentenced Liang to forty months in prison, two years of supervised release and a $200,000 fine. The German national then is to be deported. The jail time was more than the three years the prosecution sought, with Judge Sean Cox commenting that Liang, while not the mastermind, was a key participant in a “massive and stunning fraud.” Liang cooperated with the federal VW investigation after agreeing to plead guilty in September two thousand sixteen to conspiracy charges. Since then, two other VW officials have been arrested and five more are under indictment but out of the U.S. One, Oliver Schmidt, pleaded guilty Aug. Four and will be sentenced Dec. 6. The company pleaded guilty to three criminal charges.
July 27, 2017: The EPA and California Air Resources Board approved an emissions fix for Volkswagen’s 325,000 Generation one Two.0-liter diesel vehicles. Owners now can keep their cars – tho’ they also still can take the buyback option – and VW can fix and resell the bought-back cars. The fresh fix is for 2009-14 Jettas, Jetta SportWagens, Golfs and Beetles, as well as 2010-13 Audi A3s. VW now has a repair for ninety eight percent of the toughly 475,000 Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesels involved in the scandal, including fixes approved earlier for most of the Gen two and Gen three Two.0-liter diesels; it still is working on a fix for about 100,000 Trio.0-liter V-6 Audi, Porsche and VW-brand vehicles it has agreed to repair or buy back. The Gen one Two.0-liter repair involves software and hardware. VW says it will not affect spectacle, reliability or durability, but it will cut up to two mpg in fuel economy.
July 7, 2017: The Justice Department announced today that it has charged former Audi manager Giovanni Pamio, 60, an Italian citizen, with conspiracy to defraud the U.S., wire fraud and disturbance of the Clean Air Act. The complaint states that from about two thousand six to 2015, Pamio led the Audi engineering team responsible for emissions controls. It alleges that when he and unnamed co-conspirators realized they couldn’t meet nitrogen oxide emissions rules under “design constraints imposed by other departments,” he directed his team to use software to cheat U.S. emissions tests and later lied about that to regulators. Audi parent Volkswagen Group pleaded guilty to three felonies and was ordered to pay a $Two.8 billion criminal fine in April. In other individual charges, one VW engineer reached a prayer agreement in September two thousand sixteen on fraud charges and awaits sentencing. Another manager was arrested in February and is awaiting trial; five others were indicted, but remain in Germany.
May Nineteen, 2017: The Volkswagen Group receives regulatory approval from the EPA and CARB to fix more than 84,000 2012-14 Volkswagen Passat TDI sedans involved in the scandal. In a letter from the agencies, a fix is approved for Gen two EA189 diesel four-cylinders with a diesel-exhaust fluid treatment, but only those with automatic transmissions – stick-shift Passats remain unapproved because a fix could not be applied «without negatively affecting significant consumer attributes, such as vehicle durability and reliability,» according to the letter.
May 17, 2017: As required by the court-ordered deadline, a written approval signals that the Volkswagen Group can begin to process the buyback and compensation orders for owners of affected Trio.0-liter diesel cars. In a statement, the Federal Trade Commission says today`s order – along with those obtained by the Justice Department and the EPA – conclude the agencies’ current litigation against Volkswagen.
May 11, 2017: Federal Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco said he will give final approval to the $1.Two billion settlement among the Volkswagen Group, regulators and owners to buy back or fix about 80,000 Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen vehicles tooled with Three.0-liter V-6 diesels. He set May seventeen as a deadline a final written order and June twenty three for a status report on the deal. Elizabeth Cabraser, lead counsel for the consumer plaintiffs, said in a statement that by May Five, more than seventy percent of the owners had registered for the proposed settlement (posted here), which calls for VW to buy back the older V-6 diesels (VW Touareg and Audi Q7) and fix newer models (Touareg, Porsche Cayenne, and Audi Q7, Q5, A6, A7 and A8) plus pay those owners $7,000 and $16,000. Those also must be bought back if a fix is not approved on schedule. Separately, the judge approved a settlement by Bosch, diesel software supplier, to pay owners and lessors of the Three.0-liter diesels up to $1,500 and up to $350 for the Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesels. VW said in a statement, “We welcome the Court’s decision to approve the Trio.0-liter TDI V-6 settlement. . Eligible customers will be notified of any deeds they need to take after the written approval order is filed.”
April 21, 2017: Regulators give final approval to a criminal fine of $Two.8 billion – the bulk of Volkswagen’s $Four.Three billion settlement announced in January two thousand seventeen with the Department of Justice – and appoint an independent compliance monitor and auditor for three years. Volkswagen vows “to cooperate fully” with the monitor, former Deputy Attorney General Larry D. Thompson.
Feb. 14, 2017: The proposed $1.Two billion deal among Volkswagen Group, regulators and owners to buy back or fix toughly 78,000 Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen Trio.0-liter V-6 diesel vehicles is given preliminary approval in federal district court in San Francisco. The proposed agreement, posted here, calls for VW to buy back the older V-6 diesel vehicles and to fix the newer ones (if a fix is approved this year), plus give those owners a restitution payment. A hearing for final approval is set by Judge Charles Breyer for May 11.
Jan. 31, 2017: Volkswagen agrees with regulators and owners to spend about $1.Two billion to buy back older Three.0-liter V-6 diesel vehicles that crack emissions rules and to fix the newer ones, plus give those owners a payment. The proposed deal includes payments of $225 million to an EPA environmental mitigation fund and $25 million to the California Air Resources Board that were agreed to previously. A federal court hearing is scheduled for Feb. Fourteen for preliminary approval of the deal. A fix has not yet been approved, and if one is not approved, VW will have to suggest to buy back all of the approximately 78,000 Three.0-liter vehicles in use. The buyback applies to the 2009-12 Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7. The potential fix would apply to the 2013-16 Volkswagen Touareg; 2013-2015 Audi Q7; 2014-16 Audi A6, A7, A8, A8L, Q5; 2013-16 Porsche Cayenne.
Jan. 11, 2017: The Department of Justice and Volkswagen Group announce a $Four.Three billion deal to lodge civil penalties and a criminal investigation into its deeds in the diesel cheating. The deal includes a $Two.8 billion fine and guilty prayers to three felonies to lodge the criminal investigation and a total of $1.Five billion to lodge claims of federal violations by environmental, import and financial regulators. In addition, VW agrees to use an independent corporate compliance monitor for three years and to cooperate in the prosecution of individual employees responsible for the scandal.
Jan. 9, 2017: The FBI arrests a former Volkswagen U.S. regulatory compliance official on fraud conspiracy charges. Five more have been indicted but believed to be outside the U.S.
Dec. 20, 2016: The federal court overseeing the diesel scandal announces a preliminary agreement worth more than $1.Two billion among Volkswagen, owners, and federal and state agencies to fix or buy back toughly 83,000 vehicles with the Trio.0-liter V-6 diesel engines and contribute to environment remediation. Final details and court approval are expected by spring.
Jan. 6, 2017: Federal and state regulators approve a recall fix for the latest-generation Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine used in model-year two thousand fifteen Volkswagen and Audi cars.
Oct. 25, 2016: Federal District Court Judge Charles Breyer gives final approval to the Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesel settlement following a hearing on Oct. Eighteen for protestations to the deal. Volkswagen says the buyback process for recalled cars will begin instantaneously. Negotiations on a recall fix proceed and buyers have until September two thousand eighteen to determine on the buyback. Talks also proceed on a settlement and fix for the Three.0-liter V-6 diesels.
Oct. Legal, 2016: At a federal court hearing in San Francisco, arguments are made for and against final approval for the Two.0-liter diesel settlement proposal that received the preliminary OK in July. Judge Charles Breyer says he is “strongly inclined” to grant final approval but will consider the protestations for possible modifications and issue a decision “on or before” Tuesday, Oct. 25.
Sept. 9, 2016: The Department of Justice announces that James Robert Liang, an engineer who had worked on Volkswagen diesels since the 1980s, has been indicted and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, defraud the U.S. and crack the EPA’s Clean Air Act. Liang has entered a prayer agreement to cooperate with the government’s investigation. Citing the agreement, the DOJ says Liang was instrumental in creating the defeat-device software at the heart of the emissions scandal. It’s reportedly the very first criminal charge to emerge from the DOJ’s ongoing investigation.
Aug. 25, 2016: At a status hearing in the federal district court in California overseeing the consolidated diesel scandal lawsuits against Volkswagen, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer thrusts the parties to stir ahead with talks on a settlement regarding the Three.0-liter V-6 diesels used in VW, Audi and Porsche vehicles, along with continuing to work toward a potential fix for the vehicles. He sets Nov. Three for the next hearing on the Trio.0-liter talks and possible fix. Separately at the hearing, an agreement in principle is announced to lodge claims against Volkswagen by its dealers for lost sales and lost franchise value resulting from the diesel scandal. The company says talks with the dealers will proceed on final details for a settlement proposal expected in September, which VW says would include “cash payments and provide extra benefits.”
June 15, 2016: Citing the “very technical nature of the proposed settlements in these complicated proceedings,” a U.S. district judge extends the deadline for regulators and Volkswagen plaintiffs to file more specifics on a diesel solution to June 28, one week later than the prior deadline.
July 26, 2016: Federal district court gives preliminary approval to the proposed $14.7 billion settlement. Possessor notifications will begin instantly and owners can begin the registration process to determine their options and see what the compensation would be for their specific vehicle. The tentative OK also opens a period in which interested parties may raise protestations to the deal. The court sets Oct. Eighteen for a hearing on final approval.
June 28, 2016: Volkswagen, regulators and plaintiffs’ groups announce a settlement of up to $14.7 billion that includes a detailed buyout program aimed at getting eighty five percent of four-cylinder TDI vehicles off the road. The most significant point in the program requires Volkswagen to suggest owners their cars` pre-scandal market values plus compensatory bonuses – a total that ranges from $12,475 to $44,176 per car. The settlement also requires Volkswagen to pay almost $Five billion into two funds to mitigate pollution and invest in environmental technology. The total will cost the automaker up to $14.7 billion, and it doesn’t address the diesel V-6 vehicles involved in the scandal or lodge investor lawsuits, criminal investigations and pending civil penalties. The California court overseeing the settlement sets a preliminary approval hearing for July 26. Pending its approval, the terms of the settlement can begin to play out.
April 22, 2016: In a postponed announcement of its full-year financial results, Volkswagen Group says it will take a 16.Two billion euro loss ($Legitimate.Two billion at current exchange rates) on the diesel crisis, resulting in an after-tax loss of 1.36 billion euros ($1.53 billion) for 2015.
April 21, 2016: Volkswagen, regulators and consumer attorneys present a proposed settlement covering the about 480,000 Two.0-liter VW diesels from two thousand nine through two thousand sixteen model years. Owners could sell back the car or have it immovable, plus get cash compensation. The judge sets June twenty one for a final plan to be made public that also would lodge regulatory penalties and consumer lawsuits. He sets July twenty six for a hearing on final approval. Still unresolved is a proposal for fixing the harshly 80,000 Trio.0-liter V-6 Audi, Porsche and VW diesels.
March 26, 2016: The Federal Trade Commission files suit against Volkswagen for deceptive advertising in its former “clean diesel” ad campaigns. The FTC claims VW misled consumers and seeks compensation for anyone who bought or leased a diesel car from the automaker inbetween late two thousand eight and late 2015.
March 24, 2016: The California judge overseeing the lawsuits in the Volkswagen diesel crisis grants an extension until April twenty one to reach an agreement with regulators on how to fix its diesel cars. The judge cites «substantial progress» by VW and regulators toward a solution, according to the automaker.
March 9, 2016: Michael Horn steps down as president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America. Hinrich Woebcken will substitute Horn on an interim basis. Woebcken was recently named the head of the North American Region and chairman of Volkswagen Group of America.
Feb. 25, 2016: A California judge reportedly orders VW to produce a rigid reaction by March twenty four on whether it has an EPA-approved fix for its diesel cars. VW says it’s progressing toward a solution but can’t share details on any settlement discussions by order of the Justice Department.
Jan. 12, 2016: The California Air Resources Board rejects Volkswagen’s proposed fix for its diesel Two.0-liter engines. The details of the proposal are confidential, but CARB says the plan is too unspecific in its technical switches and how they would influence affected cars. The EPA agrees with CARB.
Jan. 11, 2016: Volkswagen announces it is extending its $1,000 goodwill suggest to owners of 2009-16 Touareg SUVs, which have a Trio.0-liter diesel V-6 engine. Previously the payment was only available to owners of vehicles with Two.0-liter diesel four-cylinder engines.
Jan. Four, 2016: The Department of Justice sues the Volkswagen Group, including Audi and Porsche, for violations against the Clean Air Act for every U.S. diesel vehicle sold since the two thousand nine model year. Monday’s lawsuit covers some 584,000 vehicles. It’s “an significant step to protect public health,” Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance at EPA, says in a statement. “Recall discussions with the company have not produced an acceptable way forward. These discussions will proceed in parallel with the federal court act.”
Dec. Ten, 2015: In an update on its internal investigation, Volkswagen says it’s uncovered individual misconduct, powerless processes and a culture in some parts of the company that “tolerated breaches of rules.” VW admitted to a “chain of errors” that began once the automaker determined to shove hard for U.S. diesel expansion in two thousand five but found that its early diesel four-cylinders wouldn’t be able to meet U.S. nitrogen oxide emissions targets under existing budgetary and time constraints.
Nov. 9, 2015: Volkswagen issues a “Goodwill Package” to owners of affected Two.0-liter diesel VWs (plus the Audi A3) with a $500 Visa prepaid card, a $500 credit for dealer services or products and a three-year extension on roadside assistance. Owners must register their cars online and visit a dealership once the package arrives in the mail to activate the benefits. VW says that accepting the package does not preclude owners from future compensation or an eventual vehicle fix.
Nov. Trio, 2015: Audi, Volkswagen and Porsche tell dealers to stop selling all six models that the EPA says have defeat devices, plus the Q7 SUV, which also has a Trio.0-liter V-6 diesel. It comes even as the automaker voices confusion over the EPA’s conclusions and says its V-6 diesel emissions system is legal.
Nov. Two, 2015: The EPA announces that extra testing has uncovered illegal defeat devices in Volkswagen`s Three.0-liter V-6 diesel engine as well. Officials issue a notice of disturbance for six more cars: the two thousand fourteen Volkswagen Touareg and two thousand fifteen Porsche Cayenne SUVs, plus the two thousand sixteen Audi A6 and A8 sedans, A7 hatchback and Q5 SUV. (Porsche, like Audi, is a Volkswagen Group brand.) It`s not instantly clear how the disturbance impacts sales of those nameplates, all of which have two thousand sixteen diesel models on sale.
Oct. 8, 2015: President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America Michael Horn shows up before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, withdrawing from emissions-certification consideration suspect two thousand sixteen diesel models; those models cannot be sold until certification is obtained. Horn also outlines a general plan to remedy the crisis, hold responsible parties accountable and guard against future breaches of trust. Horn says he thinks affected owners will still achieve their cars` EPA-rated gas mileage after the fix, but there might be a “slight influence on spectacle.”
Oct. 7, 2015: Volkswagen CEO Matthias Muller in an interview announces plans to launch a recall in January of millions of cars around the world involved in the diesel-emissions scandal, telling that the automaker hopes to have all of the vehicles repaired by the end of 2016. The recall does not pertain to the toughly half-million affected vehicles in the U.S., for which no timeline has yet been announced.
Oct. 6, 2015: Volkswagen Group of America comes back three Cars.com awards for TDI clean-diesel versions of its vehicles. In a letter to Cars.com Editor-in-Chief Patrick Olsen, VW Group of America President and CEO Michael Horn states: “In light of the latest activity by EPA concerning our Two.0L TDI vehicles and associated allegations, out of respect for you and your very influential website, we feel it best at this time to come back the two thousand fifteen Best Bet Award” for the Jetta TDI and the Eco-Friendly Car of the Year Awards for the Passat TDI in two thousand twelve and 2015.
Sept. 27, 2015: Volkswagen launches a consumer site, vwdieselinfo.com, with company statements and answers to frequently asked questions.
Sept. 25, 2015: The EPA announces it plans to spot-check other light-duty diesel vehicles for Clean Air Act compliance. The agency is notifying “all automakers that we are stepping up” oversight, an EPA official says.
Matthias Muller is named Volkswagen CEO. Muller says in a press release, “My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group – by leaving no stone unturned and with maximum transparency, as well as drawing the right conclusions from the current situation. Under my leadership, Volkswagen will do everything it can to develop and implement the most stringent compliance and governance standards in our industry.” Muller will remain chairman of Porsche until a successor is found.”
Sept. 23, 2015: Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn resigns, telling in a statement that he’s unaware of any private wrongdoing but accepts responsibility for the crisis. Winterkorn says his resignation clears the way for a “fresh embark” at Volkswagen.
Sept. 22, 2015: VW announces that some eleven million diesel cars worldwide have the same “defeat device” software that evades emissions testing. The automaker says it’s set aside 6.Five billion euros, or $7.Trio billion, to cover the cost of fixing affected cars.
Sept. 21, 2015: VW confirms that it has ordered dealers to stop the sales of all four-cylinder diesel cars, as well as the four-cylinder diesel Audi A3. (Audi is a luxury brand in the Volkswagen Group.) The automaker also confirms a stop-sale order for certified pre-owned cars with the four-cylinder diesel.
Sept. Legal, 2015: The EPA concludes that such software constitutes an AECD defeat device, and says that VW has violated the Clean Air Act. The cars in question should not have been EPA-certified, and the Department of Justice can enforce up to $37,500 in civil fines per vehicle. In total, that means VW could face fines ranging up to $Legal billion.
Sept. Three, 2015: VW admits that the cars were “designed and manufactured with a defeat device to bypass, defeat or render inoperative elements of the vehicle’s emission control system,” CARB says.
The software uses “dyno” and “road” calibrations that read when an emissions test is being conducted; when the car is not being tested, the “road” calibration dials back the effectiveness of two types of emissions-treatment systems: nitrogen oxide traps and selective catalytic reduction (a urea solution). When dialed back, the systems permit the engine to emit nitrogen oxide levels that are ten to forty times the allowable amount by the EPA.
July 2015: On July 8, CARB shares its findings with VW. None of the technical issues suggested by the automaker are found to explain CARB’s results. Inbetween July eight and Sept. Trio, CARB and the EPA say they will not certify VW’s two thousand sixteen diesel lineup, a necessary step to put those cars on sale. Only then does VW admit to software irregularities. The automaker discloses that the software calibrations in three separate diesel emissions systems had “a 2nd calibration intended to run only during certification testing,” according to CARB.
May 2015: CARB tests the updated emissions on a two thousand twelve Passat TDI, in a lab and on the road. The agency finds some improvement, but not enough.
May 2014: Researchers at West Virginia University and the International Council on Clean Transportation publish findings that find “significantly higher in-use emissions” in a two thousand twelve Jetta TDI and two thousand thirteen Passat TDI, according to the EPA. (Volkswagen markets its diesel cars as TDI.) Volkswagen tells regulators that the differences amount to technical issues and “unexpected” test conditions. Volkswagen sends then-CEO Martin Winterkorn a notice regarding the ICCT testing, but it’s bundled with his weekend memos. It’s unclear how much attention it receives.
VW Diesel Crisis: Timeline of Events News
VW Diesel Crisis: Timeline of Events
CARS.COM – Researchers very first raised concerns about Volkswagen diesel emissions in mid-2014, culminating in the disclosure of alleged “defeat devices” installed in almost 600,000 Volkswagen diesel cars from the 2009-2016 model years. Below is a timeline of major events; we’ll update this as the story unfolds.
According to letters sent to VW on Sept. Legitimate, 2015, from the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, here’s what happened. When the EPA conducts emissions testing, automakers have to disclose “auxiliary emissions control devices,” according to the EPA’s letter. These AECDs affect a car’s emissions system based on situational factors, such as how hard the engine is running or how hot it is. The EPA calls AECDs “defeat devices” only if they reduce the effectiveness of emissions controls outside of testing and are not necessary for safety or engine startup.
