VW in the Hot Seat... Again
In May of this year, a class action lawsuit against Volkswagen/Audi rolled in with an allegation that VW “intentionally concealed a defect in the timing chain tensioning system” of certain 2008 through 2013 model vehicles."
This was not the first issue with defects and allegations of intentional concealment of the aforementioned defects- and it wouldn't be the last. VW proposed a settlement to this class action later in May, to be followed with another suit filed in June having similar claims. (information gathered from Cleveland.com, Zimand et al. v. Volkswagen, Pacer) Already wrapped up in scandal involving emissions issues starting in 2015 that would be dubbed "dieselgate", a scandal that would land the troubled company's former CEO, Martin Winkeltorn in prison for his role in the fraudulent behavior of VW/Audi. Volkswagen Group of America's now former CEO, Michael Horn is quoted as by the LA Times as saying- " "We've totally screwed up." Horn added, "Our company was dishonest with the EPA, and the California Air Resources Board and with all of you. And then, Horn resigned his role as CEO in 2016. The dishonesty he was referring to was the discovery that VW/Audi had installed emissions defeating devices in their vehicles to cheat emissions tests. Suffice it to say, these allegations would later become charges, and lo, jail sentences are being doled out.
His admission of this "dishonesty" is proving to have traveled through to almost every part of Volkswagen, as this pending claim outlines that "dealerships are directed, trained, coached and encouraged to deny or charge for warranty work or claims that would otherwise be of no charge to a consumer". We know VW has a history of the same behavior with emissions, it isn't a far stretch to think that the same behaviors or "shadow policies" would be implemented through the recall and warranty departments as well. Now, it seems there is another storm brewing on the horizon. In a yet-to-be-filed complaint against VW USA, the complainant alleges that his 2006 Volkswagen began to smell of gasoline and the smell grew stronger over time. The plaintiff initially dismissed the smell, thinking that he was perhaps smelling gasoline from what he called "lawn moving season". Shortly after, he received a safety recall notice about a faulty and leaky fuel pump. Following the directions provided by the recall hotline, he had the vehicle serviced. The plaintiff had not made it more than 8 miles away from the dealership before his vehicle completely broke down. He alleges that VW told him he would have to pay out of pocket to have it towed in. The tow in turned in to a tow out- as VW allegedly denied him any further service. The vehicle in question was taken to a reputable mechanic who immediately recognized a "tar-like substance" patched over the fuel pump. Needless to say, this was not the proper repair.
The plaintiff endured many expenses after that, with VW assuring him that he would be reimbursed through the recall hotline. Once the man's hard-earned money was spent, however, he claims he was told there was no process in place for a reimbursement. Simply put, he states that they washed their hands of him and their responsibility to repair his, and potentially millions of other vehicles. In a time where a company like Volkswagen cannot handle yet another allegation, the plaintiff is preparing to bring another proposed class action against VW. The complaint outlines allegations of fraud, unjust enrichment, and breach of implied warranty to name just a few. Pirl Consumer Protection agency is looking for anyone who owns/owned a VW vehicle that has had a recall, paid any expense related to a recall or warranty repair that should have been covered. Even a simple towing expense could qualify you to join in the mass action forming against the alleged deceptive practice against VW. Please click HERE to go to Pirl's advocacy page to tell them what happened. Real human beings are there to answer your questions and there is no cost to you, the consumer.