Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) has decided that Volkswagen should recall a total of approximately 8.5 million vehicles in Europe (EU28 markets). This includes some 2.4 million vehicles in Germany with the EA 189 diesel engines with the software defeat device. The current successor generation of EA 288 diesel engines (in use since 2012) is not affected.
Work on the technical solutions detailed in the plan of measures is currently proceeding at full speed, according to VW. Remedial action on the vehicles will begin in January 2016 at no cost to customers. The technical solutions may involve software as well as hardware measures; these are currently being developed for each affected model year.
Volkswagen said that it welcomed the swift decision by the KBA to implement the timetable and plan of measures it submitted last week by issuing the recall. This decision, the company said, gives customers clarity with regard to the continued unrestricted use of the vehicles.
Outside the EU28, each individual country will clarify in detail which emissions classes of the EA 189 engine are in fact affected.
Volkswagen will contact customers and inform them directly. In addition, every Volkswagen customer, can visit the German website www.volkswagen.de/info set up on October 2, 2015 and enter the chassis number of their vehicle to find out if they are affected. Similar customer websites are active in the other EU countries and for the Audi, SEAT and ŠKODA brands.