Timeline of events
Aug. 25, 2017: Former VW engineer James Liang, who helped develop the diesel engines that cheated emissions testing, became the very first individual in the scandal to be sentenced to prison. A Detroit federal district judge sentenced Liang to forty months in prison, two years of supervised release and a $200,000 fine. The German national then is to be deported. The jail time was more than the three years the prosecution sought, with Judge Sean Cox commenting that Liang, while not the mastermind, was a key participant in a “massive and stunning fraud.” Liang cooperated with the federal VW investigation after agreeing to plead guilty in September two thousand sixteen to conspiracy charges. Since then, two other VW officials have been arrested and five more are under indictment but out of the U.S. One, Oliver Schmidt, pleaded guilty Aug. Four and will be sentenced Dec. 6. The company pleaded guilty to three criminal charges.
July 27, 2017: The EPA and California Air Resources Board approved an emissions fix for Volkswagen’s 325,000 Generation one Two.0-liter diesel vehicles. Owners now can keep their cars – however they also still can take the buyback option – and VW can fix and resell the bought-back cars. The fresh fix is for 2009-14 Jettas, Jetta SportWagens, Golfs and Beetles, as well as 2010-13 Audi A3s. VW now has a repair for ninety eight percent of the toughly 475,000 Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesels involved in the scandal, including fixes approved earlier for most of the Gen two and Gen three Two.0-liter diesels; it still is working on a fix for about 100,000 Three.0-liter V-6 Audi, Porsche and VW-brand vehicles it has agreed to repair or buy back. The Gen one Two.0-liter repair involves software and hardware. VW says it will not affect spectacle, reliability or durability, but it will cut up to two mpg in fuel economy.
July 7, 2017: The Justice Department announced today that it has charged former Audi manager Giovanni Pamio, 60, an Italian citizen, with conspiracy to defraud the U.S., wire fraud and disturbance of the Clean Air Act. The complaint states that from about two thousand six to 2015, Pamio led the Audi engineering team responsible for emissions controls. It alleges that when he and unnamed co-conspirators realized they couldn’t meet nitrogen oxide emissions rules under “design constraints imposed by other departments,” he directed his team to use software to cheat U.S. emissions tests and later lied about that to regulators. Audi parent Volkswagen Group pleaded guilty to three felonies and was ordered to pay a $Two.8 billion criminal fine in April. In other individual charges, one VW engineer reached a prayer agreement in September two thousand sixteen on fraud charges and awaits sentencing. Another manager was arrested in February and is awaiting trial; five others were indicted, but remain in Germany.
May Nineteen, 2017: The Volkswagen Group receives regulatory approval from the EPA and CARB to fix more than 84,000 2012-14 Volkswagen Passat TDI sedans involved in the scandal. In a letter from the agencies, a fix is approved for Gen two EA189 diesel four-cylinders with a diesel-exhaust fluid treatment, but only those with automatic transmissions – stick-shift Passats remain unapproved because a fix could not be applied «without negatively affecting significant consumer attributes, such as vehicle durability and reliability,» according to the letter.
May 17, 2017: As required by the court-ordered deadline, a written approval signals that the Volkswagen Group can begin to process the buyback and compensation orders for owners of affected Trio.0-liter diesel cars. In a statement, the Federal Trade Commission says today`s order – along with those obtained by the Justice Department and the EPA – conclude the agencies’ current litigation against Volkswagen.
May 11, 2017: Federal Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco said he will give final approval to the $1.Two billion settlement among the Volkswagen Group, regulators and owners to buy back or fix about 80,000 Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen vehicles tooled with Three.0-liter V-6 diesels. He set May seventeen as a deadline a final written order and June twenty three for a status report on the deal. Elizabeth Cabraser, lead counsel for the consumer plaintiffs, said in a statement that by May Five, more than seventy percent of the owners had registered for the proposed settlement (posted here), which calls for VW to buy back the older V-6 diesels (VW Touareg and Audi Q7) and fix newer models (Touareg, Porsche Cayenne, and Audi Q7, Q5, A6, A7 and A8) plus pay those owners $7,000 and $16,000. Those also must be bought back if a fix is not approved on schedule. Separately, the judge approved a settlement by Bosch, diesel software supplier, to pay owners and lessors of the Three.0-liter diesels up to $1,500 and up to $350 for the Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesels. VW said in a statement, “We welcome the Court’s decision to approve the Trio.0-liter TDI V-6 settlement. . Eligible customers will be notified of any deeds they need to take after the written approval order is filed.”
April 21, 2017: Regulators give final approval to a criminal fine of $Two.8 billion – the bulk of Volkswagen’s $Four.Trio billion settlement announced in January two thousand seventeen with the Department of Justice – and appoint an independent compliance monitor and auditor for three years. Volkswagen vows “to cooperate fully” with the monitor, former Deputy Attorney General Larry D. Thompson.
Feb. 14, 2017: The proposed $1.Two billion deal among Volkswagen Group, regulators and owners to buy back or fix toughly 78,000 Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen Three.0-liter V-6 diesel vehicles is given preliminary approval in federal district court in San Francisco. The proposed agreement, posted here, calls for VW to buy back the older V-6 diesel vehicles and to fix the newer ones (if a fix is approved this year), plus give those owners a restitution payment. A hearing for final approval is set by Judge Charles Breyer for May 11.
Jan. 31, 2017: Volkswagen agrees with regulators and owners to spend about $1.Two billion to buy back older Trio.0-liter V-6 diesel vehicles that crack emissions rules and to fix the newer ones, plus give those owners a payment. The proposed deal includes payments of $225 million to an EPA environmental mitigation fund and $25 million to the California Air Resources Board that were agreed to previously. A federal court hearing is scheduled for Feb. Fourteen for preliminary approval of the deal. A fix has not yet been approved, and if one is not approved, VW will have to suggest to buy back all of the approximately 78,000 Three.0-liter vehicles in use. The buyback applies to the 2009-12 Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7. The potential fix would apply to the 2013-16 Volkswagen Touareg; 2013-2015 Audi Q7; 2014-16 Audi A6, A7, A8, A8L, Q5; 2013-16 Porsche Cayenne.
Jan. 11, 2017: The Department of Justice and Volkswagen Group announce a $Four.Trio billion deal to lodge civil penalties and a criminal investigation into its deeds in the diesel cheating. The deal includes a $Two.8 billion fine and guilty prayers to three felonies to lodge the criminal investigation and a total of $1.Five billion to lodge claims of federal violations by environmental, import and financial regulators. In addition, VW agrees to use an independent corporate compliance monitor for three years and to cooperate in the prosecution of individual employees responsible for the scandal.
Jan. 9, 2017: The FBI arrests a former Volkswagen U.S. regulatory compliance official on fraud conspiracy charges. Five more have been indicted but believed to be outside the U.S.
Dec. 20, 2016: The federal court overseeing the diesel scandal announces a preliminary agreement worth more than $1.Two billion among Volkswagen, owners, and federal and state agencies to fix or buy back harshly 83,000 vehicles with the Three.0-liter V-6 diesel engines and contribute to environment remediation. Final details and court approval are expected by spring.
Jan. 6, 2017: Federal and state regulators approve a recall fix for the latest-generation Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine used in model-year two thousand fifteen Volkswagen and Audi cars.
Oct. 25, 2016: Federal District Court Judge Charles Breyer gives final approval to the Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesel settlement following a hearing on Oct. Eighteen for protestations to the deal. Volkswagen says the buyback process for recalled cars will begin instantly. Negotiations on a recall fix proceed and buyers have until September two thousand eighteen to determine on the buyback. Talks also proceed on a settlement and fix for the Three.0-liter V-6 diesels.
Oct. Legitimate, 2016: At a federal court hearing in San Francisco, arguments are made for and against final approval for the Two.0-liter diesel settlement proposal that received the preliminary OK in July. Judge Charles Breyer says he is “strongly inclined” to grant final approval but will consider the protestations for possible modifications and issue a decision “on or before” Tuesday, Oct. 25.
Sept. 9, 2016: The Department of Justice announces that James Robert Liang, an engineer who had worked on Volkswagen diesels since the 1980s, has been indicted and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, defraud the U.S. and crack the EPA’s Clean Air Act. Liang has entered a prayer agreement to cooperate with the government’s investigation. Citing the agreement, the DOJ says Liang was instrumental in creating the defeat-device software at the heart of the emissions scandal. It’s reportedly the very first criminal charge to emerge from the DOJ’s ongoing investigation.
Aug. 25, 2016: At a status hearing in the federal district court in California overseeing the consolidated diesel scandal lawsuits against Volkswagen, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer thrusts the parties to budge ahead with talks on a settlement regarding the Three.0-liter V-6 diesels used in VW, Audi and Porsche vehicles, along with continuing to work toward a potential fix for the vehicles. He sets Nov. Three for the next hearing on the Trio.0-liter talks and possible fix. Separately at the hearing, an agreement in principle is announced to lodge claims against Volkswagen by its dealers for lost sales and lost franchise value resulting from the diesel scandal. The company says talks with the dealers will proceed on final details for a settlement proposal expected in September, which VW says would include “cash payments and provide extra benefits.”
June 15, 2016: Citing the “very technical nature of the proposed settlements in these elaborate proceedings,” a U.S. district judge extends the deadline for regulators and Volkswagen plaintiffs to file more specifics on a diesel solution to June 28, one week later than the prior deadline.
July 26, 2016: Federal district court gives preliminary approval to the proposed $14.7 billion settlement. Proprietor notifications will begin instantaneously and owners can begin the registration process to determine their options and see what the compensation would be for their specific vehicle. The tentative OK also opens a period in which interested parties may raise protestations to the deal. The court sets Oct. Eighteen for a hearing on final approval.
June 28, 2016: Volkswagen, regulators and plaintiffs’ groups announce a settlement of up to $14.7 billion that includes a detailed buyout program aimed at getting eighty five percent of four-cylinder TDI vehicles off the road. The most significant point in the program requires Volkswagen to suggest owners their cars` pre-scandal market values plus compensatory bonuses – a total that ranges from $12,475 to $44,176 per car. The settlement also requires Volkswagen to pay almost $Five billion into two funds to mitigate pollution and invest in environmental technology. The total will cost the automaker up to $14.7 billion, and it doesn’t address the diesel V-6 vehicles involved in the scandal or lodge investor lawsuits, criminal investigations and pending civil penalties. The California court overseeing the settlement sets a preliminary approval hearing for July 26. Pending its approval, the terms of the settlement can begin to play out.
April 22, 2016: In a postponed announcement of its full-year financial results, Volkswagen Group says it will take a 16.Two billion euro loss ($Legal.Two billion at current exchange rates) on the diesel crisis, resulting in an after-tax loss of 1.36 billion euros ($1.53 billion) for 2015.
April 21, 2016: Volkswagen, regulators and consumer attorneys present a proposed settlement covering the about 480,000 Two.0-liter VW diesels from two thousand nine through two thousand sixteen model years. Owners could sell back the car or have it immovable, plus get cash compensation. The judge sets June twenty one for a final plan to be made public that also would lodge regulatory penalties and consumer lawsuits. He sets July twenty six for a hearing on final approval. Still unresolved is a proposal for fixing the toughly 80,000 Trio.0-liter V-6 Audi, Porsche and VW diesels.
March 26, 2016: The Federal Trade Commission files suit against Volkswagen for deceptive advertising in its former “clean diesel” ad campaigns. The FTC claims VW misled consumers and seeks compensation for anyone who bought or leased a diesel car from the automaker inbetween late two thousand eight and late 2015.
March 24, 2016: The California judge overseeing the lawsuits in the Volkswagen diesel crisis grants an extension until April twenty one to reach an agreement with regulators on how to fix its diesel cars. The judge cites «substantial progress» by VW and regulators toward a solution, according to the automaker.
March 9, 2016: Michael Horn steps down as president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America. Hinrich Woebcken will substitute Horn on an interim basis. Woebcken was recently named the head of the North American Region and chairman of Volkswagen Group of America.
Feb. 25, 2016: A California judge reportedly orders VW to produce a hard reaction by March twenty four on whether it has an EPA-approved fix for its diesel cars. VW says it’s progressing toward a solution but can’t share details on any settlement discussions by order of the Justice Department.
Jan. 12, 2016: The California Air Resources Board rejects Volkswagen’s proposed fix for its diesel Two.0-liter engines. The details of the proposal are confidential, but CARB says the plan is too unspecific in its technical switches and how they would influence affected cars. The EPA agrees with CARB.
Jan. 11, 2016: Volkswagen announces it is extending its $1,000 goodwill suggest to owners of 2009-16 Touareg SUVs, which have a Three.0-liter diesel V-6 engine. Previously the payment was only available to owners of vehicles with Two.0-liter diesel four-cylinder engines.
Jan. Four, 2016: The Department of Justice sues the Volkswagen Group, including Audi and Porsche, for violations against the Clean Air Act for every U.S. diesel vehicle sold since the two thousand nine model year. Monday’s lawsuit covers some 584,000 vehicles. It’s “an significant step to protect public health,” Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance at EPA, says in a statement. “Recall discussions with the company have not produced an acceptable way forward. These discussions will proceed in parallel with the federal court activity.”
Dec. Ten, 2015: In an update on its internal investigation, Volkswagen says it’s uncovered individual misconduct, powerless processes and a culture in some parts of the company that “tolerated breaches of rules.” VW admitted to a “chain of errors” that began once the automaker determined to shove hard for U.S. diesel expansion in two thousand five but found that its early diesel four-cylinders wouldn’t be able to meet U.S. nitrogen oxide emissions targets under existing budgetary and time constraints.
Nov. 9, 2015: Volkswagen issues a “Goodwill Package” to owners of affected Two.0-liter diesel VWs (plus the Audi A3) with a $500 Visa prepaid card, a $500 credit for dealer services or products and a three-year extension on roadside assistance. Owners must register their cars online and visit a dealership once the package arrives in the mail to activate the benefits. VW says that accepting the package does not preclude owners from future compensation or an eventual vehicle fix.
Nov. Trio, 2015: Audi, Volkswagen and Porsche tell dealers to stop selling all six models that the EPA says have defeat devices, plus the Q7 SUV, which also has a Three.0-liter V-6 diesel. It comes even as the automaker voices confusion over the EPA’s conclusions and says its V-6 diesel emissions system is legal.
Nov. Two, 2015: The EPA announces that extra testing has uncovered illegal defeat devices in Volkswagen`s Three.0-liter V-6 diesel engine as well. Officials issue a notice of disturbance for six more cars: the two thousand fourteen Volkswagen Touareg and two thousand fifteen Porsche Cayenne SUVs, plus the two thousand sixteen Audi A6 and A8 sedans, A7 hatchback and Q5 SUV. (Porsche, like Audi, is a Volkswagen Group brand.) It`s not instantly clear how the disturbance impacts sales of those nameplates, all of which have two thousand sixteen diesel models on sale.
Oct. 8, 2015: President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America Michael Horn shows up before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, withdrawing from emissions-certification consideration suspect two thousand sixteen diesel models; those models cannot be sold until certification is obtained. Horn also outlines a general plan to remedy the crisis, hold responsible parties accountable and guard against future breaches of trust. Horn says he thinks affected owners will still achieve their cars` EPA-rated gas mileage after the fix, but there might be a “slight influence on spectacle.”
Oct. 7, 2015: Volkswagen CEO Matthias Muller in an interview announces plans to launch a recall in January of millions of cars around the world involved in the diesel-emissions scandal, telling that the automaker hopes to have all of the vehicles repaired by the end of 2016. The recall does not pertain to the harshly half-million affected vehicles in the U.S., for which no timeline has yet been announced.
Oct. 6, 2015: Volkswagen Group of America comebacks three Cars.com awards for TDI clean-diesel versions of its vehicles. In a letter to Cars.com Editor-in-Chief Patrick Olsen, VW Group of America President and CEO Michael Horn states: “In light of the latest act by EPA concerning our Two.0L TDI vehicles and associated allegations, out of respect for you and your very influential website, we feel it best at this time to come back the two thousand fifteen Best Bet Award” for the Jetta TDI and the Eco-Friendly Car of the Year Awards for the Passat TDI in two thousand twelve and 2015.
Sept. 27, 2015: Volkswagen launches a consumer site, vwdieselinfo.com, with company statements and answers to frequently asked questions.
Sept. 25, 2015: The EPA announces it plans to spot-check other light-duty diesel vehicles for Clean Air Act compliance. The agency is notifying “all automakers that we are stepping up” oversight, an EPA official says.
Matthias Muller is named Volkswagen CEO. Muller says in a press release, “My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group – by leaving no stone unturned and with maximum transparency, as well as drawing the right conclusions from the current situation. Under my leadership, Volkswagen will do everything it can to develop and implement the most stringent compliance and governance standards in our industry.” Muller will remain chairman of Porsche until a successor is found.”
Sept. 23, 2015: Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn resigns, telling in a statement that he’s unaware of any individual wrongdoing but accepts responsibility for the crisis. Winterkorn says his resignation clears the way for a “fresh commence” at Volkswagen.
Sept. 22, 2015: VW announces that some eleven million diesel cars worldwide have the same “defeat device” software that evades emissions testing. The automaker says it’s set aside 6.Five billion euros, or $7.Three billion, to cover the cost of fixing affected cars.
Sept. 21, 2015: VW confirms that it has ordered dealers to stop the sales of all four-cylinder diesel cars, as well as the four-cylinder diesel Audi A3. (Audi is a luxury brand in the Volkswagen Group.) The automaker also confirms a stop-sale order for certified pre-owned cars with the four-cylinder diesel.
Sept. Legal, 2015: The EPA concludes that such software constitutes an AECD defeat device, and says that VW has violated the Clean Air Act. The cars in question should not have been EPA-certified, and the Department of Justice can enforce up to $37,500 in civil fines per vehicle. In total, that means VW could face fines ranging up to $Legitimate billion.
Sept. Three, 2015: VW admits that the cars were “designed and manufactured with a defeat device to bypass, defeat or render inoperative elements of the vehicle’s emission control system,” CARB says.
The software uses “dyno” and “road” calibrations that read when an emissions test is being conducted; when the car is not being tested, the “road” calibration dials back the effectiveness of two types of emissions-treatment systems: nitrogen oxide traps and selective catalytic reduction (a urea solution). When dialed back, the systems permit the engine to emit nitrogen oxide levels that are ten to forty times the allowable amount by the EPA.
July 2015: On July 8, CARB shares its findings with VW. None of the technical issues suggested by the automaker are found to explain CARB’s results. Inbetween July eight and Sept. Three, CARB and the EPA say they will not certify VW’s two thousand sixteen diesel lineup, a necessary step to put those cars on sale. Only then does VW admit to software irregularities. The automaker discloses that the software calibrations in three separate diesel emissions systems had “a 2nd calibration intended to run only during certification testing,” according to CARB.
May 2015: CARB tests the updated emissions on a two thousand twelve Passat TDI, in a lab and on the road. The agency finds some improvement, but not enough.
May 2014: Researchers at West Virginia University and the International Council on Clean Transportation publish findings that find “significantly higher in-use emissions” in a two thousand twelve Jetta TDI and two thousand thirteen Passat TDI, according to the EPA. (Volkswagen markets its diesel cars as TDI.) Volkswagen tells regulators that the differences amount to technical issues and “unexpected” test conditions. Volkswagen sends then-CEO Martin Winterkorn a notice regarding the ICCT testing, but it’s bundled with his weekend memos. It’s unclear how much attention it receives.
VW Diesel Crisis: Timeline of Events News
VW Diesel Crisis: Timeline of Events
CARS.COM – Researchers very first raised concerns about Volkswagen diesel emissions in mid-2014, culminating in the disclosure of alleged “defeat devices” installed in almost 600,000 Volkswagen diesel cars from the 2009-2016 model years. Below is a timeline of major events; we’ll update this as the story unfolds.
According to letters sent to VW on Sept. Eighteen, 2015, from the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, here’s what happened. When the EPA conducts emissions testing, automakers have to disclose “auxiliary emissions control devices,” according to the EPA’s letter. These AECDs affect a car’s emissions system based on situational factors, such as how hard the engine is running or how hot it is. The EPA calls AECDs “defeat devices” only if they reduce the effectiveness of emissions controls outside of testing and are not necessary for safety or engine startup.
