Volkswagen begins diesel emissions recall

VOLKSWAGEN Group Australia (VGA) has kicked off the recall for vehicles impacted by the diesel emissions cheating scandal that started to unfold last year, with the Amarok pick-up the first model to be called back in for a fix.

The German car-maker's Australian arm said 8694 Amaroks were impacted by what it termed, “the global emissions matter”, while other affected models would follow in the coming months.

The fix involves a software upgrade at a Volkswagen dealer that should take no longer than half an hour. Owners will not be charged for the fix.

VGA said it sent an email to impacted customers this morning and that they would receive a letter inviting them to make an appointment with their dealer.

Customers are asked to wait until they have received their letter before booking an appointment.

“Volkswagen Group Australia assures its customers that the implementation of the measure does not lead to a deterioration of the fuel consumption, CO2 emissions, engine performance, torque and vehicle acoustics and all vehicle values related to type approval remain unchanged and continue to outperform the minimum emissions requirements of both Euro 4 and Euro 5 standards,” the company said in a statement.

Further recalls involving other models powered by the EA189 2.0-litre diesel engines will continue “throughout the year” model by model, while vehicles using the 1.6-litre unit that are also scooped up will be recalled later in the year, according to VGA.

The car-maker said that it was working closely with its dealer network to ensure the issue is resolved as “quickly and efficiently as possible”, and that customers who are unsure whether their vehicle is affected could input their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) into a search box on the VW or Skoda Australia consumer website.

The German automotive giant was caught out in September last year when it was discovered that it had used a cheat device on some of its diesel engines that can detect when a vehicle is under test conditions and emit lower nitrogen oxide emissions. When not under test conditions, the engine emits significantly higher emissions.

About 11 million vehicles are impacted globally, including models from the Volkswagen, Skoda, Seat and Audi brands.