United States Approves Fix for 38,000 Volkswagen Group 3.0-liter Diesel SUVs

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency announced it had approved a fix for the remaining 38,000 Volkswagen Group vehicles equipped with emissions-cheating 3.0-liter diesel engines. That’s potentially very good news for Volkswagen, as it’s a decision that could save the company a truckload of cash.

In May, VW agreed to spend over $1.22 billion to repair or buy back nearly 80,000 vehicles with 3.0-liter engines as part of its “dieselgate” settlement. The manufacturer was also obliged to pay owners of fixed units between $8,500 and $17,000. However, there was an additional fine of $4.04 billion if the EPA and California Air Resources Board were unwilling to approve repairs on all 3.0-liter vehicles.

With a fix now in place for 38,000 Porsche Cayenne, Volkswagen Touareg, and Audi Q7 SUVs, the company may have just saved itself a over a billion dollars.

According to Reuters, which broke the news even before the EPA, Volkswagen has stated it is pleased with the approval and will continue working with regulators to develop fixes for remaining vehicles “as quickly as possible.”

All in, Volkswagen Group has acquiesced to spend up to $25 billion in the United States to manage claims from owners, states, dealers, and regulatory fines resulting from its diesel emissions scandal.

The Porsche and Volkswagen vehicles involved in this fix were built from the 2013 to 2015 model years. Affected Audi vehicles were produced from 2013-2016.

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • B534202 B534202 on Oct 23, 2017

    Sorry V6 owners looking forward to a buyback!

    • Rocket Rocket on Oct 23, 2017

      Only Gen 2 3.0 owners, of which I am one. Gen 1's received a very generous buyback. I've been held hostage to my Touareg TDI since the news broke. Once repaired, unclear when that will be, I'll finally be able to move on. Unfortunately, TDI's are toxic as far as dealer are concerned, so I'm fully expecting to get screwed one more time before I can put this all behind me.

  • Thalter Thalter on Oct 23, 2017

    My understanding is that the main problem with the V6 engines is that the urea tank is undersized, so as not to impact the available storage space in the trunk. As as result of the undersized tank, the computer was programmed to be overly stingy with the DEF so that refills could coincide with oil changes and be handled by the dealership. I would expect this to be an easy software fix. Owners may have to add DEF more frequently as a result, however. I suspect that the long delay was probably just in getting the fix approved.

    • Rocket Rocket on Oct 24, 2017

      Gen 2.1 engines require new hardware, too.

  • Amca Amca on Oct 25, 2017

    Fine, I'll drive my A8 TDI into the ground. Wonderful car, shockingly economical. And I'm not so sure there's a limited resale market. Both Audi and Porsche dealers have told me that they'd love to get back to selling TDIs. People ask for them all the time, I'm told. They just can't supply them. What's really going to kill the diesel jones is gas cars with 48V hybrid systems that'll get them most of the way to diesel efficiency.

  • TrailerTrash TrailerTrash on Oct 25, 2017

    no word on the performance or mpg after the fix?

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