Timeline of events
Aug. 25, 2017: Former VW engineer James Liang, who helped develop the diesel engines that cheated emissions testing, became the very first individual in the scandal to be sentenced to prison. A Detroit federal district judge sentenced Liang to forty months in prison, two years of supervised release and a $200,000 fine. The German national then is to be deported. The jail time was more than the three years the prosecution sought, with Judge Sean Cox commenting that Liang, while not the mastermind, was a key participant in a “massive and stunning fraud.” Liang cooperated with the federal VW investigation after agreeing to plead guilty in September two thousand sixteen to conspiracy charges. Since then, two other VW officials have been arrested and five more are under indictment but out of the U.S. One, Oliver Schmidt, pleaded guilty Aug. Four and will be sentenced Dec. 6. The company pleaded guilty to three criminal charges.
July 27, 2017: The EPA and California Air Resources Board approved an emissions fix for Volkswagen’s 325,000 Generation one Two.0-liter diesel vehicles. Owners now can keep their cars – tho’ they also still can take the buyback option – and VW can fix and resell the bought-back cars. The fresh fix is for 2009-14 Jettas, Jetta SportWagens, Golfs and Beetles, as well as 2010-13 Audi A3s. VW now has a repair for ninety eight percent of the toughly 475,000 Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesels involved in the scandal, including fixes approved earlier for most of the Gen two and Gen three Two.0-liter diesels; it still is working on a fix for about 100,000 Three.0-liter V-6 Audi, Porsche and VW-brand vehicles it has agreed to repair or buy back. The Gen one Two.0-liter repair involves software and hardware. VW says it will not affect spectacle, reliability or durability, but it will cut up to two mpg in fuel economy.
July 7, 2017: The Justice Department announced today that it has charged former Audi manager Giovanni Pamio, 60, an Italian citizen, with conspiracy to defraud the U.S., wire fraud and disturbance of the Clean Air Act. The complaint states that from about two thousand six to 2015, Pamio led the Audi engineering team responsible for emissions controls. It alleges that when he and unnamed co-conspirators realized they couldn’t meet nitrogen oxide emissions rules under “design constraints imposed by other departments,” he directed his team to use software to cheat U.S. emissions tests and later lied about that to regulators. Audi parent Volkswagen Group pleaded guilty to three felonies and was ordered to pay a $Two.8 billion criminal fine in April. In other individual charges, one VW engineer reached a prayer agreement in September two thousand sixteen on fraud charges and awaits sentencing. Another manager was arrested in February and is awaiting trial; five others were indicted, but remain in Germany.
May Nineteen, 2017: The Volkswagen Group receives regulatory approval from the EPA and CARB to fix more than 84,000 2012-14 Volkswagen Passat TDI sedans involved in the scandal. In a letter from the agencies, a fix is approved for Gen two EA189 diesel four-cylinders with a diesel-exhaust fluid treatment, but only those with automatic transmissions – stick-shift Passats remain unapproved because a fix could not be applied «without negatively affecting significant consumer attributes, such as vehicle durability and reliability,» according to the letter.
May 17, 2017: As required by the court-ordered deadline, a written approval signals that the Volkswagen Group can begin to process the buyback and compensation orders for owners of affected Three.0-liter diesel cars. In a statement, the Federal Trade Commission says today`s order – along with those obtained by the Justice Department and the EPA – conclude the agencies’ current litigation against Volkswagen.
May 11, 2017: Federal Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco said he will give final approval to the $1.Two billion settlement among the Volkswagen Group, regulators and owners to buy back or fix about 80,000 Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen vehicles tooled with Trio.0-liter V-6 diesels. He set May seventeen as a deadline a final written order and June twenty three for a status report on the deal. Elizabeth Cabraser, lead counsel for the consumer plaintiffs, said in a statement that by May Five, more than seventy percent of the owners had registered for the proposed settlement (posted here), which calls for VW to buy back the older V-6 diesels (VW Touareg and Audi Q7) and fix newer models (Touareg, Porsche Cayenne, and Audi Q7, Q5, A6, A7 and A8) plus pay those owners $7,000 and $16,000. Those also must be bought back if a fix is not approved on schedule. Separately, the judge approved a settlement by Bosch, diesel software supplier, to pay owners and lessors of the Three.0-liter diesels up to $1,500 and up to $350 for the Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesels. VW said in a statement, “We welcome the Court’s decision to approve the Trio.0-liter TDI V-6 settlement. . Eligible customers will be notified of any deeds they need to take after the written approval order is filed.”
April 21, 2017: Regulators give final approval to a criminal fine of $Two.8 billion – the bulk of Volkswagen’s $Four.Three billion settlement announced in January two thousand seventeen with the Department of Justice – and appoint an independent compliance monitor and auditor for three years. Volkswagen vows “to cooperate fully” with the monitor, former Deputy Attorney General Larry D. Thompson.
Feb. 14, 2017: The proposed $1.Two billion deal among Volkswagen Group, regulators and owners to buy back or fix harshly 78,000 Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen Three.0-liter V-6 diesel vehicles is given preliminary approval in federal district court in San Francisco. The proposed agreement, posted here, calls for VW to buy back the older V-6 diesel vehicles and to fix the newer ones (if a fix is approved this year), plus give those owners a restitution payment. A hearing for final approval is set by Judge Charles Breyer for May 11.
Jan. 31, 2017: Volkswagen agrees with regulators and owners to spend about $1.Two billion to buy back older Trio.0-liter V-6 diesel vehicles that crack emissions rules and to fix the newer ones, plus give those owners a payment. The proposed deal includes payments of $225 million to an EPA environmental mitigation fund and $25 million to the California Air Resources Board that were agreed to previously. A federal court hearing is scheduled for Feb. Fourteen for preliminary approval of the deal. A fix has not yet been approved, and if one is not approved, VW will have to suggest to buy back all of the approximately 78,000 Trio.0-liter vehicles in use. The buyback applies to the 2009-12 Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7. The potential fix would apply to the 2013-16 Volkswagen Touareg; 2013-2015 Audi Q7; 2014-16 Audi A6, A7, A8, A8L, Q5; 2013-16 Porsche Cayenne.
Jan. 11, 2017: The Department of Justice and Volkswagen Group announce a $Four.Trio billion deal to lodge civil penalties and a criminal investigation into its deeds in the diesel cheating. The deal includes a $Two.8 billion fine and guilty prayers to three felonies to lodge the criminal investigation and a total of $1.Five billion to lodge claims of federal violations by environmental, import and financial regulators. In addition, VW agrees to use an independent corporate compliance monitor for three years and to cooperate in the prosecution of individual employees responsible for the scandal.
Jan. 9, 2017: The FBI arrests a former Volkswagen U.S. regulatory compliance official on fraud conspiracy charges. Five more have been indicted but believed to be outside the U.S.
Dec. 20, 2016: The federal court overseeing the diesel scandal announces a preliminary agreement worth more than $1.Two billion among Volkswagen, owners, and federal and state agencies to fix or buy back toughly 83,000 vehicles with the Three.0-liter V-6 diesel engines and contribute to environment remediation. Final details and court approval are expected by spring.
Jan. 6, 2017: Federal and state regulators approve a recall fix for the latest-generation Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine used in model-year two thousand fifteen Volkswagen and Audi cars.
Oct. 25, 2016: Federal District Court Judge Charles Breyer gives final approval to the Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesel settlement following a hearing on Oct. Eighteen for protestations to the deal. Volkswagen says the buyback process for recalled cars will begin instantly. Negotiations on a recall fix proceed and buyers have until September two thousand eighteen to determine on the buyback. Talks also proceed on a settlement and fix for the Three.0-liter V-6 diesels.
Oct. Legitimate, 2016: At a federal court hearing in San Francisco, arguments are made for and against final approval for the Two.0-liter diesel settlement proposal that received the preliminary OK in July. Judge Charles Breyer says he is “strongly inclined” to grant final approval but will consider the protestations for possible modifications and issue a decision “on or before” Tuesday, Oct. 25.
Sept. 9, 2016: The Department of Justice announces that James Robert Liang, an engineer who had worked on Volkswagen diesels since the 1980s, has been indicted and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, defraud the U.S. and crack the EPA’s Clean Air Act. Liang has entered a prayer agreement to cooperate with the government’s investigation. Citing the agreement, the DOJ says Liang was instrumental in creating the defeat-device software at the heart of the emissions scandal. It’s reportedly the very first criminal charge to emerge from the DOJ’s ongoing investigation.
Aug. 25, 2016: At a status hearing in the federal district court in California overseeing the consolidated diesel scandal lawsuits against Volkswagen, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer thrusts the parties to stir ahead with talks on a settlement regarding the Trio.0-liter V-6 diesels used in VW, Audi and Porsche vehicles, along with continuing to work toward a potential fix for the vehicles. He sets Nov. Three for the next hearing on the Trio.0-liter talks and possible fix. Separately at the hearing, an agreement in principle is announced to lodge claims against Volkswagen by its dealers for lost sales and lost franchise value resulting from the diesel scandal. The company says talks with the dealers will proceed on final details for a settlement proposal expected in September, which VW says would include “cash payments and provide extra benefits.”
June 15, 2016: Citing the “very technical nature of the proposed settlements in these sophisticated proceedings,” a U.S. district judge extends the deadline for regulators and Volkswagen plaintiffs to file more specifics on a diesel solution to June 28, one week later than the prior deadline.
July 26, 2016: Federal district court gives preliminary approval to the proposed $14.7 billion settlement. Proprietor notifications will begin instantaneously and owners can begin the registration process to determine their options and see what the compensation would be for their specific vehicle. The tentative OK also opens a period in which interested parties may raise protestations to the deal. The court sets Oct. Eighteen for a hearing on final approval.
June 28, 2016: Volkswagen, regulators and plaintiffs’ groups announce a settlement of up to $14.7 billion that includes a detailed buyout program aimed at getting eighty five percent of four-cylinder TDI vehicles off the road. The most significant point in the program requires Volkswagen to suggest owners their cars` pre-scandal market values plus compensatory bonuses – a total that ranges from $12,475 to $44,176 per car. The settlement also requires Volkswagen to pay almost $Five billion into two funds to mitigate pollution and invest in environmental technology. The total will cost the automaker up to $14.7 billion, and it doesn’t address the diesel V-6 vehicles involved in the scandal or lodge investor lawsuits, criminal investigations and pending civil penalties. The California court overseeing the settlement sets a preliminary approval hearing for July 26. Pending its approval, the terms of the settlement can begin to play out.
April 22, 2016: In a postponed announcement of its full-year financial results, Volkswagen Group says it will take a 16.Two billion euro loss ($Legal.Two billion at current exchange rates) on the diesel crisis, resulting in an after-tax loss of 1.36 billion euros ($1.53 billion) for 2015.
April 21, 2016: Volkswagen, regulators and consumer attorneys present a proposed settlement covering the about 480,000 Two.0-liter VW diesels from two thousand nine through two thousand sixteen model years. Owners could sell back the car or have it immovable, plus get cash compensation. The judge sets June twenty one for a final plan to be made public that also would lodge regulatory penalties and consumer lawsuits. He sets July twenty six for a hearing on final approval. Still unresolved is a proposal for fixing the harshly 80,000 Three.0-liter V-6 Audi, Porsche and VW diesels.
March 26, 2016: The Federal Trade Commission files suit against Volkswagen for deceptive advertising in its former “clean diesel” ad campaigns. The FTC claims VW misled consumers and seeks compensation for anyone who bought or leased a diesel car from the automaker inbetween late two thousand eight and late 2015.
March 24, 2016: The California judge overseeing the lawsuits in the Volkswagen diesel crisis grants an extension until April twenty one to reach an agreement with regulators on how to fix its diesel cars. The judge cites «substantial progress» by VW and regulators toward a solution, according to the automaker.
March 9, 2016: Michael Horn steps down as president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America. Hinrich Woebcken will substitute Horn on an interim basis. Woebcken was recently named the head of the North American Region and chairman of Volkswagen Group of America.
Feb. 25, 2016: A California judge reportedly orders VW to produce a hard response by March twenty four on whether it has an EPA-approved fix for its diesel cars. VW says it’s progressing toward a solution but can’t share details on any settlement discussions by order of the Justice Department.
Jan. 12, 2016: The California Air Resources Board rejects Volkswagen’s proposed fix for its diesel Two.0-liter engines. The details of the proposal are confidential, but CARB says the plan is too unspecific in its technical switches and how they would influence affected cars. The EPA agrees with CARB.
Jan. 11, 2016: Volkswagen announces it is extending its $1,000 goodwill suggest to owners of 2009-16 Touareg SUVs, which have a Trio.0-liter diesel V-6 engine. Previously the payment was only available to owners of vehicles with Two.0-liter diesel four-cylinder engines.
Jan. Four, 2016: The Department of Justice sues the Volkswagen Group, including Audi and Porsche, for violations against the Clean Air Act for every U.S. diesel vehicle sold since the two thousand nine model year. Monday’s lawsuit covers some 584,000 vehicles. It’s “an significant step to protect public health,” Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance at EPA, says in a statement. “Recall discussions with the company have not produced an acceptable way forward. These discussions will proceed in parallel with the federal court act.”
Dec. Ten, 2015: In an update on its internal investigation, Volkswagen says it’s uncovered individual misconduct, powerless processes and a culture in some parts of the company that “tolerated breaches of rules.” VW admitted to a “chain of errors” that began once the automaker determined to thrust hard for U.S. diesel expansion in two thousand five but found that its early diesel four-cylinders wouldn’t be able to meet U.S. nitrogen oxide emissions targets under existing budgetary and time constraints.
Nov. 9, 2015: Volkswagen issues a “Goodwill Package” to owners of affected Two.0-liter diesel VWs (plus the Audi A3) with a $500 Visa prepaid card, a $500 credit for dealer services or products and a three-year extension on roadside assistance. Owners must register their cars online and visit a dealership once the package arrives in the mail to activate the benefits. VW says that accepting the package does not preclude owners from future compensation or an eventual vehicle fix.
Nov. Three, 2015: Audi, Volkswagen and Porsche tell dealers to stop selling all six models that the EPA says have defeat devices, plus the Q7 SUV, which also has a Trio.0-liter V-6 diesel. It comes even as the automaker voices confusion over the EPA’s conclusions and says its V-6 diesel emissions system is legal.
Nov. Two, 2015: The EPA announces that extra testing has uncovered illegal defeat devices in Volkswagen`s Three.0-liter V-6 diesel engine as well. Officials issue a notice of disturbance for six more cars: the two thousand fourteen Volkswagen Touareg and two thousand fifteen Porsche Cayenne SUVs, plus the two thousand sixteen Audi A6 and A8 sedans, A7 hatchback and Q5 SUV. (Porsche, like Audi, is a Volkswagen Group brand.) It`s not instantaneously clear how the disturbance impacts sales of those nameplates, all of which have two thousand sixteen diesel models on sale.
Oct. 8, 2015: President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America Michael Horn shows up before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, withdrawing from emissions-certification consideration suspect two thousand sixteen diesel models; those models cannot be sold until certification is obtained. Horn also outlines a general plan to remedy the crisis, hold responsible parties accountable and guard against future breaches of trust. Horn says he thinks affected owners will still achieve their cars` EPA-rated gas mileage after the fix, but there might be a “slight influence on spectacle.”
Oct. 7, 2015: Volkswagen CEO Matthias Muller in an interview announces plans to launch a recall in January of millions of cars around the world involved in the diesel-emissions scandal, telling that the automaker hopes to have all of the vehicles repaired by the end of 2016. The recall does not pertain to the toughly half-million affected vehicles in the U.S., for which no timeline has yet been announced.
Oct. 6, 2015: Volkswagen Group of America comebacks three Cars.com awards for TDI clean-diesel versions of its vehicles. In a letter to Cars.com Editor-in-Chief Patrick Olsen, VW Group of America President and CEO Michael Horn states: “In light of the latest activity by EPA concerning our Two.0L TDI vehicles and associated allegations, out of respect for you and your very influential website, we feel it best at this time to comeback the two thousand fifteen Best Bet Award” for the Jetta TDI and the Eco-Friendly Car of the Year Awards for the Passat TDI in two thousand twelve and 2015.
Sept. 27, 2015: Volkswagen launches a consumer site, vwdieselinfo.com, with company statements and answers to frequently asked questions.
Sept. 25, 2015: The EPA announces it plans to spot-check other light-duty diesel vehicles for Clean Air Act compliance. The agency is notifying “all automakers that we are stepping up” oversight, an EPA official says.
Matthias Muller is named Volkswagen CEO. Muller says in a press release, “My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group – by leaving no stone unturned and with maximum transparency, as well as drawing the right conclusions from the current situation. Under my leadership, Volkswagen will do everything it can to develop and implement the most stringent compliance and governance standards in our industry.” Muller will remain chairman of Porsche until a successor is found.”
Sept. 23, 2015: Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn resigns, telling in a statement that he’s unaware of any private wrongdoing but accepts responsibility for the crisis. Winterkorn says his resignation clears the way for a “fresh embark” at Volkswagen.
Sept. 22, 2015: VW announces that some eleven million diesel cars worldwide have the same “defeat device” software that evades emissions testing. The automaker says it’s set aside 6.Five billion euros, or $7.Three billion, to cover the cost of fixing affected cars.
Sept. 21, 2015: VW confirms that it has ordered dealers to stop the sales of all four-cylinder diesel cars, as well as the four-cylinder diesel Audi A3. (Audi is a luxury brand in the Volkswagen Group.) The automaker also confirms a stop-sale order for certified pre-owned cars with the four-cylinder diesel.
Sept. Legitimate, 2015: The EPA concludes that such software constitutes an AECD defeat device, and says that VW has violated the Clean Air Act. The cars in question should not have been EPA-certified, and the Department of Justice can enforce up to $37,500 in civil fines per vehicle. In total, that means VW could face fines ranging up to $Legal billion.
Sept. Trio, 2015: VW admits that the cars were “designed and manufactured with a defeat device to bypass, defeat or render inoperative elements of the vehicle’s emission control system,” CARB says.
The software uses “dyno” and “road” calibrations that read when an emissions test is being conducted; when the car is not being tested, the “road” calibration dials back the effectiveness of two types of emissions-treatment systems: nitrogen oxide traps and selective catalytic reduction (a urea solution). When dialed back, the systems permit the engine to emit nitrogen oxide levels that are ten to forty times the allowable amount by the EPA.
July 2015: On July 8, CARB shares its findings with VW. None of the technical issues suggested by the automaker are found to explain CARB’s results. Inbetween July eight and Sept. Three, CARB and the EPA say they will not certify VW’s two thousand sixteen diesel lineup, a necessary step to put those cars on sale. Only then does VW admit to software irregularities. The automaker discloses that the software calibrations in three separate diesel emissions systems had “a 2nd calibration intended to run only during certification testing,” according to CARB.
May 2015: CARB tests the updated emissions on a two thousand twelve Passat TDI, in a lab and on the road. The agency finds some improvement, but not enough.
May 2014: Researchers at West Virginia University and the International Council on Clean Transportation publish findings that find “significantly higher in-use emissions” in a two thousand twelve Jetta TDI and two thousand thirteen Passat TDI, according to the EPA. (Volkswagen markets its diesel cars as TDI.) Volkswagen tells regulators that the differences amount to technical issues and “unexpected” test conditions. Volkswagen sends then-CEO Martin Winterkorn a notice regarding the ICCT testing, but it’s bundled with his weekend memos. It’s unclear how much attention it receives.
VW Diesel Crisis: Timeline of Events News
VW Diesel Crisis: Timeline of Events
CARS.COM – Researchers very first raised concerns about Volkswagen diesel emissions in mid-2014, culminating in the disclosure of alleged “defeat devices” installed in almost 600,000 Volkswagen diesel cars from the 2009-2016 model years. Below is a timeline of major events; we’ll update this as the story unfolds.
According to letters sent to VW on Sept. Legitimate, 2015, from the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, here’s what happened. When the EPA conducts emissions testing, automakers have to disclose “auxiliary emissions control devices,” according to the EPA’s letter. These AECDs affect a car’s emissions system based on situational factors, such as how hard the engine is running or how hot it is. The EPA calls AECDs “defeat devices” only if they reduce the effectiveness of emissions controls outside of testing and are not necessary for safety or engine startup.
