Owners who refuse to undertake VW’s emissions “fix” software update in Germany are to be deregistered, according to new reports.
The German automaker who are denying liability for wrongdoing in Europe has recalled approximately 11 million vehicles worldwide… VW, Audi, SEAT and Skoda models with 1.2, 1.6 and 2.0 EA 189 diesel engines manufactured between 2009 and 2015.
The emissions “fix” is there to apparently resolve the crisis. Now, fresh reports state that those affected owners who refuse it are to be deregistered.
Why deregister owners?
VW seems to be playing an underhand tactic that bars vehicle owners from getting the “fix” in the future if they’ve refused the “fix” now.
According to Germany’s KBA motor vehicle watchdog, vehicle owners who refuse the “fix” will have their vehicles deregistered.
The automaker hasn’t provided further guidance on what they mean by deregistered, but it doesn’t sound very good at all…
The recall progress
This September will mark the 2nd anniversary of the emissions scandal. It’s safe to say there has been slow progress in resolving the crisis to date.
In December 2016, the KBA watchdog approved VW’s plan to fix the 8.5 million vehicles in Europe. Two years on, some 5.5 million of the 8.5 million affected vehicles in Europe have been “fixed”.
VW hasn’t imposed a deadline of when U.K. vehicles should be fixed but ‘hopes to have most of them done by the autumn’. As of March this year, VW said they had fixed approximately half of the 1.2 million affected vehicles. To say that VW is the second largest seller in the U.K., I’m surprised as to why VW hasn’t done more to rectify the situation and provide real redress to affected vehicle owners.
In a response to mounting regulatory pressure, VW’s U.K. managing director, Paul Willis, stated
“…we have implemented the technical measures in more than 540,000 U.K. vehicles.”
Links between the “fix” and adverse effects
Many vehicle owners have reported adverse effects following the emissions “fix”. Mr Willis denied that any changes made by the emissions “fix” had affected the performance of the vehicles. He states:
“The technical measures have been rigorously tested and the relevant authorities have confirmed that there is no adverse impact on the vehicles’ MPG, CO2 emissions, engine output torque and noise emissions.”
There’s yet to be any solid independent research to confirm Mr Willis’ statement.
The fear of undertaking the “fix” has been rife worldwide. Many affected vehicle owners don’t want their vehicles to be “fixed” in order for them to be compliant with emissions standards as this may have adverse effects such as reduced performance of the vehicle and reduced fuel economy.
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