Settlement terms will be filed with the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas for approval within 30 days.
The automaker is expected to implement a consumer restitution and recall program for more than 475,000 owners and lessees of 2.0-liter diesel vehicles, for 2009 to 2015 model-year vehicles. This includes 13,998 vehicles in Ohio. This consumer restitution and recall program has been submitted today by the parties in the federal court matter for approval.
The agreement is part of a series of state and federal settlements that will provide cash payments to affected consumers, require Volkswagen to buy back or modify certain VW and Audi 2.0-liter diesel vehicles, and prohibit Volkswagen from engaging in future unfair or deceptive acts and practices, DeWine’s statement said.
“Car buyers rely on information they receive from manufacturers, and in this case, that information was a lie,” DeWine said in the statement. “This was a profound breach of trust, and significant penalties are warranted.”
Investigations found that Volkswagen sold more than 570,000 2.0- and 3.0-liter diesel vehicles in the United States equipped with “defeat device” software intended to dodge emissions standards for air pollutants and that it concealed the existence of the defeat device from regulators and the public, the attorney general said.
Details of the restitution program will be available online at VWCourtSettlement.com and www.ftc.gov/VWSettlement.
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