Timeline of events
Aug. 25, 2017: Former VW engineer James Liang, who helped develop the diesel engines that cheated emissions testing, became the very first individual in the scandal to be sentenced to prison. A Detroit federal district judge sentenced Liang to forty months in prison, two years of supervised release and a $200,000 fine. The German national then is to be deported. The jail time was more than the three years the prosecution sought, with Judge Sean Cox commenting that Liang, while not the mastermind, was a key participant in a “massive and stunning fraud.” Liang cooperated with the federal VW investigation after agreeing to plead guilty in September two thousand sixteen to conspiracy charges. Since then, two other VW officials have been arrested and five more are under indictment but out of the U.S. One, Oliver Schmidt, pleaded guilty Aug. Four and will be sentenced Dec. 6. The company pleaded guilty to three criminal charges.
July 27, 2017: The EPA and California Air Resources Board approved an emissions fix for Volkswagen’s 325,000 Generation one Two.0-liter diesel vehicles. Owners now can keep their cars – tho’ they also still can take the buyback option – and VW can fix and resell the bought-back cars. The fresh fix is for 2009-14 Jettas, Jetta SportWagens, Golfs and Beetles, as well as 2010-13 Audi A3s. VW now has a repair for ninety eight percent of the toughly 475,000 Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesels involved in the scandal, including fixes approved earlier for most of the Gen two and Gen three Two.0-liter diesels; it still is working on a fix for about 100,000 Trio.0-liter V-6 Audi, Porsche and VW-brand vehicles it has agreed to repair or buy back. The Gen one Two.0-liter repair involves software and hardware. VW says it will not affect spectacle, reliability or durability, but it will cut up to two mpg in fuel economy.
July 7, 2017: The Justice Department announced today that it has charged former Audi manager Giovanni Pamio, 60, an Italian citizen, with conspiracy to defraud the U.S., wire fraud and disturbance of the Clean Air Act. The complaint states that from about two thousand six to 2015, Pamio led the Audi engineering team responsible for emissions controls. It alleges that when he and unnamed co-conspirators realized they couldn’t meet nitrogen oxide emissions rules under “design constraints imposed by other departments,” he directed his team to use software to cheat U.S. emissions tests and later lied about that to regulators. Audi parent Volkswagen Group pleaded guilty to three felonies and was ordered to pay a $Two.8 billion criminal fine in April. In other individual charges, one VW engineer reached a prayer agreement in September two thousand sixteen on fraud charges and awaits sentencing. Another manager was arrested in February and is awaiting trial; five others were indicted, but remain in Germany.
May Nineteen, 2017: The Volkswagen Group receives regulatory approval from the EPA and CARB to fix more than 84,000 2012-14 Volkswagen Passat TDI sedans involved in the scandal. In a letter from the agencies, a fix is approved for Gen two EA189 diesel four-cylinders with a diesel-exhaust fluid treatment, but only those with automatic transmissions – stick-shift Passats remain unapproved because a fix could not be applied «without negatively affecting significant consumer attributes, such as vehicle durability and reliability,» according to the letter.
May 17, 2017: As required by the court-ordered deadline, a written approval signals that the Volkswagen Group can begin to process the buyback and compensation orders for owners of affected Three.0-liter diesel cars. In a statement, the Federal Trade Commission says today`s order – along with those obtained by the Justice Department and the EPA – conclude the agencies’ current litigation against Volkswagen.
May 11, 2017: Federal Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco said he will give final approval to the $1.Two billion settlement among the Volkswagen Group, regulators and owners to buy back or fix about 80,000 Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen vehicles tooled with Three.0-liter V-6 diesels. He set May seventeen as a deadline a final written order and June twenty three for a status report on the deal. Elizabeth Cabraser, lead counsel for the consumer plaintiffs, said in a statement that by May Five, more than seventy percent of the owners had registered for the proposed settlement (posted here), which calls for VW to buy back the older V-6 diesels (VW Touareg and Audi Q7) and fix newer models (Touareg, Porsche Cayenne, and Audi Q7, Q5, A6, A7 and A8) plus pay those owners $7,000 and $16,000. Those also must be bought back if a fix is not approved on schedule. Separately, the judge approved a settlement by Bosch, diesel software supplier, to pay owners and lessors of the Three.0-liter diesels up to $1,500 and up to $350 for the Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesels. VW said in a statement, “We welcome the Court’s decision to approve the Three.0-liter TDI V-6 settlement. . Eligible customers will be notified of any deeds they need to take after the written approval order is filed.”
April 21, 2017: Regulators give final approval to a criminal fine of $Two.8 billion – the bulk of Volkswagen’s $Four.Trio billion settlement announced in January two thousand seventeen with the Department of Justice – and appoint an independent compliance monitor and auditor for three years. Volkswagen vows “to cooperate fully” with the monitor, former Deputy Attorney General Larry D. Thompson.
Feb. 14, 2017: The proposed $1.Two billion deal among Volkswagen Group, regulators and owners to buy back or fix harshly 78,000 Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen Three.0-liter V-6 diesel vehicles is given preliminary approval in federal district court in San Francisco. The proposed agreement, posted here, calls for VW to buy back the older V-6 diesel vehicles and to fix the newer ones (if a fix is approved this year), plus give those owners a restitution payment. A hearing for final approval is set by Judge Charles Breyer for May 11.
Jan. 31, 2017: Volkswagen agrees with regulators and owners to spend about $1.Two billion to buy back older Trio.0-liter V-6 diesel vehicles that crack emissions rules and to fix the newer ones, plus give those owners a payment. The proposed deal includes payments of $225 million to an EPA environmental mitigation fund and $25 million to the California Air Resources Board that were agreed to previously. A federal court hearing is scheduled for Feb. Fourteen for preliminary approval of the deal. A fix has not yet been approved, and if one is not approved, VW will have to suggest to buy back all of the approximately 78,000 Trio.0-liter vehicles in use. The buyback applies to the 2009-12 Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7. The potential fix would apply to the 2013-16 Volkswagen Touareg; 2013-2015 Audi Q7; 2014-16 Audi A6, A7, A8, A8L, Q5; 2013-16 Porsche Cayenne.
Jan. 11, 2017: The Department of Justice and Volkswagen Group announce a $Four.Trio billion deal to lodge civil penalties and a criminal investigation into its deeds in the diesel cheating. The deal includes a $Two.8 billion fine and guilty prayers to three felonies to lodge the criminal investigation and a total of $1.Five billion to lodge claims of federal violations by environmental, import and financial regulators. In addition, VW agrees to use an independent corporate compliance monitor for three years and to cooperate in the prosecution of individual employees responsible for the scandal.
Jan. 9, 2017: The FBI arrests a former Volkswagen U.S. regulatory compliance official on fraud conspiracy charges. Five more have been indicted but believed to be outside the U.S.
Dec. 20, 2016: The federal court overseeing the diesel scandal announces a preliminary agreement worth more than $1.Two billion among Volkswagen, owners, and federal and state agencies to fix or buy back toughly 83,000 vehicles with the Trio.0-liter V-6 diesel engines and contribute to environment remediation. Final details and court approval are expected by spring.
Jan. 6, 2017: Federal and state regulators approve a recall fix for the latest-generation Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine used in model-year two thousand fifteen Volkswagen and Audi cars.
Oct. 25, 2016: Federal District Court Judge Charles Breyer gives final approval to the Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesel settlement following a hearing on Oct. Eighteen for protestations to the deal. Volkswagen says the buyback process for recalled cars will begin instantaneously. Negotiations on a recall fix proceed and buyers have until September two thousand eighteen to determine on the buyback. Talks also proceed on a settlement and fix for the Three.0-liter V-6 diesels.
Oct. Legal, 2016: At a federal court hearing in San Francisco, arguments are made for and against final approval for the Two.0-liter diesel settlement proposal that received the preliminary OK in July. Judge Charles Breyer says he is “strongly inclined” to grant final approval but will consider the protestations for possible modifications and issue a decision “on or before” Tuesday, Oct. 25.
Sept. 9, 2016: The Department of Justice announces that James Robert Liang, an engineer who had worked on Volkswagen diesels since the 1980s, has been indicted and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, defraud the U.S. and crack the EPA’s Clean Air Act. Liang has entered a prayer agreement to cooperate with the government’s investigation. Citing the agreement, the DOJ says Liang was instrumental in creating the defeat-device software at the heart of the emissions scandal. It’s reportedly the very first criminal charge to emerge from the DOJ’s ongoing investigation.
Aug. 25, 2016: At a status hearing in the federal district court in California overseeing the consolidated diesel scandal lawsuits against Volkswagen, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer shoves the parties to stir ahead with talks on a settlement regarding the Trio.0-liter V-6 diesels used in VW, Audi and Porsche vehicles, along with continuing to work toward a potential fix for the vehicles. He sets Nov. Three for the next hearing on the Three.0-liter talks and possible fix. Separately at the hearing, an agreement in principle is announced to lodge claims against Volkswagen by its dealers for lost sales and lost franchise value resulting from the diesel scandal. The company says talks with the dealers will proceed on final details for a settlement proposal expected in September, which VW says would include “cash payments and provide extra benefits.”
June 15, 2016: Citing the “very technical nature of the proposed settlements in these elaborate proceedings,” a U.S. district judge extends the deadline for regulators and Volkswagen plaintiffs to file more specifics on a diesel solution to June 28, one week later than the prior deadline.
July 26, 2016: Federal district court gives preliminary approval to the proposed $14.7 billion settlement. Proprietor notifications will begin instantly and owners can begin the registration process to determine their options and see what the compensation would be for their specific vehicle. The tentative OK also opens a period in which interested parties may raise protestations to the deal. The court sets Oct. Eighteen for a hearing on final approval.
June 28, 2016: Volkswagen, regulators and plaintiffs’ groups announce a settlement of up to $14.7 billion that includes a detailed buyout program aimed at getting eighty five percent of four-cylinder TDI vehicles off the road. The most significant point in the program requires Volkswagen to suggest owners their cars` pre-scandal market values plus compensatory bonuses – a total that ranges from $12,475 to $44,176 per car. The settlement also requires Volkswagen to pay almost $Five billion into two funds to mitigate pollution and invest in environmental technology. The total will cost the automaker up to $14.7 billion, and it doesn’t address the diesel V-6 vehicles involved in the scandal or lodge investor lawsuits, criminal investigations and pending civil penalties. The California court overseeing the settlement sets a preliminary approval hearing for July 26. Pending its approval, the terms of the settlement can begin to play out.
April 22, 2016: In a postponed announcement of its full-year financial results, Volkswagen Group says it will take a 16.Two billion euro loss ($Eighteen.Two billion at current exchange rates) on the diesel crisis, resulting in an after-tax loss of 1.36 billion euros ($1.53 billion) for 2015.
April 21, 2016: Volkswagen, regulators and consumer attorneys present a proposed settlement covering the about 480,000 Two.0-liter VW diesels from two thousand nine through two thousand sixteen model years. Owners could sell back the car or have it immovable, plus get cash compensation. The judge sets June twenty one for a final plan to be made public that also would lodge regulatory penalties and consumer lawsuits. He sets July twenty six for a hearing on final approval. Still unresolved is a proposal for fixing the toughly 80,000 Three.0-liter V-6 Audi, Porsche and VW diesels.
March 26, 2016: The Federal Trade Commission files suit against Volkswagen for deceptive advertising in its former “clean diesel” ad campaigns. The FTC claims VW misled consumers and seeks compensation for anyone who bought or leased a diesel car from the automaker inbetween late two thousand eight and late 2015.
March 24, 2016: The California judge overseeing the lawsuits in the Volkswagen diesel crisis grants an extension until April twenty one to reach an agreement with regulators on how to fix its diesel cars. The judge cites «substantial progress» by VW and regulators toward a solution, according to the automaker.
March 9, 2016: Michael Horn steps down as president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America. Hinrich Woebcken will substitute Horn on an interim basis. Woebcken was recently named the head of the North American Region and chairman of Volkswagen Group of America.
Feb. 25, 2016: A California judge reportedly orders VW to produce a hard reaction by March twenty four on whether it has an EPA-approved fix for its diesel cars. VW says it’s progressing toward a solution but can’t share details on any settlement discussions by order of the Justice Department.
Jan. 12, 2016: The California Air Resources Board rejects Volkswagen’s proposed fix for its diesel Two.0-liter engines. The details of the proposal are confidential, but CARB says the plan is too unspecific in its technical switches and how they would influence affected cars. The EPA agrees with CARB.
Jan. 11, 2016: Volkswagen announces it is extending its $1,000 goodwill suggest to owners of 2009-16 Touareg SUVs, which have a Three.0-liter diesel V-6 engine. Previously the payment was only available to owners of vehicles with Two.0-liter diesel four-cylinder engines.
Jan. Four, 2016: The Department of Justice sues the Volkswagen Group, including Audi and Porsche, for violations against the Clean Air Act for every U.S. diesel vehicle sold since the two thousand nine model year. Monday’s lawsuit covers some 584,000 vehicles. It’s “an significant step to protect public health,” Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance at EPA, says in a statement. “Recall discussions with the company have not produced an acceptable way forward. These discussions will proceed in parallel with the federal court act.”
Dec. Ten, 2015: In an update on its internal investigation, Volkswagen says it’s uncovered individual misconduct, powerless processes and a culture in some parts of the company that “tolerated breaches of rules.” VW admitted to a “chain of errors” that began once the automaker determined to shove hard for U.S. diesel expansion in two thousand five but found that its early diesel four-cylinders wouldn’t be able to meet U.S. nitrogen oxide emissions targets under existing budgetary and time constraints.
Nov. 9, 2015: Volkswagen issues a “Goodwill Package” to owners of affected Two.0-liter diesel VWs (plus the Audi A3) with a $500 Visa prepaid card, a $500 credit for dealer services or products and a three-year extension on roadside assistance. Owners must register their cars online and visit a dealership once the package arrives in the mail to activate the benefits. VW says that accepting the package does not preclude owners from future compensation or an eventual vehicle fix.
Nov. Trio, 2015: Audi, Volkswagen and Porsche tell dealers to stop selling all six models that the EPA says have defeat devices, plus the Q7 SUV, which also has a Three.0-liter V-6 diesel. It comes even as the automaker voices confusion over the EPA’s conclusions and says its V-6 diesel emissions system is legal.
Nov. Two, 2015: The EPA announces that extra testing has uncovered illegal defeat devices in Volkswagen`s Three.0-liter V-6 diesel engine as well. Officials issue a notice of disturbance for six more cars: the two thousand fourteen Volkswagen Touareg and two thousand fifteen Porsche Cayenne SUVs, plus the two thousand sixteen Audi A6 and A8 sedans, A7 hatchback and Q5 SUV. (Porsche, like Audi, is a Volkswagen Group brand.) It`s not instantly clear how the disturbance impacts sales of those nameplates, all of which have two thousand sixteen diesel models on sale.
Oct. 8, 2015: President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America Michael Horn shows up before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, withdrawing from emissions-certification consideration suspect two thousand sixteen diesel models; those models cannot be sold until certification is obtained. Horn also outlines a general plan to remedy the crisis, hold responsible parties accountable and guard against future breaches of trust. Horn says he thinks affected owners will still achieve their cars` EPA-rated gas mileage after the fix, but there might be a “slight influence on spectacle.”
Oct. 7, 2015: Volkswagen CEO Matthias Muller in an interview announces plans to launch a recall in January of millions of cars around the world involved in the diesel-emissions scandal, telling that the automaker hopes to have all of the vehicles repaired by the end of 2016. The recall does not pertain to the toughly half-million affected vehicles in the U.S., for which no timeline has yet been announced.
Oct. 6, 2015: Volkswagen Group of America comes back three Cars.com awards for TDI clean-diesel versions of its vehicles. In a letter to Cars.com Editor-in-Chief Patrick Olsen, VW Group of America President and CEO Michael Horn states: “In light of the latest act by EPA concerning our Two.0L TDI vehicles and associated allegations, out of respect for you and your very influential website, we feel it best at this time to come back the two thousand fifteen Best Bet Award” for the Jetta TDI and the Eco-Friendly Car of the Year Awards for the Passat TDI in two thousand twelve and 2015.
Sept. 27, 2015: Volkswagen launches a consumer site, vwdieselinfo.com, with company statements and answers to frequently asked questions.
Sept. 25, 2015: The EPA announces it plans to spot-check other light-duty diesel vehicles for Clean Air Act compliance. The agency is notifying “all automakers that we are stepping up” oversight, an EPA official says.
Matthias Muller is named Volkswagen CEO. Muller says in a press release, “My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group – by leaving no stone unturned and with maximum transparency, as well as drawing the right conclusions from the current situation. Under my leadership, Volkswagen will do everything it can to develop and implement the most stringent compliance and governance standards in our industry.” Muller will remain chairman of Porsche until a successor is found.”
Sept. 23, 2015: Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn resigns, telling in a statement that he’s unaware of any private wrongdoing but accepts responsibility for the crisis. Winterkorn says his resignation clears the way for a “fresh embark” at Volkswagen.
Sept. 22, 2015: VW announces that some eleven million diesel cars worldwide have the same “defeat device” software that evades emissions testing. The automaker says it’s set aside 6.Five billion euros, or $7.Trio billion, to cover the cost of fixing affected cars.
Sept. 21, 2015: VW confirms that it has ordered dealers to stop the sales of all four-cylinder diesel cars, as well as the four-cylinder diesel Audi A3. (Audi is a luxury brand in the Volkswagen Group.) The automaker also confirms a stop-sale order for certified pre-owned cars with the four-cylinder diesel.
Sept. Eighteen, 2015: The EPA concludes that such software constitutes an AECD defeat device, and says that VW has violated the Clean Air Act. The cars in question should not have been EPA-certified, and the Department of Justice can enforce up to $37,500 in civil fines per vehicle. In total, that means VW could face fines ranging up to $Legitimate billion.
Sept. Three, 2015: VW admits that the cars were “designed and manufactured with a defeat device to bypass, defeat or render inoperative elements of the vehicle’s emission control system,” CARB says.
The software uses “dyno” and “road” calibrations that read when an emissions test is being conducted; when the car is not being tested, the “road” calibration dials back the effectiveness of two types of emissions-treatment systems: nitrogen oxide traps and selective catalytic reduction (a urea solution). When dialed back, the systems permit the engine to emit nitrogen oxide levels that are ten to forty times the allowable amount by the EPA.
July 2015: On July 8, CARB shares its findings with VW. None of the technical issues suggested by the automaker are found to explain CARB’s results. Inbetween July eight and Sept. Trio, CARB and the EPA say they will not certify VW’s two thousand sixteen diesel lineup, a necessary step to put those cars on sale. Only then does VW admit to software irregularities. The automaker discloses that the software calibrations in three separate diesel emissions systems had “a 2nd calibration intended to run only during certification testing,” according to CARB.
May 2015: CARB tests the updated emissions on a two thousand twelve Passat TDI, in a lab and on the road. The agency finds some improvement, but not enough.
May 2014: Researchers at West Virginia University and the International Council on Clean Transportation publish findings that find “significantly higher in-use emissions” in a two thousand twelve Jetta TDI and two thousand thirteen Passat TDI, according to the EPA. (Volkswagen markets its diesel cars as TDI.) Volkswagen tells regulators that the differences amount to technical issues and “unexpected” test conditions. Volkswagen sends then-CEO Martin Winterkorn a notice regarding the ICCT testing, but it’s bundled with his weekend memos. It’s unclear how much attention it receives.
VW Diesel Crisis: Timeline of Events News
VW Diesel Crisis: Timeline of Events
CARS.COM – Researchers very first raised concerns about Volkswagen diesel emissions in mid-2014, culminating in the disclosure of alleged “defeat devices” installed in almost 600,000 Volkswagen diesel cars from the 2009-2016 model years. Below is a timeline of major events; we’ll update this as the story unfolds.
