Time running out for VW, Audi diesel owners to cash in
Most have chosen to go the vehicle buyback route
Owners of Volkswagen and Audi diesel cars rigged with software that causes them to pollute have less than two months left to request compensation as part of a sweeping settlement.
About 95 percent of owners of the 2liter diesel cars included in the first major VW settlement have filed claims to qualify for the program since the deal was approved by a federal judge in October 2016, lead plaintiffs attorney Elizabeth Cabraser said.
About 475,000 cars were eligible for the deal – and more than 86 percent of the claims have already been successfully processed. The deal was announced in June 2016.
“The great news is by far the majority of these cars are off the roads,” Cabraser said. “They’re not polluting, they’re parked, they can’t be sold without being fixed.”
VW owners who had their vehicles when the scandal erupted in September 2015 have two options. They are generally eligible for a vehicle buyback ranging in value from $12,500 to $44,000. Or they can get their car fixed to make it legal and receive a payout ranging from about $5,000 to $10,000.
VW agreed to the deal after apologizing for rigging up to 11 million vehicles worldwide with software to cheat emissions tests. Some cars fitted with the software are polluting at rates of up to
40 times U.S. standards.
The scandal has cost VW some $30 billion in settlements and penalties, as well as criminal charges for multiple executives, including former CEO Martin Winterkorn.
This particular settlement – the largest deal of all – is worth up to about $10 billion for consumers.
The deadline for filing a claim is Sept.
1. Owners should visit VWCourtSettlement.com or call 1-844-98-CLAIM to get started.
Most vehicle owners have chosen the vehicle buyback, which was enticing in part because it valued the vehicles at their pre-scandal worth, even if they’ve been driving it ever since.
Of claims already processed, more than 355,000 have chosen the buyback and more than 57,000 have chosen the repair and compensation, Cabraser said. Eligible vehicles are diesel versions of the 2013 to 2015 Beetle, 2010 to
2015 Golf, 2009 to 2015 Jetta, 2012 to
2015 Passat and both the 2010 to 2013 and 2015 Audi A3.
While the deadline for filing a claim is Sept. 1, Cabraser recommended that owners begin the process by Aug. 1 to ensure they have time to sort through any potential complications, such as a lack of paperwork. They’ll also have more time to complete the buyback or fix, which must be done by the end of the year.
Owners who haven’t yet filed a claim will receive direct notice by mail or email with all the details.
“In any settlement program, there’s a last-minute spike,” Cabraser said.
Although Volkswagen has faced considerable criticism for the pollution it caused, the company has been “cooperative and proactive” during the settlement process, Cabraser said.
Volkswagen spokesman Mike Tolbert confirmed that the company had “already reacquired or modified” more than 85 percent of the 2-liter diesel cars. “And we have posted a special notice on the program website alerting remaining eligible consumers to the September 1 deadline for filing a completed claim,” Tolbert said in an email.
VW also agreed to a separate settlement with owners of 3-liter diesel vehicles, including certain Audi and Porsche models, to buy back 20,000 of those vehicles and repair 63,000.
In that settlement, there are two deadlines:
❚ June 1, 2019 for the 2009 to 2012 VW Touareg and 2009 to 2012 Audi Q7.
❚ Dec. 31, 2019 for the 2013 to 2016 VW Touareg, 2013 to 2015 Audi Q7, 2014 to
2016 Audi A6, 2014 to 2016 Audi A7, 2014 to 2016 Audi A8 and A8L, 2014 to 2016 Audi Q5 and 2013 to 2016 Porsche Cayenne.