CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia is among the states now suing Volkswagen after allegations that the company cheated on U.S. emissions test to manufacture, advertise and sell so-called clean diesel vehicles that were not.
The lawsuit state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey filed in Kanawha County Circuit Court alleged Volkswagen violated the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act.
“West Virginia consumers responded to Volkswagen’s advertising by purchasing TDI clean diesel models, expecting that their vehicles would be environmentally friendly, fuel efficient, and high performance as advertised,” Morrisey said.
Daniel Carden, a West Virginia University researcher, lead a WVU research team that determined that was not the case.
Road testing of Volkswagen vehicles showed certain vehicles were releasing more emissions than those tested for certification in a lab setting, according to Carden’s team.
Those findings were turned over to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The EPA has said the affected diesel models included the 2009-2015 VW Jetta; 2009-2015 VW Golf, 2009-2015 VW Beetle, 2014-2015 VW Passat and 2009-2015 Audi A3.
The West Virginia lawsuit seeks civil penalties of $5,000 per violation along with investigation and court costs. Additionally, the lawsuit is asking for reimbursement for West Virginia consumers who spent more for fuel to run their clean diesel vehicles.
The full complaint is posted here.
Affected residents can call the Eastern Panhandle Consumer Protection Office in Martinsburg at 304-267-0239 or the Attorney General’s Office Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-368-8808. Complaints can also be filed online.