According to letters sent to VW on Sept. Legitimate, 2015, from the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, here’s what happened. When the EPA conducts emissions testing, automakers have to disclose “auxiliary emissions control devices,” according to the EPA’s letter. These AECDs affect a car’s emissions system based on situational factors, such as how hard the engine is running or how hot it is. The EPA calls AECDs “defeat devices” only if they reduce the effectiveness of emissions controls outside of testing and are not necessary for safety or engine startup.
Timeline of events
Aug. 25, 2017: Former VW engineer James Liang, who helped develop the diesel engines that cheated emissions testing, became the very first individual in the scandal to be sentenced to prison. A Detroit federal district judge sentenced Liang to forty months in prison, two years of supervised release and a $200,000 fine. The German national then is to be deported. The jail time was more than the three years the prosecution sought, with Judge Sean Cox commenting that Liang, while not the mastermind, was a key participant in a “massive and stunning fraud.” Liang cooperated with the federal VW investigation after agreeing to plead guilty in September two thousand sixteen to conspiracy charges. Since then, two other VW officials have been arrested and five more are under indictment but out of the U.S. One, Oliver Schmidt, pleaded guilty Aug. Four and will be sentenced Dec. 6. The company pleaded guilty to three criminal charges.
July 27, 2017: The EPA and California Air Resources Board approved an emissions fix for Volkswagen’s 325,000 Generation one Two.0-liter diesel vehicles. Owners now can keep their cars – tho’ they also still can take the buyback option – and VW can fix and resell the bought-back cars. The fresh fix is for 2009-14 Jettas, Jetta SportWagens, Golfs and Beetles, as well as 2010-13 Audi A3s. VW now has a repair for ninety eight percent of the toughly 475,000 Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesels involved in the scandal, including fixes approved earlier for most of the Gen two and Gen three Two.0-liter diesels; it still is working on a fix for about 100,000 Three.0-liter V-6 Audi, Porsche and VW-brand vehicles it has agreed to repair or buy back. The Gen one Two.0-liter repair involves software and hardware. VW says it will not affect spectacle, reliability or durability, but it will cut up to two mpg in fuel economy.
July 7, 2017: The Justice Department announced today that it has charged former Audi manager Giovanni Pamio, 60, an Italian citizen, with conspiracy to defraud the U.S., wire fraud and disturbance of the Clean Air Act. The complaint states that from about two thousand six to 2015, Pamio led the Audi engineering team responsible for emissions controls. It alleges that when he and unnamed co-conspirators realized they couldn’t meet nitrogen oxide emissions rules under “design constraints imposed by other departments,” he directed his team to use software to cheat U.S. emissions tests and later lied about that to regulators. Audi parent Volkswagen Group pleaded guilty to three felonies and was ordered to pay a $Two.8 billion criminal fine in April. In other individual charges, one VW engineer reached a prayer agreement in September two thousand sixteen on fraud charges and awaits sentencing. Another manager was arrested in February and is awaiting trial; five others were indicted, but remain in Germany.
May Nineteen, 2017: The Volkswagen Group receives regulatory approval from the EPA and CARB to fix more than 84,000 2012-14 Volkswagen Passat TDI sedans involved in the scandal. In a letter from the agencies, a fix is approved for Gen two EA189 diesel four-cylinders with a diesel-exhaust fluid treatment, but only those with automatic transmissions – stick-shift Passats remain unapproved because a fix could not be applied «without negatively affecting significant consumer attributes, such as vehicle durability and reliability,» according to the letter.
May 17, 2017: As required by the court-ordered deadline, a written approval signals that the Volkswagen Group can begin to process the buyback and compensation orders for owners of affected Trio.0-liter diesel cars. In a statement, the Federal Trade Commission says today`s order – along with those obtained by the Justice Department and the EPA – conclude the agencies’ current litigation against Volkswagen.
May 11, 2017: Federal Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco said he will give final approval to the $1.Two billion settlement among the Volkswagen Group, regulators and owners to buy back or fix about 80,000 Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen vehicles tooled with Three.0-liter V-6 diesels. He set May seventeen as a deadline a final written order and June twenty three for a status report on the deal. Elizabeth Cabraser, lead counsel for the consumer plaintiffs, said in a statement that by May Five, more than seventy percent of the owners had registered for the proposed settlement (posted here), which calls for VW to buy back the older V-6 diesels (VW Touareg and Audi Q7) and fix newer models (Touareg, Porsche Cayenne, and Audi Q7, Q5, A6, A7 and A8) plus pay those owners $7,000 and $16,000. Those also must be bought back if a fix is not approved on schedule. Separately, the judge approved a settlement by Bosch, diesel software supplier, to pay owners and lessors of the Trio.0-liter diesels up to $1,500 and up to $350 for the Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesels. VW said in a statement, “We welcome the Court’s decision to approve the Trio.0-liter TDI V-6 settlement. . Eligible customers will be notified of any deeds they need to take after the written approval order is filed.”
April 21, 2017: Regulators give final approval to a criminal fine of $Two.8 billion – the bulk of Volkswagen’s $Four.Trio billion settlement announced in January two thousand seventeen with the Department of Justice – and appoint an independent compliance monitor and auditor for three years. Volkswagen vows “to cooperate fully” with the monitor, former Deputy Attorney General Larry D. Thompson.
Feb. 14, 2017: The proposed $1.Two billion deal among Volkswagen Group, regulators and owners to buy back or fix toughly 78,000 Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen Trio.0-liter V-6 diesel vehicles is given preliminary approval in federal district court in San Francisco. The proposed agreement, posted here, calls for VW to buy back the older V-6 diesel vehicles and to fix the newer ones (if a fix is approved this year), plus give those owners a restitution payment. A hearing for final approval is set by Judge Charles Breyer for May 11.
Jan. 31, 2017: Volkswagen agrees with regulators and owners to spend about $1.Two billion to buy back older Three.0-liter V-6 diesel vehicles that crack emissions rules and to fix the newer ones, plus give those owners a payment. The proposed deal includes payments of $225 million to an EPA environmental mitigation fund and $25 million to the California Air Resources Board that were agreed to previously. A federal court hearing is scheduled for Feb. Fourteen for preliminary approval of the deal. A fix has not yet been approved, and if one is not approved, VW will have to suggest to buy back all of the approximately 78,000 Trio.0-liter vehicles in use. The buyback applies to the 2009-12 Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7. The potential fix would apply to the 2013-16 Volkswagen Touareg; 2013-2015 Audi Q7; 2014-16 Audi A6, A7, A8, A8L, Q5; 2013-16 Porsche Cayenne.
Jan. 11, 2017: The Department of Justice and Volkswagen Group announce a $Four.Trio billion deal to lodge civil penalties and a criminal investigation into its deeds in the diesel cheating. The deal includes a $Two.8 billion fine and guilty prayers to three felonies to lodge the criminal investigation and a total of $1.Five billion to lodge claims of federal violations by environmental, import and financial regulators. In addition, VW agrees to use an independent corporate compliance monitor for three years and to cooperate in the prosecution of individual employees responsible for the scandal.
Jan. 9, 2017: The FBI arrests a former Volkswagen U.S. regulatory compliance official on fraud conspiracy charges. Five more have been indicted but believed to be outside the U.S.
Dec. 20, 2016: The federal court overseeing the diesel scandal announces a preliminary agreement worth more than $1.Two billion among Volkswagen, owners, and federal and state agencies to fix or buy back harshly 83,000 vehicles with the Three.0-liter V-6 diesel engines and contribute to environment remediation. Final details and court approval are expected by spring.
Jan. 6, 2017: Federal and state regulators approve a recall fix for the latest-generation Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine used in model-year two thousand fifteen Volkswagen and Audi cars.
Oct. 25, 2016: Federal District Court Judge Charles Breyer gives final approval to the Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesel settlement following a hearing on Oct. Eighteen for protestations to the deal. Volkswagen says the buyback process for recalled cars will begin instantly. Negotiations on a recall fix proceed and buyers have until September two thousand eighteen to determine on the buyback. Talks also proceed on a settlement and fix for the Three.0-liter V-6 diesels.
Oct. Legal, 2016: At a federal court hearing in San Francisco, arguments are made for and against final approval for the Two.0-liter diesel settlement proposal that received the preliminary OK in July. Judge Charles Breyer says he is “strongly inclined” to grant final approval but will consider the protestations for possible modifications and issue a decision “on or before” Tuesday, Oct. 25.
Sept. 9, 2016: The Department of Justice announces that James Robert Liang, an engineer who had worked on Volkswagen diesels since the 1980s, has been indicted and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, defraud the U.S. and crack the EPA’s Clean Air Act. Liang has entered a prayer agreement to cooperate with the government’s investigation. Citing the agreement, the DOJ says Liang was instrumental in creating the defeat-device software at the heart of the emissions scandal. It’s reportedly the very first criminal charge to emerge from the DOJ’s ongoing investigation.
Aug. 25, 2016: At a status hearing in the federal district court in California overseeing the consolidated diesel scandal lawsuits against Volkswagen, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer shoves the parties to budge ahead with talks on a settlement regarding the Three.0-liter V-6 diesels used in VW, Audi and Porsche vehicles, along with continuing to work toward a potential fix for the vehicles. He sets Nov. Three for the next hearing on the Three.0-liter talks and possible fix. Separately at the hearing, an agreement in principle is announced to lodge claims against Volkswagen by its dealers for lost sales and lost franchise value resulting from the diesel scandal. The company says talks with the dealers will proceed on final details for a settlement proposal expected in September, which VW says would include “cash payments and provide extra benefits.”
June 15, 2016: Citing the “very technical nature of the proposed settlements in these sophisticated proceedings,” a U.S. district judge extends the deadline for regulators and Volkswagen plaintiffs to file more specifics on a diesel solution to June 28, one week later than the prior deadline.
July 26, 2016: Federal district court gives preliminary approval to the proposed $14.7 billion settlement. Possessor notifications will begin instantly and owners can begin the registration process to determine their options and see what the compensation would be for their specific vehicle. The tentative OK also opens a period in which interested parties may raise protestations to the deal. The court sets Oct. Eighteen for a hearing on final approval.
June 28, 2016: Volkswagen, regulators and plaintiffs’ groups announce a settlement of up to $14.7 billion that includes a detailed buyout program aimed at getting eighty five percent of four-cylinder TDI vehicles off the road. The most significant point in the program requires Volkswagen to suggest owners their cars` pre-scandal market values plus compensatory bonuses – a total that ranges from $12,475 to $44,176 per car. The settlement also requires Volkswagen to pay almost $Five billion into two funds to mitigate pollution and invest in environmental technology. The total will cost the automaker up to $14.7 billion, and it doesn’t address the diesel V-6 vehicles involved in the scandal or lodge investor lawsuits, criminal investigations and pending civil penalties. The California court overseeing the settlement sets a preliminary approval hearing for July 26. Pending its approval, the terms of the settlement can begin to play out.
April 22, 2016: In a postponed announcement of its full-year financial results, Volkswagen Group says it will take a 16.Two billion euro loss ($Legitimate.Two billion at current exchange rates) on the diesel crisis, resulting in an after-tax loss of 1.36 billion euros ($1.53 billion) for 2015.
April 21, 2016: Volkswagen, regulators and consumer attorneys present a proposed settlement covering the about 480,000 Two.0-liter VW diesels from two thousand nine through two thousand sixteen model years. Owners could sell back the car or have it immobile, plus get cash compensation. The judge sets June twenty one for a final plan to be made public that also would lodge regulatory penalties and consumer lawsuits. He sets July twenty six for a hearing on final approval. Still unresolved is a proposal for fixing the harshly 80,000 Trio.0-liter V-6 Audi, Porsche and VW diesels.
March 26, 2016: The Federal Trade Commission files suit against Volkswagen for deceptive advertising in its former “clean diesel” ad campaigns. The FTC claims VW misled consumers and seeks compensation for anyone who bought or leased a diesel car from the automaker inbetween late two thousand eight and late 2015.
March 24, 2016: The California judge overseeing the lawsuits in the Volkswagen diesel crisis grants an extension until April twenty one to reach an agreement with regulators on how to fix its diesel cars. The judge cites «substantial progress» by VW and regulators toward a solution, according to the automaker.
March 9, 2016: Michael Horn steps down as president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America. Hinrich Woebcken will substitute Horn on an interim basis. Woebcken was recently named the head of the North American Region and chairman of Volkswagen Group of America.
Feb. 25, 2016: A California judge reportedly orders VW to produce a stiff reaction by March twenty four on whether it has an EPA-approved fix for its diesel cars. VW says it’s progressing toward a solution but can’t share details on any settlement discussions by order of the Justice Department.
Jan. 12, 2016: The California Air Resources Board rejects Volkswagen’s proposed fix for its diesel Two.0-liter engines. The details of the proposal are confidential, but CARB says the plan is too unspecific in its technical switches and how they would influence affected cars. The EPA agrees with CARB.
Jan. 11, 2016: Volkswagen announces it is extending its $1,000 goodwill suggest to owners of 2009-16 Touareg SUVs, which have a Three.0-liter diesel V-6 engine. Previously the payment was only available to owners of vehicles with Two.0-liter diesel four-cylinder engines.
Jan. Four, 2016: The Department of Justice sues the Volkswagen Group, including Audi and Porsche, for violations against the Clean Air Act for every U.S. diesel vehicle sold since the two thousand nine model year. Monday’s lawsuit covers some 584,000 vehicles. It’s “an significant step to protect public health,” Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance at EPA, says in a statement. “Recall discussions with the company have not produced an acceptable way forward. These discussions will proceed in parallel with the federal court act.”
Dec. Ten, 2015: In an update on its internal investigation, Volkswagen says it’s uncovered individual misconduct, powerless processes and a culture in some parts of the company that “tolerated breaches of rules.” VW admitted to a “chain of errors” that began once the automaker determined to thrust hard for U.S. diesel expansion in two thousand five but found that its early diesel four-cylinders wouldn’t be able to meet U.S. nitrogen oxide emissions targets under existing budgetary and time constraints.
Nov. 9, 2015: Volkswagen issues a “Goodwill Package” to owners of affected Two.0-liter diesel VWs (plus the Audi A3) with a $500 Visa prepaid card, a $500 credit for dealer services or products and a three-year extension on roadside assistance. Owners must register their cars online and visit a dealership once the package arrives in the mail to activate the benefits. VW says that accepting the package does not preclude owners from future compensation or an eventual vehicle fix.
Nov. Trio, 2015: Audi, Volkswagen and Porsche tell dealers to stop selling all six models that the EPA says have defeat devices, plus the Q7 SUV, which also has a Trio.0-liter V-6 diesel. It comes even as the automaker voices confusion over the EPA’s conclusions and says its V-6 diesel emissions system is legal.
Nov. Two, 2015: The EPA announces that extra testing has uncovered illegal defeat devices in Volkswagen`s Three.0-liter V-6 diesel engine as well. Officials issue a notice of disturbance for six more cars: the two thousand fourteen Volkswagen Touareg and two thousand fifteen Porsche Cayenne SUVs, plus the two thousand sixteen Audi A6 and A8 sedans, A7 hatchback and Q5 SUV. (Porsche, like Audi, is a Volkswagen Group brand.) It`s not instantly clear how the disturbance impacts sales of those nameplates, all of which have two thousand sixteen diesel models on sale.
Oct. 8, 2015: President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America Michael Horn emerges before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, withdrawing from emissions-certification consideration suspect two thousand sixteen diesel models; those models cannot be sold until certification is obtained. Horn also outlines a general plan to remedy the crisis, hold responsible parties accountable and guard against future breaches of trust. Horn says he thinks affected owners will still achieve their cars` EPA-rated gas mileage after the fix, but there might be a “slight influence on spectacle.”
Oct. 7, 2015: Volkswagen CEO Matthias Muller in an interview announces plans to launch a recall in January of millions of cars around the world involved in the diesel-emissions scandal, telling that the automaker hopes to have all of the vehicles repaired by the end of 2016. The recall does not pertain to the toughly half-million affected vehicles in the U.S., for which no timeline has yet been announced.
Oct. 6, 2015: Volkswagen Group of America comebacks three Cars.com awards for TDI clean-diesel versions of its vehicles. In a letter to Cars.com Editor-in-Chief Patrick Olsen, VW Group of America President and CEO Michael Horn states: “In light of the latest act by EPA concerning our Two.0L TDI vehicles and associated allegations, out of respect for you and your very influential website, we feel it best at this time to come back the two thousand fifteen Best Bet Award” for the Jetta TDI and the Eco-Friendly Car of the Year Awards for the Passat TDI in two thousand twelve and 2015.
Sept. 27, 2015: Volkswagen launches a consumer site, vwdieselinfo.com, with company statements and answers to frequently asked questions.
Sept. 25, 2015: The EPA announces it plans to spot-check other light-duty diesel vehicles for Clean Air Act compliance. The agency is notifying “all automakers that we are stepping up” oversight, an EPA official says.
Matthias Muller is named Volkswagen CEO. Muller says in a press release, “My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group – by leaving no stone unturned and with maximum transparency, as well as drawing the right conclusions from the current situation. Under my leadership, Volkswagen will do everything it can to develop and implement the most stringent compliance and governance standards in our industry.” Muller will remain chairman of Porsche until a successor is found.”
Sept. 23, 2015: Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn resigns, telling in a statement that he’s unaware of any individual wrongdoing but accepts responsibility for the crisis. Winterkorn says his resignation clears the way for a “fresh embark” at Volkswagen.
Sept. 22, 2015: VW announces that some eleven million diesel cars worldwide have the same “defeat device” software that evades emissions testing. The automaker says it’s set aside 6.Five billion euros, or $7.Trio billion, to cover the cost of fixing affected cars.
Sept. 21, 2015: VW confirms that it has ordered dealers to stop the sales of all four-cylinder diesel cars, as well as the four-cylinder diesel Audi A3. (Audi is a luxury brand in the Volkswagen Group.) The automaker also confirms a stop-sale order for certified pre-owned cars with the four-cylinder diesel.
Sept. Eighteen, 2015: The EPA concludes that such software constitutes an AECD defeat device, and says that VW has violated the Clean Air Act. The cars in question should not have been EPA-certified, and the Department of Justice can enforce up to $37,500 in civil fines per vehicle. In total, that means VW could face fines ranging up to $Eighteen billion.
Sept. Trio, 2015: VW admits that the cars were “designed and manufactured with a defeat device to bypass, defeat or render inoperative elements of the vehicle’s emission control system,” CARB says.
The software uses “dyno” and “road” calibrations that read when an emissions test is being conducted; when the car is not being tested, the “road” calibration dials back the effectiveness of two types of emissions-treatment systems: nitrogen oxide traps and selective catalytic reduction (a urea solution). When dialed back, the systems permit the engine to emit nitrogen oxide levels that are ten to forty times the allowable amount by the EPA.
July 2015: On July 8, CARB shares its findings with VW. None of the technical issues suggested by the automaker are found to explain CARB’s results. Inbetween July eight and Sept. Three, CARB and the EPA say they will not certify VW’s two thousand sixteen diesel lineup, a necessary step to put those cars on sale. Only then does VW admit to software irregularities. The automaker discloses that the software calibrations in three separate diesel emissions systems had “a 2nd calibration intended to run only during certification testing,” according to CARB.
May 2015: CARB tests the updated emissions on a two thousand twelve Passat TDI, in a lab and on the road. The agency finds some improvement, but not enough.
May 2014: Researchers at West Virginia University and the International Council on Clean Transportation publish findings that find “significantly higher in-use emissions” in a two thousand twelve Jetta TDI and two thousand thirteen Passat TDI, according to the EPA. (Volkswagen markets its diesel cars as TDI.) Volkswagen tells regulators that the differences amount to technical issues and “unexpected” test conditions. Volkswagen sends then-CEO Martin Winterkorn a notice regarding the ICCT testing, but it’s bundled with his weekend memos. It’s unclear how much attention it receives.
VW Diesel Crisis: Timeline of Events News
VW Diesel Crisis: Timeline of Events
CARS.COM – Researchers very first raised concerns about Volkswagen diesel emissions in mid-2014, culminating in the disclosure of alleged “defeat devices” installed in almost 600,000 Volkswagen diesel cars from the 2009-2016 model years. Below is a timeline of major events; we’ll update this as the story unfolds.
According to letters sent to VW on Sept. Eighteen, 2015, from the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, here’s what happened. When the EPA conducts emissions testing, automakers have to disclose “auxiliary emissions control devices,” according to the EPA’s letter. These AECDs affect a car’s emissions system based on situational factors, such as how hard the engine is running or how hot it is. The EPA calls AECDs “defeat devices” only if they reduce the effectiveness of emissions controls outside of testing and are not necessary for safety or engine startup.
Timeline of events
Aug. 25, 2017: Former VW engineer James Liang, who helped develop the diesel engines that cheated emissions testing, became the very first individual in the scandal to be sentenced to prison. A Detroit federal district judge sentenced Liang to forty months in prison, two years of supervised release and a $200,000 fine. The German national then is to be deported. The jail time was more than the three years the prosecution sought, with Judge Sean Cox commenting that Liang, while not the mastermind, was a key participant in a “massive and stunning fraud.” Liang cooperated with the federal VW investigation after agreeing to plead guilty in September two thousand sixteen to conspiracy charges. Since then, two other VW officials have been arrested and five more are under indictment but out of the U.S. One, Oliver Schmidt, pleaded guilty Aug. Four and will be sentenced Dec. 6. The company pleaded guilty to three criminal charges.
July 27, 2017: The EPA and California Air Resources Board approved an emissions fix for Volkswagen’s 325,000 Generation one Two.0-liter diesel vehicles. Owners now can keep their cars – tho’ they also still can take the buyback option – and VW can fix and resell the bought-back cars. The fresh fix is for 2009-14 Jettas, Jetta SportWagens, Golfs and Beetles, as well as 2010-13 Audi A3s. VW now has a repair for ninety eight percent of the toughly 475,000 Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesels involved in the scandal, including fixes approved earlier for most of the Gen two and Gen three Two.0-liter diesels; it still is working on a fix for about 100,000 Three.0-liter V-6 Audi, Porsche and VW-brand vehicles it has agreed to repair or buy back. The Gen one Two.0-liter repair involves software and hardware. VW says it will not affect spectacle, reliability or durability, but it will cut up to two mpg in fuel economy.
July 7, 2017: The Justice Department announced today that it has charged former Audi manager Giovanni Pamio, 60, an Italian citizen, with conspiracy to defraud the U.S., wire fraud and disturbance of the Clean Air Act. The complaint states that from about two thousand six to 2015, Pamio led the Audi engineering team responsible for emissions controls. It alleges that when he and unnamed co-conspirators realized they couldn’t meet nitrogen oxide emissions rules under “design constraints imposed by other departments,” he directed his team to use software to cheat U.S. emissions tests and later lied about that to regulators. Audi parent Volkswagen Group pleaded guilty to three felonies and was ordered to pay a $Two.8 billion criminal fine in April. In other individual charges, one VW engineer reached a prayer agreement in September two thousand sixteen on fraud charges and awaits sentencing. Another manager was arrested in February and is awaiting trial; five others were indicted, but remain in Germany.
May Nineteen, 2017: The Volkswagen Group receives regulatory approval from the EPA and CARB to fix more than 84,000 2012-14 Volkswagen Passat TDI sedans involved in the scandal. In a letter from the agencies, a fix is approved for Gen two EA189 diesel four-cylinders with a diesel-exhaust fluid treatment, but only those with automatic transmissions – stick-shift Passats remain unapproved because a fix could not be applied «without negatively affecting significant consumer attributes, such as vehicle durability and reliability,» according to the letter.
May 17, 2017: As required by the court-ordered deadline, a written approval signals that the Volkswagen Group can begin to process the buyback and compensation orders for owners of affected Three.0-liter diesel cars. In a statement, the Federal Trade Commission says today`s order – along with those obtained by the Justice Department and the EPA – conclude the agencies’ current litigation against Volkswagen.
May 11, 2017: Federal Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco said he will give final approval to the $1.Two billion settlement among the Volkswagen Group, regulators and owners to buy back or fix about 80,000 Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen vehicles tooled with Trio.0-liter V-6 diesels. He set May seventeen as a deadline a final written order and June twenty three for a status report on the deal. Elizabeth Cabraser, lead counsel for the consumer plaintiffs, said in a statement that by May Five, more than seventy percent of the owners had registered for the proposed settlement (posted here), which calls for VW to buy back the older V-6 diesels (VW Touareg and Audi Q7) and fix newer models (Touareg, Porsche Cayenne, and Audi Q7, Q5, A6, A7 and A8) plus pay those owners $7,000 and $16,000. Those also must be bought back if a fix is not approved on schedule. Separately, the judge approved a settlement by Bosch, diesel software supplier, to pay owners and lessors of the Three.0-liter diesels up to $1,500 and up to $350 for the Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesels. VW said in a statement, “We welcome the Court’s decision to approve the Trio.0-liter TDI V-6 settlement. . Eligible customers will be notified of any deeds they need to take after the written approval order is filed.”
April 21, 2017: Regulators give final approval to a criminal fine of $Two.8 billion – the bulk of Volkswagen’s $Four.Three billion settlement announced in January two thousand seventeen with the Department of Justice – and appoint an independent compliance monitor and auditor for three years. Volkswagen vows “to cooperate fully” with the monitor, former Deputy Attorney General Larry D. Thompson.
Feb. 14, 2017: The proposed $1.Two billion deal among Volkswagen Group, regulators and owners to buy back or fix toughly 78,000 Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen Trio.0-liter V-6 diesel vehicles is given preliminary approval in federal district court in San Francisco. The proposed agreement, posted here, calls for VW to buy back the older V-6 diesel vehicles and to fix the newer ones (if a fix is approved this year), plus give those owners a restitution payment. A hearing for final approval is set by Judge Charles Breyer for May 11.
Jan. 31, 2017: Volkswagen agrees with regulators and owners to spend about $1.Two billion to buy back older Trio.0-liter V-6 diesel vehicles that crack emissions rules and to fix the newer ones, plus give those owners a payment. The proposed deal includes payments of $225 million to an EPA environmental mitigation fund and $25 million to the California Air Resources Board that were agreed to previously. A federal court hearing is scheduled for Feb. Fourteen for preliminary approval of the deal. A fix has not yet been approved, and if one is not approved, VW will have to suggest to buy back all of the approximately 78,000 Three.0-liter vehicles in use. The buyback applies to the 2009-12 Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7. The potential fix would apply to the 2013-16 Volkswagen Touareg; 2013-2015 Audi Q7; 2014-16 Audi A6, A7, A8, A8L, Q5; 2013-16 Porsche Cayenne.
Jan. 11, 2017: The Department of Justice and Volkswagen Group announce a $Four.Three billion deal to lodge civil penalties and a criminal investigation into its deeds in the diesel cheating. The deal includes a $Two.8 billion fine and guilty prayers to three felonies to lodge the criminal investigation and a total of $1.Five billion to lodge claims of federal violations by environmental, import and financial regulators. In addition, VW agrees to use an independent corporate compliance monitor for three years and to cooperate in the prosecution of individual employees responsible for the scandal.
Jan. 9, 2017: The FBI arrests a former Volkswagen U.S. regulatory compliance official on fraud conspiracy charges. Five more have been indicted but believed to be outside the U.S.
Dec. 20, 2016: The federal court overseeing the diesel scandal announces a preliminary agreement worth more than $1.Two billion among Volkswagen, owners, and federal and state agencies to fix or buy back harshly 83,000 vehicles with the Three.0-liter V-6 diesel engines and contribute to environment remediation. Final details and court approval are expected by spring.
Jan. 6, 2017: Federal and state regulators approve a recall fix for the latest-generation Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine used in model-year two thousand fifteen Volkswagen and Audi cars.
Oct. 25, 2016: Federal District Court Judge Charles Breyer gives final approval to the Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesel settlement following a hearing on Oct. Eighteen for protestations to the deal. Volkswagen says the buyback process for recalled cars will begin instantaneously. Negotiations on a recall fix proceed and buyers have until September two thousand eighteen to determine on the buyback. Talks also proceed on a settlement and fix for the Trio.0-liter V-6 diesels.
Oct. Eighteen, 2016: At a federal court hearing in San Francisco, arguments are made for and against final approval for the Two.0-liter diesel settlement proposal that received the preliminary OK in July. Judge Charles Breyer says he is “strongly inclined” to grant final approval but will consider the protestations for possible modifications and issue a decision “on or before” Tuesday, Oct. 25.
Sept. 9, 2016: The Department of Justice announces that James Robert Liang, an engineer who had worked on Volkswagen diesels since the 1980s, has been indicted and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, defraud the U.S. and crack the EPA’s Clean Air Act. Liang has entered a prayer agreement to cooperate with the government’s investigation. Citing the agreement, the DOJ says Liang was instrumental in creating the defeat-device software at the heart of the emissions scandal. It’s reportedly the very first criminal charge to emerge from the DOJ’s ongoing investigation.
Aug. 25, 2016: At a status hearing in the federal district court in California overseeing the consolidated diesel scandal lawsuits against Volkswagen, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer shoves the parties to budge ahead with talks on a settlement regarding the Three.0-liter V-6 diesels used in VW, Audi and Porsche vehicles, along with continuing to work toward a potential fix for the vehicles. He sets Nov. Three for the next hearing on the Trio.0-liter talks and possible fix. Separately at the hearing, an agreement in principle is announced to lodge claims against Volkswagen by its dealers for lost sales and lost franchise value resulting from the diesel scandal. The company says talks with the dealers will proceed on final details for a settlement proposal expected in September, which VW says would include “cash payments and provide extra benefits.”
June 15, 2016: Citing the “very technical nature of the proposed settlements in these elaborate proceedings,” a U.S. district judge extends the deadline for regulators and Volkswagen plaintiffs to file more specifics on a diesel solution to June 28, one week later than the prior deadline.
July 26, 2016: Federal district court gives preliminary approval to the proposed $14.7 billion settlement. Proprietor notifications will begin instantaneously and owners can begin the registration process to determine their options and see what the compensation would be for their specific vehicle. The tentative OK also opens a period in which interested parties may raise protestations to the deal. The court sets Oct. Eighteen for a hearing on final approval.
June 28, 2016: Volkswagen, regulators and plaintiffs’ groups announce a settlement of up to $14.7 billion that includes a detailed buyout program aimed at getting eighty five percent of four-cylinder TDI vehicles off the road. The most significant point in the program requires Volkswagen to suggest owners their cars` pre-scandal market values plus compensatory bonuses – a total that ranges from $12,475 to $44,176 per car. The settlement also requires Volkswagen to pay almost $Five billion into two funds to mitigate pollution and invest in environmental technology. The total will cost the automaker up to $14.7 billion, and it doesn’t address the diesel V-6 vehicles involved in the scandal or lodge investor lawsuits, criminal investigations and pending civil penalties. The California court overseeing the settlement sets a preliminary approval hearing for July 26. Pending its approval, the terms of the settlement can begin to play out.
April 22, 2016: In a postponed announcement of its full-year financial results, Volkswagen Group says it will take a 16.Two billion euro loss ($Legal.Two billion at current exchange rates) on the diesel crisis, resulting in an after-tax loss of 1.36 billion euros ($1.53 billion) for 2015.
April 21, 2016: Volkswagen, regulators and consumer attorneys present a proposed settlement covering the about 480,000 Two.0-liter VW diesels from two thousand nine through two thousand sixteen model years. Owners could sell back the car or have it immovable, plus get cash compensation. The judge sets June twenty one for a final plan to be made public that also would lodge regulatory penalties and consumer lawsuits. He sets July twenty six for a hearing on final approval. Still unresolved is a proposal for fixing the harshly 80,000 Trio.0-liter V-6 Audi, Porsche and VW diesels.
March 26, 2016: The Federal Trade Commission files suit against Volkswagen for deceptive advertising in its former “clean diesel” ad campaigns. The FTC claims VW misled consumers and seeks compensation for anyone who bought or leased a diesel car from the automaker inbetween late two thousand eight and late 2015.
March 24, 2016: The California judge overseeing the lawsuits in the Volkswagen diesel crisis grants an extension until April twenty one to reach an agreement with regulators on how to fix its diesel cars. The judge cites «substantial progress» by VW and regulators toward a solution, according to the automaker.
March 9, 2016: Michael Horn steps down as president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America. Hinrich Woebcken will substitute Horn on an interim basis. Woebcken was recently named the head of the North American Region and chairman of Volkswagen Group of America.
Feb. 25, 2016: A California judge reportedly orders VW to produce a rock-hard reaction by March twenty four on whether it has an EPA-approved fix for its diesel cars. VW says it’s progressing toward a solution but can’t share details on any settlement discussions by order of the Justice Department.
Jan. 12, 2016: The California Air Resources Board rejects Volkswagen’s proposed fix for its diesel Two.0-liter engines. The details of the proposal are confidential, but CARB says the plan is too unspecific in its technical switches and how they would influence affected cars. The EPA agrees with CARB.
Jan. 11, 2016: Volkswagen announces it is extending its $1,000 goodwill suggest to owners of 2009-16 Touareg SUVs, which have a Trio.0-liter diesel V-6 engine. Previously the payment was only available to owners of vehicles with Two.0-liter diesel four-cylinder engines.
Jan. Four, 2016: The Department of Justice sues the Volkswagen Group, including Audi and Porsche, for violations against the Clean Air Act for every U.S. diesel vehicle sold since the two thousand nine model year. Monday’s lawsuit covers some 584,000 vehicles. It’s “an significant step to protect public health,” Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance at EPA, says in a statement. “Recall discussions with the company have not produced an acceptable way forward. These discussions will proceed in parallel with the federal court act.”
Dec. Ten, 2015: In an update on its internal investigation, Volkswagen says it’s uncovered individual misconduct, powerless processes and a culture in some parts of the company that “tolerated breaches of rules.” VW admitted to a “chain of errors” that began once the automaker determined to shove hard for U.S. diesel expansion in two thousand five but found that its early diesel four-cylinders wouldn’t be able to meet U.S. nitrogen oxide emissions targets under existing budgetary and time constraints.
Nov. 9, 2015: Volkswagen issues a “Goodwill Package” to owners of affected Two.0-liter diesel VWs (plus the Audi A3) with a $500 Visa prepaid card, a $500 credit for dealer services or products and a three-year extension on roadside assistance. Owners must register their cars online and visit a dealership once the package arrives in the mail to activate the benefits. VW says that accepting the package does not preclude owners from future compensation or an eventual vehicle fix.
Nov. Trio, 2015: Audi, Volkswagen and Porsche tell dealers to stop selling all six models that the EPA says have defeat devices, plus the Q7 SUV, which also has a Trio.0-liter V-6 diesel. It comes even as the automaker voices confusion over the EPA’s conclusions and says its V-6 diesel emissions system is legal.
Nov. Two, 2015: The EPA announces that extra testing has uncovered illegal defeat devices in Volkswagen`s Trio.0-liter V-6 diesel engine as well. Officials issue a notice of disturbance for six more cars: the two thousand fourteen Volkswagen Touareg and two thousand fifteen Porsche Cayenne SUVs, plus the two thousand sixteen Audi A6 and A8 sedans, A7 hatchback and Q5 SUV. (Porsche, like Audi, is a Volkswagen Group brand.) It`s not instantaneously clear how the disturbance impacts sales of those nameplates, all of which have two thousand sixteen diesel models on sale.
Oct. 8, 2015: President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America Michael Horn shows up before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, withdrawing from emissions-certification consideration suspect two thousand sixteen diesel models; those models cannot be sold until certification is obtained. Horn also outlines a general plan to remedy the crisis, hold responsible parties accountable and guard against future breaches of trust. Horn says he thinks affected owners will still achieve their cars` EPA-rated gas mileage after the fix, but there might be a “slight influence on spectacle.”
Oct. 7, 2015: Volkswagen CEO Matthias Muller in an interview announces plans to launch a recall in January of millions of cars around the world involved in the diesel-emissions scandal, telling that the automaker hopes to have all of the vehicles repaired by the end of 2016. The recall does not pertain to the harshly half-million affected vehicles in the U.S., for which no timeline has yet been announced.
Oct. 6, 2015: Volkswagen Group of America comebacks three Cars.com awards for TDI clean-diesel versions of its vehicles. In a letter to Cars.com Editor-in-Chief Patrick Olsen, VW Group of America President and CEO Michael Horn states: “In light of the latest act by EPA concerning our Two.0L TDI vehicles and associated allegations, out of respect for you and your very influential website, we feel it best at this time to come back the two thousand fifteen Best Bet Award” for the Jetta TDI and the Eco-Friendly Car of the Year Awards for the Passat TDI in two thousand twelve and 2015.
Sept. 27, 2015: Volkswagen launches a consumer site, vwdieselinfo.com, with company statements and answers to frequently asked questions.
Sept. 25, 2015: The EPA announces it plans to spot-check other light-duty diesel vehicles for Clean Air Act compliance. The agency is notifying “all automakers that we are stepping up” oversight, an EPA official says.
Matthias Muller is named Volkswagen CEO. Muller says in a press release, “My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group – by leaving no stone unturned and with maximum transparency, as well as drawing the right conclusions from the current situation. Under my leadership, Volkswagen will do everything it can to develop and implement the most stringent compliance and governance standards in our industry.” Muller will remain chairman of Porsche until a successor is found.”
Sept. 23, 2015: Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn resigns, telling in a statement that he’s unaware of any private wrongdoing but accepts responsibility for the crisis. Winterkorn says his resignation clears the way for a “fresh commence” at Volkswagen.
Sept. 22, 2015: VW announces that some eleven million diesel cars worldwide have the same “defeat device” software that evades emissions testing. The automaker says it’s set aside 6.Five billion euros, or $7.Three billion, to cover the cost of fixing affected cars.
Sept. 21, 2015: VW confirms that it has ordered dealers to stop the sales of all four-cylinder diesel cars, as well as the four-cylinder diesel Audi A3. (Audi is a luxury brand in the Volkswagen Group.) The automaker also confirms a stop-sale order for certified pre-owned cars with the four-cylinder diesel.
Sept. Legitimate, 2015: The EPA concludes that such software constitutes an AECD defeat device, and says that VW has violated the Clean Air Act. The cars in question should not have been EPA-certified, and the Department of Justice can enforce up to $37,500 in civil fines per vehicle. In total, that means VW could face fines ranging up to $Eighteen billion.
Sept. Three, 2015: VW admits that the cars were “designed and manufactured with a defeat device to bypass, defeat or render inoperative elements of the vehicle’s emission control system,” CARB says.
The software uses “dyno” and “road” calibrations that read when an emissions test is being conducted; when the car is not being tested, the “road” calibration dials back the effectiveness of two types of emissions-treatment systems: nitrogen oxide traps and selective catalytic reduction (a urea solution). When dialed back, the systems permit the engine to emit nitrogen oxide levels that are ten to forty times the allowable amount by the EPA.
July 2015: On July 8, CARB shares its findings with VW. None of the technical issues suggested by the automaker are found to explain CARB’s results. Inbetween July eight and Sept. Three, CARB and the EPA say they will not certify VW’s two thousand sixteen diesel lineup, a necessary step to put those cars on sale. Only then does VW admit to software irregularities. The automaker discloses that the software calibrations in three separate diesel emissions systems had “a 2nd calibration intended to run only during certification testing,” according to CARB.
May 2015: CARB tests the updated emissions on a two thousand twelve Passat TDI, in a lab and on the road. The agency finds some improvement, but not enough.
May 2014: Researchers at West Virginia University and the International Council on Clean Transportation publish findings that find “significantly higher in-use emissions” in a two thousand twelve Jetta TDI and two thousand thirteen Passat TDI, according to the EPA. (Volkswagen markets its diesel cars as TDI.) Volkswagen tells regulators that the differences amount to technical issues and “unexpected” test conditions. Volkswagen sends then-CEO Martin Winterkorn a notice regarding the ICCT testing, but it’s bundled with his weekend memos. It’s unclear how much attention it receives.
VW Diesel Crisis: Timeline of Events News
VW Diesel Crisis: Timeline of Events
CARS.COM – Researchers very first raised concerns about Volkswagen diesel emissions in mid-2014, culminating in the disclosure of alleged “defeat devices” installed in almost 600,000 Volkswagen diesel cars from the 2009-2016 model years. Below is a timeline of major events; we’ll update this as the story unfolds.
According to letters sent to VW on Sept. Eighteen, 2015, from the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, here’s what happened. When the EPA conducts emissions testing, automakers have to disclose “auxiliary emissions control devices,” according to the EPA’s letter. These AECDs affect a car’s emissions system based on situational factors, such as how hard the engine is running or how hot it is. The EPA calls AECDs “defeat devices” only if they reduce the effectiveness of emissions controls outside of testing and are not necessary for safety or engine startup.
Timeline of events
Aug. 25, 2017: Former VW engineer James Liang, who helped develop the diesel engines that cheated emissions testing, became the very first individual in the scandal to be sentenced to prison. A Detroit federal district judge sentenced Liang to forty months in prison, two years of supervised release and a $200,000 fine. The German national then is to be deported. The jail time was more than the three years the prosecution sought, with Judge Sean Cox commenting that Liang, while not the mastermind, was a key participant in a “massive and stunning fraud.” Liang cooperated with the federal VW investigation after agreeing to plead guilty in September two thousand sixteen to conspiracy charges. Since then, two other VW officials have been arrested and five more are under indictment but out of the U.S. One, Oliver Schmidt, pleaded guilty Aug. Four and will be sentenced Dec. 6. The company pleaded guilty to three criminal charges.
July 27, 2017: The EPA and California Air Resources Board approved an emissions fix for Volkswagen’s 325,000 Generation one Two.0-liter diesel vehicles. Owners now can keep their cars – tho’ they also still can take the buyback option – and VW can fix and resell the bought-back cars. The fresh fix is for 2009-14 Jettas, Jetta SportWagens, Golfs and Beetles, as well as 2010-13 Audi A3s. VW now has a repair for ninety eight percent of the toughly 475,000 Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesels involved in the scandal, including fixes approved earlier for most of the Gen two and Gen three Two.0-liter diesels; it still is working on a fix for about 100,000 Three.0-liter V-6 Audi, Porsche and VW-brand vehicles it has agreed to repair or buy back. The Gen one Two.0-liter repair involves software and hardware. VW says it will not affect spectacle, reliability or durability, but it will cut up to two mpg in fuel economy.
July 7, 2017: The Justice Department announced today that it has charged former Audi manager Giovanni Pamio, 60, an Italian citizen, with conspiracy to defraud the U.S., wire fraud and disturbance of the Clean Air Act. The complaint states that from about two thousand six to 2015, Pamio led the Audi engineering team responsible for emissions controls. It alleges that when he and unnamed co-conspirators realized they couldn’t meet nitrogen oxide emissions rules under “design constraints imposed by other departments,” he directed his team to use software to cheat U.S. emissions tests and later lied about that to regulators. Audi parent Volkswagen Group pleaded guilty to three felonies and was ordered to pay a $Two.8 billion criminal fine in April. In other individual charges, one VW engineer reached a prayer agreement in September two thousand sixteen on fraud charges and awaits sentencing. Another manager was arrested in February and is awaiting trial; five others were indicted, but remain in Germany.
May Nineteen, 2017: The Volkswagen Group receives regulatory approval from the EPA and CARB to fix more than 84,000 2012-14 Volkswagen Passat TDI sedans involved in the scandal. In a letter from the agencies, a fix is approved for Gen two EA189 diesel four-cylinders with a diesel-exhaust fluid treatment, but only those with automatic transmissions – stick-shift Passats remain unapproved because a fix could not be applied «without negatively affecting significant consumer attributes, such as vehicle durability and reliability,» according to the letter.
May 17, 2017: As required by the court-ordered deadline, a written approval signals that the Volkswagen Group can begin to process the buyback and compensation orders for owners of affected Trio.0-liter diesel cars. In a statement, the Federal Trade Commission says today`s order – along with those obtained by the Justice Department and the EPA – conclude the agencies’ current litigation against Volkswagen.
May 11, 2017: Federal Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco said he will give final approval to the $1.Two billion settlement among the Volkswagen Group, regulators and owners to buy back or fix about 80,000 Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen vehicles tooled with Three.0-liter V-6 diesels. He set May seventeen as a deadline a final written order and June twenty three for a status report on the deal. Elizabeth Cabraser, lead counsel for the consumer plaintiffs, said in a statement that by May Five, more than seventy percent of the owners had registered for the proposed settlement (posted here), which calls for VW to buy back the older V-6 diesels (VW Touareg and Audi Q7) and fix newer models (Touareg, Porsche Cayenne, and Audi Q7, Q5, A6, A7 and A8) plus pay those owners $7,000 and $16,000. Those also must be bought back if a fix is not approved on schedule. Separately, the judge approved a settlement by Bosch, diesel software supplier, to pay owners and lessors of the Trio.0-liter diesels up to $1,500 and up to $350 for the Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesels. VW said in a statement, “We welcome the Court’s decision to approve the Trio.0-liter TDI V-6 settlement. . Eligible customers will be notified of any deeds they need to take after the written approval order is filed.”
April 21, 2017: Regulators give final approval to a criminal fine of $Two.8 billion – the bulk of Volkswagen’s $Four.Trio billion settlement announced in January two thousand seventeen with the Department of Justice – and appoint an independent compliance monitor and auditor for three years. Volkswagen vows “to cooperate fully” with the monitor, former Deputy Attorney General Larry D. Thompson.
Feb. 14, 2017: The proposed $1.Two billion deal among Volkswagen Group, regulators and owners to buy back or fix harshly 78,000 Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen Three.0-liter V-6 diesel vehicles is given preliminary approval in federal district court in San Francisco. The proposed agreement, posted here, calls for VW to buy back the older V-6 diesel vehicles and to fix the newer ones (if a fix is approved this year), plus give those owners a restitution payment. A hearing for final approval is set by Judge Charles Breyer for May 11.
Jan. 31, 2017: Volkswagen agrees with regulators and owners to spend about $1.Two billion to buy back older Three.0-liter V-6 diesel vehicles that crack emissions rules and to fix the newer ones, plus give those owners a payment. The proposed deal includes payments of $225 million to an EPA environmental mitigation fund and $25 million to the California Air Resources Board that were agreed to previously. A federal court hearing is scheduled for Feb. Fourteen for preliminary approval of the deal. A fix has not yet been approved, and if one is not approved, VW will have to suggest to buy back all of the approximately 78,000 Trio.0-liter vehicles in use. The buyback applies to the 2009-12 Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7. The potential fix would apply to the 2013-16 Volkswagen Touareg; 2013-2015 Audi Q7; 2014-16 Audi A6, A7, A8, A8L, Q5; 2013-16 Porsche Cayenne.
Jan. 11, 2017: The Department of Justice and Volkswagen Group announce a $Four.Three billion deal to lodge civil penalties and a criminal investigation into its deeds in the diesel cheating. The deal includes a $Two.8 billion fine and guilty prayers to three felonies to lodge the criminal investigation and a total of $1.Five billion to lodge claims of federal violations by environmental, import and financial regulators. In addition, VW agrees to use an independent corporate compliance monitor for three years and to cooperate in the prosecution of individual employees responsible for the scandal.
Jan. 9, 2017: The FBI arrests a former Volkswagen U.S. regulatory compliance official on fraud conspiracy charges. Five more have been indicted but believed to be outside the U.S.
Dec. 20, 2016: The federal court overseeing the diesel scandal announces a preliminary agreement worth more than $1.Two billion among Volkswagen, owners, and federal and state agencies to fix or buy back harshly 83,000 vehicles with the Trio.0-liter V-6 diesel engines and contribute to environment remediation. Final details and court approval are expected by spring.
Jan. 6, 2017: Federal and state regulators approve a recall fix for the latest-generation Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine used in model-year two thousand fifteen Volkswagen and Audi cars.
Oct. 25, 2016: Federal District Court Judge Charles Breyer gives final approval to the Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesel settlement following a hearing on Oct. Eighteen for protestations to the deal. Volkswagen says the buyback process for recalled cars will begin instantaneously. Negotiations on a recall fix proceed and buyers have until September two thousand eighteen to determine on the buyback. Talks also proceed on a settlement and fix for the Trio.0-liter V-6 diesels.
Oct. Legitimate, 2016: At a federal court hearing in San Francisco, arguments are made for and against final approval for the Two.0-liter diesel settlement proposal that received the preliminary OK in July. Judge Charles Breyer says he is “strongly inclined” to grant final approval but will consider the protestations for possible modifications and issue a decision “on or before” Tuesday, Oct. 25.
Sept. 9, 2016: The Department of Justice announces that James Robert Liang, an engineer who had worked on Volkswagen diesels since the 1980s, has been indicted and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, defraud the U.S. and crack the EPA’s Clean Air Act. Liang has entered a prayer agreement to cooperate with the government’s investigation. Citing the agreement, the DOJ says Liang was instrumental in creating the defeat-device software at the heart of the emissions scandal. It’s reportedly the very first criminal charge to emerge from the DOJ’s ongoing investigation.
Aug. 25, 2016: At a status hearing in the federal district court in California overseeing the consolidated diesel scandal lawsuits against Volkswagen, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer thrusts the parties to stir ahead with talks on a settlement regarding the Three.0-liter V-6 diesels used in VW, Audi and Porsche vehicles, along with continuing to work toward a potential fix for the vehicles. He sets Nov. Three for the next hearing on the Three.0-liter talks and possible fix. Separately at the hearing, an agreement in principle is announced to lodge claims against Volkswagen by its dealers for lost sales and lost franchise value resulting from the diesel scandal. The company says talks with the dealers will proceed on final details for a settlement proposal expected in September, which VW says would include “cash payments and provide extra benefits.”
June 15, 2016: Citing the “very technical nature of the proposed settlements in these complicated proceedings,” a U.S. district judge extends the deadline for regulators and Volkswagen plaintiffs to file more specifics on a diesel solution to June 28, one week later than the prior deadline.
July 26, 2016: Federal district court gives preliminary approval to the proposed $14.7 billion settlement. Possessor notifications will begin instantaneously and owners can begin the registration process to determine their options and see what the compensation would be for their specific vehicle. The tentative OK also opens a period in which interested parties may raise protestations to the deal. The court sets Oct. Eighteen for a hearing on final approval.
June 28, 2016: Volkswagen, regulators and plaintiffs’ groups announce a settlement of up to $14.7 billion that includes a detailed buyout program aimed at getting eighty five percent of four-cylinder TDI vehicles off the road. The most significant point in the program requires Volkswagen to suggest owners their cars` pre-scandal market values plus compensatory bonuses – a total that ranges from $12,475 to $44,176 per car. The settlement also requires Volkswagen to pay almost $Five billion into two funds to mitigate pollution and invest in environmental technology. The total will cost the automaker up to $14.7 billion, and it doesn’t address the diesel V-6 vehicles involved in the scandal or lodge investor lawsuits, criminal investigations and pending civil penalties. The California court overseeing the settlement sets a preliminary approval hearing for July 26. Pending its approval, the terms of the settlement can begin to play out.
April 22, 2016: In a postponed announcement of its full-year financial results, Volkswagen Group says it will take a 16.Two billion euro loss ($Legal.Two billion at current exchange rates) on the diesel crisis, resulting in an after-tax loss of 1.36 billion euros ($1.53 billion) for 2015.
April 21, 2016: Volkswagen, regulators and consumer attorneys present a proposed settlement covering the about 480,000 Two.0-liter VW diesels from two thousand nine through two thousand sixteen model years. Owners could sell back the car or have it immobile, plus get cash compensation. The judge sets June twenty one for a final plan to be made public that also would lodge regulatory penalties and consumer lawsuits. He sets July twenty six for a hearing on final approval. Still unresolved is a proposal for fixing the toughly 80,000 Trio.0-liter V-6 Audi, Porsche and VW diesels.
March 26, 2016: The Federal Trade Commission files suit against Volkswagen for deceptive advertising in its former “clean diesel” ad campaigns. The FTC claims VW misled consumers and seeks compensation for anyone who bought or leased a diesel car from the automaker inbetween late two thousand eight and late 2015.
March 24, 2016: The California judge overseeing the lawsuits in the Volkswagen diesel crisis grants an extension until April twenty one to reach an agreement with regulators on how to fix its diesel cars. The judge cites «substantial progress» by VW and regulators toward a solution, according to the automaker.
March 9, 2016: Michael Horn steps down as president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America. Hinrich Woebcken will substitute Horn on an interim basis. Woebcken was recently named the head of the North American Region and chairman of Volkswagen Group of America.
Feb. 25, 2016: A California judge reportedly orders VW to produce a stiff reaction by March twenty four on whether it has an EPA-approved fix for its diesel cars. VW says it’s progressing toward a solution but can’t share details on any settlement discussions by order of the Justice Department.
Jan. 12, 2016: The California Air Resources Board rejects Volkswagen’s proposed fix for its diesel Two.0-liter engines. The details of the proposal are confidential, but CARB says the plan is too unspecific in its technical switches and how they would influence affected cars. The EPA agrees with CARB.
Jan. 11, 2016: Volkswagen announces it is extending its $1,000 goodwill suggest to owners of 2009-16 Touareg SUVs, which have a Trio.0-liter diesel V-6 engine. Previously the payment was only available to owners of vehicles with Two.0-liter diesel four-cylinder engines.
Jan. Four, 2016: The Department of Justice sues the Volkswagen Group, including Audi and Porsche, for violations against the Clean Air Act for every U.S. diesel vehicle sold since the two thousand nine model year. Monday’s lawsuit covers some 584,000 vehicles. It’s “an significant step to protect public health,” Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance at EPA, says in a statement. “Recall discussions with the company have not produced an acceptable way forward. These discussions will proceed in parallel with the federal court act.”
Dec. Ten, 2015: In an update on its internal investigation, Volkswagen says it’s uncovered individual misconduct, powerless processes and a culture in some parts of the company that “tolerated breaches of rules.” VW admitted to a “chain of errors” that began once the automaker determined to thrust hard for U.S. diesel expansion in two thousand five but found that its early diesel four-cylinders wouldn’t be able to meet U.S. nitrogen oxide emissions targets under existing budgetary and time constraints.
Nov. 9, 2015: Volkswagen issues a “Goodwill Package” to owners of affected Two.0-liter diesel VWs (plus the Audi A3) with a $500 Visa prepaid card, a $500 credit for dealer services or products and a three-year extension on roadside assistance. Owners must register their cars online and visit a dealership once the package arrives in the mail to activate the benefits. VW says that accepting the package does not preclude owners from future compensation or an eventual vehicle fix.
Nov. Three, 2015: Audi, Volkswagen and Porsche tell dealers to stop selling all six models that the EPA says have defeat devices, plus the Q7 SUV, which also has a Three.0-liter V-6 diesel. It comes even as the automaker voices confusion over the EPA’s conclusions and says its V-6 diesel emissions system is legal.
Nov. Two, 2015: The EPA announces that extra testing has uncovered illegal defeat devices in Volkswagen`s Trio.0-liter V-6 diesel engine as well. Officials issue a notice of disturbance for six more cars: the two thousand fourteen Volkswagen Touareg and two thousand fifteen Porsche Cayenne SUVs, plus the two thousand sixteen Audi A6 and A8 sedans, A7 hatchback and Q5 SUV. (Porsche, like Audi, is a Volkswagen Group brand.) It`s not instantly clear how the disturbance impacts sales of those nameplates, all of which have two thousand sixteen diesel models on sale.
Oct. 8, 2015: President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America Michael Horn emerges before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, withdrawing from emissions-certification consideration suspect two thousand sixteen diesel models; those models cannot be sold until certification is obtained. Horn also outlines a general plan to remedy the crisis, hold responsible parties accountable and guard against future breaches of trust. Horn says he thinks affected owners will still achieve their cars` EPA-rated gas mileage after the fix, but there might be a “slight influence on spectacle.”
Oct. 7, 2015: Volkswagen CEO Matthias Muller in an interview announces plans to launch a recall in January of millions of cars around the world involved in the diesel-emissions scandal, telling that the automaker hopes to have all of the vehicles repaired by the end of 2016. The recall does not pertain to the toughly half-million affected vehicles in the U.S., for which no timeline has yet been announced.
Oct. 6, 2015: Volkswagen Group of America comes back three Cars.com awards for TDI clean-diesel versions of its vehicles. In a letter to Cars.com Editor-in-Chief Patrick Olsen, VW Group of America President and CEO Michael Horn states: “In light of the latest activity by EPA concerning our Two.0L TDI vehicles and associated allegations, out of respect for you and your very influential website, we feel it best at this time to come back the two thousand fifteen Best Bet Award” for the Jetta TDI and the Eco-Friendly Car of the Year Awards for the Passat TDI in two thousand twelve and 2015.
Sept. 27, 2015: Volkswagen launches a consumer site, vwdieselinfo.com, with company statements and answers to frequently asked questions.
Sept. 25, 2015: The EPA announces it plans to spot-check other light-duty diesel vehicles for Clean Air Act compliance. The agency is notifying “all automakers that we are stepping up” oversight, an EPA official says.
Matthias Muller is named Volkswagen CEO. Muller says in a press release, “My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group – by leaving no stone unturned and with maximum transparency, as well as drawing the right conclusions from the current situation. Under my leadership, Volkswagen will do everything it can to develop and implement the most stringent compliance and governance standards in our industry.” Muller will remain chairman of Porsche until a successor is found.”
Sept. 23, 2015: Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn resigns, telling in a statement that he’s unaware of any private wrongdoing but accepts responsibility for the crisis. Winterkorn says his resignation clears the way for a “fresh commence” at Volkswagen.
Sept. 22, 2015: VW announces that some eleven million diesel cars worldwide have the same “defeat device” software that evades emissions testing. The automaker says it’s set aside 6.Five billion euros, or $7.Trio billion, to cover the cost of fixing affected cars.
Sept. 21, 2015: VW confirms that it has ordered dealers to stop the sales of all four-cylinder diesel cars, as well as the four-cylinder diesel Audi A3. (Audi is a luxury brand in the Volkswagen Group.) The automaker also confirms a stop-sale order for certified pre-owned cars with the four-cylinder diesel.
Sept. Legitimate, 2015: The EPA concludes that such software constitutes an AECD defeat device, and says that VW has violated the Clean Air Act. The cars in question should not have been EPA-certified, and the Department of Justice can enforce up to $37,500 in civil fines per vehicle. In total, that means VW could face fines ranging up to $Legal billion.
Sept. Three, 2015: VW admits that the cars were “designed and manufactured with a defeat device to bypass, defeat or render inoperative elements of the vehicle’s emission control system,” CARB says.
The software uses “dyno” and “road” calibrations that read when an emissions test is being conducted; when the car is not being tested, the “road” calibration dials back the effectiveness of two types of emissions-treatment systems: nitrogen oxide traps and selective catalytic reduction (a urea solution). When dialed back, the systems permit the engine to emit nitrogen oxide levels that are ten to forty times the allowable amount by the EPA.
July 2015: On July 8, CARB shares its findings with VW. None of the technical issues suggested by the automaker are found to explain CARB’s results. Inbetween July eight and Sept. Three, CARB and the EPA say they will not certify VW’s two thousand sixteen diesel lineup, a necessary step to put those cars on sale. Only then does VW admit to software irregularities. The automaker discloses that the software calibrations in three separate diesel emissions systems had “a 2nd calibration intended to run only during certification testing,” according to CARB.
May 2015: CARB tests the updated emissions on a two thousand twelve Passat TDI, in a lab and on the road. The agency finds some improvement, but not enough.
May 2014: Researchers at West Virginia University and the International Council on Clean Transportation publish findings that find “significantly higher in-use emissions” in a two thousand twelve Jetta TDI and two thousand thirteen Passat TDI, according to the EPA. (Volkswagen markets its diesel cars as TDI.) Volkswagen tells regulators that the differences amount to technical issues and “unexpected” test conditions. Volkswagen sends then-CEO Martin Winterkorn a notice regarding the ICCT testing, but it’s bundled with his weekend memos. It’s unclear how much attention it receives.
VW Diesel Crisis: Timeline of Events News
VW Diesel Crisis: Timeline of Events
CARS.COM – Researchers very first raised concerns about Volkswagen diesel emissions in mid-2014, culminating in the disclosure of alleged “defeat devices” installed in almost 600,000 Volkswagen diesel cars from the 2009-2016 model years. Below is a timeline of major events; we’ll update this as the story unfolds.
According to letters sent to VW on Sept. Legitimate, 2015, from the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, here’s what happened. When the EPA conducts emissions testing, automakers have to disclose “auxiliary emissions control devices,” according to the EPA’s letter. These AECDs affect a car’s emissions system based on situational factors, such as how hard the engine is running or how hot it is. The EPA calls AECDs “defeat devices” only if they reduce the effectiveness of emissions controls outside of testing and are not necessary for safety or engine startup.
Timeline of events
Aug. 25, 2017: Former VW engineer James Liang, who helped develop the diesel engines that cheated emissions testing, became the very first individual in the scandal to be sentenced to prison. A Detroit federal district judge sentenced Liang to forty months in prison, two years of supervised release and a $200,000 fine. The German national then is to be deported. The jail time was more than the three years the prosecution sought, with Judge Sean Cox commenting that Liang, while not the mastermind, was a key participant in a “massive and stunning fraud.” Liang cooperated with the federal VW investigation after agreeing to plead guilty in September two thousand sixteen to conspiracy charges. Since then, two other VW officials have been arrested and five more are under indictment but out of the U.S. One, Oliver Schmidt, pleaded guilty Aug. Four and will be sentenced Dec. 6. The company pleaded guilty to three criminal charges.
July 27, 2017: The EPA and California Air Resources Board approved an emissions fix for Volkswagen’s 325,000 Generation one Two.0-liter diesel vehicles. Owners now can keep their cars – tho’ they also still can take the buyback option – and VW can fix and resell the bought-back cars. The fresh fix is for 2009-14 Jettas, Jetta SportWagens, Golfs and Beetles, as well as 2010-13 Audi A3s. VW now has a repair for ninety eight percent of the harshly 475,000 Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesels involved in the scandal, including fixes approved earlier for most of the Gen two and Gen three Two.0-liter diesels; it still is working on a fix for about 100,000 Three.0-liter V-6 Audi, Porsche and VW-brand vehicles it has agreed to repair or buy back. The Gen one Two.0-liter repair involves software and hardware. VW says it will not affect spectacle, reliability or durability, but it will cut up to two mpg in fuel economy.
July 7, 2017: The Justice Department announced today that it has charged former Audi manager Giovanni Pamio, 60, an Italian citizen, with conspiracy to defraud the U.S., wire fraud and disturbance of the Clean Air Act. The complaint states that from about two thousand six to 2015, Pamio led the Audi engineering team responsible for emissions controls. It alleges that when he and unnamed co-conspirators realized they couldn’t meet nitrogen oxide emissions rules under “design constraints imposed by other departments,” he directed his team to use software to cheat U.S. emissions tests and later lied about that to regulators. Audi parent Volkswagen Group pleaded guilty to three felonies and was ordered to pay a $Two.8 billion criminal fine in April. In other individual charges, one VW engineer reached a prayer agreement in September two thousand sixteen on fraud charges and awaits sentencing. Another manager was arrested in February and is awaiting trial; five others were indicted, but remain in Germany.
May Nineteen, 2017: The Volkswagen Group receives regulatory approval from the EPA and CARB to fix more than 84,000 2012-14 Volkswagen Passat TDI sedans involved in the scandal. In a letter from the agencies, a fix is approved for Gen two EA189 diesel four-cylinders with a diesel-exhaust fluid treatment, but only those with automatic transmissions – stick-shift Passats remain unapproved because a fix could not be applied «without negatively affecting significant consumer attributes, such as vehicle durability and reliability,» according to the letter.
May 17, 2017: As required by the court-ordered deadline, a written approval signals that the Volkswagen Group can begin to process the buyback and compensation orders for owners of affected Three.0-liter diesel cars. In a statement, the Federal Trade Commission says today`s order – along with those obtained by the Justice Department and the EPA – conclude the agencies’ current litigation against Volkswagen.
May 11, 2017: Federal Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco said he will give final approval to the $1.Two billion settlement among the Volkswagen Group, regulators and owners to buy back or fix about 80,000 Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen vehicles tooled with Three.0-liter V-6 diesels. He set May seventeen as a deadline a final written order and June twenty three for a status report on the deal. Elizabeth Cabraser, lead counsel for the consumer plaintiffs, said in a statement that by May Five, more than seventy percent of the owners had registered for the proposed settlement (posted here), which calls for VW to buy back the older V-6 diesels (VW Touareg and Audi Q7) and fix newer models (Touareg, Porsche Cayenne, and Audi Q7, Q5, A6, A7 and A8) plus pay those owners $7,000 and $16,000. Those also must be bought back if a fix is not approved on schedule. Separately, the judge approved a settlement by Bosch, diesel software supplier, to pay owners and lessors of the Three.0-liter diesels up to $1,500 and up to $350 for the Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesels. VW said in a statement, “We welcome the Court’s decision to approve the Trio.0-liter TDI V-6 settlement. . Eligible customers will be notified of any deeds they need to take after the written approval order is filed.”
April 21, 2017: Regulators give final approval to a criminal fine of $Two.8 billion – the bulk of Volkswagen’s $Four.Three billion settlement announced in January two thousand seventeen with the Department of Justice – and appoint an independent compliance monitor and auditor for three years. Volkswagen vows “to cooperate fully” with the monitor, former Deputy Attorney General Larry D. Thompson.
Feb. 14, 2017: The proposed $1.Two billion deal among Volkswagen Group, regulators and owners to buy back or fix harshly 78,000 Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen Trio.0-liter V-6 diesel vehicles is given preliminary approval in federal district court in San Francisco. The proposed agreement, posted here, calls for VW to buy back the older V-6 diesel vehicles and to fix the newer ones (if a fix is approved this year), plus give those owners a restitution payment. A hearing for final approval is set by Judge Charles Breyer for May 11.
Jan. 31, 2017: Volkswagen agrees with regulators and owners to spend about $1.Two billion to buy back older Three.0-liter V-6 diesel vehicles that crack emissions rules and to fix the newer ones, plus give those owners a payment. The proposed deal includes payments of $225 million to an EPA environmental mitigation fund and $25 million to the California Air Resources Board that were agreed to previously. A federal court hearing is scheduled for Feb. Fourteen for preliminary approval of the deal. A fix has not yet been approved, and if one is not approved, VW will have to suggest to buy back all of the approximately 78,000 Three.0-liter vehicles in use. The buyback applies to the 2009-12 Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7. The potential fix would apply to the 2013-16 Volkswagen Touareg; 2013-2015 Audi Q7; 2014-16 Audi A6, A7, A8, A8L, Q5; 2013-16 Porsche Cayenne.
Jan. 11, 2017: The Department of Justice and Volkswagen Group announce a $Four.Trio billion deal to lodge civil penalties and a criminal investigation into its deeds in the diesel cheating. The deal includes a $Two.8 billion fine and guilty prayers to three felonies to lodge the criminal investigation and a total of $1.Five billion to lodge claims of federal violations by environmental, import and financial regulators. In addition, VW agrees to use an independent corporate compliance monitor for three years and to cooperate in the prosecution of individual employees responsible for the scandal.
Jan. 9, 2017: The FBI arrests a former Volkswagen U.S. regulatory compliance official on fraud conspiracy charges. Five more have been indicted but believed to be outside the U.S.
Dec. 20, 2016: The federal court overseeing the diesel scandal announces a preliminary agreement worth more than $1.Two billion among Volkswagen, owners, and federal and state agencies to fix or buy back toughly 83,000 vehicles with the Three.0-liter V-6 diesel engines and contribute to environment remediation. Final details and court approval are expected by spring.
Jan. 6, 2017: Federal and state regulators approve a recall fix for the latest-generation Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine used in model-year two thousand fifteen Volkswagen and Audi cars.
Oct. 25, 2016: Federal District Court Judge Charles Breyer gives final approval to the Two.0-liter four-cylinder diesel settlement following a hearing on Oct. Eighteen for protestations to the deal. Volkswagen says the buyback process for recalled cars will begin instantaneously. Negotiations on a recall fix proceed and buyers have until September two thousand eighteen to determine on the buyback. Talks also proceed on a settlement and fix for the Three.0-liter V-6 diesels.
Oct. Legitimate, 2016: At a federal court hearing in San Francisco, arguments are made for and against final approval for the Two.0-liter diesel settlement proposal that received the preliminary OK in July. Judge Charles Breyer says he is “strongly inclined” to grant final approval but will consider the protestations for possible modifications and issue a decision “on or before” Tuesday, Oct. 25.
Sept. 9, 2016: The Department of Justice announces that James Robert Liang, an engineer who had worked on Volkswagen diesels since the 1980s, has been indicted and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, defraud the U.S. and crack the EPA’s Clean Air Act. Liang has entered a prayer agreement to cooperate with the government’s investigation. Citing the agreement, the DOJ says Liang was instrumental in creating the defeat-device software at the heart of the emissions scandal. It’s reportedly the very first criminal charge to emerge from the DOJ’s ongoing investigation.
Aug. 25, 2016: At a status hearing in the federal district court in California overseeing the consolidated diesel scandal lawsuits against Volkswagen, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer shoves the parties to budge ahead with talks on a settlement regarding the Three.0-liter V-6 diesels used in VW, Audi and Porsche vehicles, along with continuing to work toward a potential fix for the vehicles. He sets Nov. Three for the next hearing on the Trio.0-liter talks and possible fix. Separately at the hearing, an agreement in principle is announced to lodge claims against Volkswagen by its dealers for lost sales and lost franchise value resulting from the diesel scandal. The company says talks with the dealers will proceed on final details for a settlement proposal expected in September, which VW says would include “cash payments and provide extra benefits.”
June 15, 2016: Citing the “very technical nature of the proposed settlements in these complicated proceedings,” a U.S. district judge extends the deadline for regulators and Volkswagen plaintiffs to file more specifics on a diesel solution to June 28, one week later than the prior deadline.
July 26, 2016: Federal district court gives preliminary approval to the proposed $14.7 billion settlement. Proprietor notifications will begin instantly and owners can begin the registration process to determine their options and see what the compensation would be for their specific vehicle. The tentative OK also opens a period in which interested parties may raise protestations to the deal. The court sets Oct. Eighteen for a hearing on final approval.
June 28, 2016: Volkswagen, regulators and plaintiffs’ groups announce a settlement of up to $14.7 billion that includes a detailed buyout program aimed at getting eighty five percent of four-cylinder TDI vehicles off the road. The most significant point in the program requires Volkswagen to suggest owners their cars` pre-scandal market values plus compensatory bonuses – a total that ranges from $12,475 to $44,176 per car. The settlement also requires Volkswagen to pay almost $Five billion into two funds to mitigate pollution and invest in environmental technology. The total will cost the automaker up to $14.7 billion, and it doesn’t address the diesel V-6 vehicles involved in the scandal or lodge investor lawsuits, criminal investigations and pending civil penalties. The California court overseeing the settlement sets a preliminary approval hearing for July 26. Pending its approval, the terms of the settlement can begin to play out.
April 22, 2016: In a postponed announcement of its full-year financial results, Volkswagen Group says it will take a 16.Two billion euro loss ($Legitimate.Two billion at current exchange rates) on the diesel crisis, resulting in an after-tax loss of 1.36 billion euros ($1.53 billion) for 2015.
April 21, 2016: Volkswagen, regulators and consumer attorneys present a proposed settlement covering the about 480,000 Two.0-liter VW diesels from two thousand nine through two thousand sixteen model years. Owners could sell back the car or have it immovable, plus get cash compensation. The judge sets June twenty one for a final plan to be made public that also would lodge regulatory penalties and consumer lawsuits. He sets July twenty six for a hearing on final approval. Still unresolved is a proposal for fixing the toughly 80,000 Three.0-liter V-6 Audi, Porsche and VW diesels.
March 26, 2016: The Federal Trade Commission files suit against Volkswagen for deceptive advertising in its former “clean diesel” ad campaigns. The FTC claims VW misled consumers and seeks compensation for anyone who bought or leased a diesel car from the automaker inbetween late two thousand eight and late 2015.
March 24, 2016: The California judge overseeing the lawsuits in the Volkswagen diesel crisis grants an extension until April twenty one to reach an agreement with regulators on how to fix its diesel cars. The judge cites «substantial progress» by VW and regulators toward a solution, according to the automaker.
March 9, 2016: Michael Horn steps down as president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America. Hinrich Woebcken will substitute Horn on an interim basis. Woebcken was recently named the head of the North American Region and chairman of Volkswagen Group of America.
Feb. 25, 2016: A California judge reportedly orders VW to produce a rock-hard response by March twenty four on whether it has an EPA-approved fix for its diesel cars. VW says it’s progressing toward a solution but can’t share details on any settlement discussions by order of the Justice Department.
Jan. 12, 2016: The California Air Resources Board rejects Volkswagen’s proposed fix for its diesel Two.0-liter engines. The details of the proposal are confidential, but CARB says the plan is too unspecific in its technical switches and how they would influence affected cars. The EPA agrees with CARB.
Jan. 11, 2016: Volkswagen announces it is extending its $1,000 goodwill suggest to owners of 2009-16 Touareg SUVs, which have a Three.0-liter diesel V-6 engine. Previously the payment was only available to owners of vehicles with Two.0-liter diesel four-cylinder engines.
Jan. Four, 2016: The Department of Justice sues the Volkswagen Group, including Audi and Porsche, for violations against the Clean Air Act for every U.S. diesel vehicle sold since the two thousand nine model year. Monday’s lawsuit covers some 584,000 vehicles. It’s “an significant step to protect public health,” Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance at EPA, says in a statement. “Recall discussions with the company have not produced an acceptable way forward. These discussions will proceed in parallel with the federal court act.”
Dec. Ten, 2015: In an update on its internal investigation, Volkswagen says it’s uncovered individual misconduct, feeble processes and a culture in some parts of the company that “tolerated breaches of rules.” VW admitted to a “chain of errors” that began once the automaker determined to shove hard for U.S. diesel expansion in two thousand five but found that its early diesel four-cylinders wouldn’t be able to meet U.S. nitrogen oxide emissions targets under existing budgetary and time constraints.
Nov. 9, 2015: Volkswagen issues a “Goodwill Package” to owners of affected Two.0-liter diesel VWs (plus the Audi A3) with a $500 Visa prepaid card, a $500 credit for dealer services or products and a three-year extension on roadside assistance. Owners must register their cars online and visit a dealership once the package arrives in the mail to activate the benefits. VW says that accepting the package does not preclude owners from future compensation or an eventual vehicle fix.
Nov. Trio, 2015: Audi, Volkswagen and Porsche tell dealers to stop selling all six models that the EPA says have defeat devices, plus the Q7 SUV, which also has a Three.0-liter V-6 diesel. It comes even as the automaker voices confusion over the EPA’s conclusions and says its V-6 diesel emissions system is legal.
Nov. Two, 2015: The EPA announces that extra testing has uncovered illegal defeat devices in Volkswagen`s Trio.0-liter V-6 diesel engine as well. Officials issue a notice of disturbance for six more cars: the two thousand fourteen Volkswagen Touareg and two thousand fifteen Porsche Cayenne SUVs, plus the two thousand sixteen Audi A6 and A8 sedans, A7 hatchback and Q5 SUV. (Porsche, like Audi, is a Volkswagen Group brand.) It`s not instantly clear how the disturbance impacts sales of those nameplates, all of which have two thousand sixteen diesel models on sale.
Oct. 8, 2015: President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America Michael Horn shows up before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, withdrawing from emissions-certification consideration suspect two thousand sixteen diesel models; those models cannot be sold until certification is obtained. Horn also outlines a general plan to remedy the crisis, hold responsible parties accountable and guard against future breaches of trust. Horn says he thinks affected owners will still achieve their cars` EPA-rated gas mileage after the fix, but there might be a “slight influence on spectacle.”
Oct. 7, 2015: Volkswagen CEO Matthias Muller in an interview announces plans to launch a recall in January of millions of cars around the world involved in the diesel-emissions scandal, telling that the automaker hopes to have all of the vehicles repaired by the end of 2016. The recall does not pertain to the harshly half-million affected vehicles in the U.S., for which no timeline has yet been announced.
Oct. 6, 2015: Volkswagen Group of America comes back three Cars.com awards for TDI clean-diesel versions of its vehicles. In a letter to Cars.com Editor-in-Chief Patrick Olsen, VW Group of America President and CEO Michael Horn states: “In light of the latest act by EPA concerning our Two.0L TDI vehicles and associated allegations, out of respect for you and your very influential website, we feel it best at this time to come back the two thousand fifteen Best Bet Award” for the Jetta TDI and the Eco-Friendly Car of the Year Awards for the Passat TDI in two thousand twelve and 2015.
Sept. 27, 2015: Volkswagen launches a consumer site, vwdieselinfo.com, with company statements and answers to frequently asked questions.
Sept. 25, 2015: The EPA announces it plans to spot-check other light-duty diesel vehicles for Clean Air Act compliance. The agency is notifying “all automakers that we are stepping up” oversight, an EPA official says.
Matthias Muller is named Volkswagen CEO. Muller says in a press release, “My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group – by leaving no stone unturned and with maximum transparency, as well as drawing the right conclusions from the current situation. Under my leadership, Volkswagen will do everything it can to develop and implement the most stringent compliance and governance standards in our industry.” Muller will remain chairman of Porsche until a successor is found.”
Sept. 23, 2015: Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn resigns, telling in a statement that he’s unaware of any private wrongdoing but accepts responsibility for the crisis. Winterkorn says his resignation clears the way for a “fresh embark” at Volkswagen.
Sept. 22, 2015: VW announces that some eleven million diesel cars worldwide have the same “defeat device” software that evades emissions testing. The automaker says it’s set aside 6.Five billion euros, or $7.Trio billion, to cover the cost of fixing affected cars.
Sept. 21, 2015: VW confirms that it has ordered dealers to stop the sales of all four-cylinder diesel cars, as well as the four-cylinder diesel Audi A3. (Audi is a luxury brand in the Volkswagen Group.) The automaker also confirms a stop-sale order for certified pre-owned cars with the four-cylinder diesel.
Sept. Eighteen, 2015: The EPA concludes that such software constitutes an AECD defeat device, and says that VW has violated the Clean Air Act. The cars in question should not have been EPA-certified, and the Department of Justice can enforce up to $37,500 in civil fines per vehicle. In total, that means VW could face fines ranging up to $Eighteen billion.
Sept. Trio, 2015: VW admits that the cars were “designed and manufactured with a defeat device to bypass, defeat or render inoperative elements of the vehicle’s emission control system,” CARB says.
The software uses “dyno” and “road” calibrations that read when an emissions test is being conducted; when the car is not being tested, the “road” calibration dials back the effectiveness of two types of emissions-treatment systems: nitrogen oxide traps and selective catalytic reduction (a urea solution). When dialed back, the systems permit the engine to emit nitrogen oxide levels that are ten to forty times the allowable amount by the EPA.
July 2015: On July 8, CARB shares its findings with VW. None of the technical issues suggested by the automaker are found to explain CARB’s results. Inbetween July eight and Sept. Three, CARB and the EPA say they will not certify VW’s two thousand sixteen diesel lineup, a necessary step to put those cars on sale. Only then does VW admit to software irregularities. The automaker discloses that the software calibrations in three separate diesel emissions systems had “a 2nd calibration intended to run only during certification testing,” according to CARB.
May 2015: CARB tests the updated emissions on a two thousand twelve Passat TDI, in a lab and on the road. The agency finds some improvement, but not enough.
May 2014: Researchers at West Virginia University and the International Council on Clean Transportation publish findings that find “significantly higher in-use emissions” in a two thousand twelve Jetta TDI and two thousand thirteen Passat TDI, according to the EPA. (Volkswagen markets its diesel cars as TDI.) Volkswagen tells regulators that the differences amount to technical issues and “unexpected” test conditions. Volkswagen sends then-CEO Martin Winterkorn a notice regarding the ICCT testing, but it’s bundled with his weekend memos. It’s unclear how much attention it receives.
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