San Diego, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/04/2015 -- An investigation for owners of diesel Volkswagen 2016 VW Jetta, Beetle, Golf, and Passat was announced. In late September the U.S Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") issued a notice of violation of the Clean Air Act ("CAA") to automakers Volkswagen AG and Audi AG and Volkswagen Group of America ("VW")alleging that certain four-cylinder Volkswagen and Audi diesel cars from model years 2009-2015 include software that circumvents EPA emissions standards for certain air pollutants. Since then over 400 lawsuits by consumers were filed in the U.S. Initially it was reported that 11 million diesel cars from 2009 to 2015 could be affected. However, on October 14, 2015, it was reported that certain 2016 diesel models could be affected by an additional suspect software. The software at issue makes a pollution-control catalyst heat up faster, improving performance of the device that separates smog-causing nitrogen oxide into harmless nitrogen and oxygen gases.

Consumers who own or lease a diesel 2016 Volkswagen Jetta, Bettle, Golf or Passat, you have certain options and you should contact the Shareholders Foundation at mail@shareholdersfoundation.com or call 858-779-1554.

The investigation by a law firm focuses on possible claims on behalf of owners of affected diesel models from automakers Volkswagen AG and Audi AG. The investigation concerns whether Volkswagen AG and Audi AG and Volkswagen Group of America violated consumer laws.

The notice of violations by the EPA stated that the EPA has determined that VW manufactured and installed defeat devices in certain model year 2009 through 2015 diesel light-duty vehicles equipped with 2.0 liter engines and that these devices bypass, defeat, or render inoperative elements of the vehicles' emission control system that exist to company with CAA emission standards. More specifically the EPA claims that VW manufactured and installed software in the electronic control module of the affected vehicles that sensed when the vehicle was being tested for compliance with EPA emission standards. The EPA said that the software senses whether the vehicle is being tested or not based on various inputs including the position of the steering wheel, vehicle speed, the duration of the engine's operation and barometric pressure and that these inputs precisely track the parameters of the federal test procedure used for emission testing for EPA certification purposes. The EPA alleges that during EPA emission testing, the vehicles' emission control module ran software which produced compliant emission results under an emission control module calibration that VW referred to as the dyno calibration and that at all other times during normal vehicle operation the software was active and the vehicle emission control module software ran a separate "road calibration" which reduced the effectiveness of the emission control system and that as a result, emissions of NOx increased by a factor of 10 to 40 times above the EPA compliant levels, depending on the type of drive cycle.

The EPA says that VWW knew or should have known that its "road calibration" and software together bypass, defeat, or render inoperative elements of the vehicle design related to compliance with the CAA emission standards and that this is apparent given the design of these defeat devices. TheEPA said it is continuing its investigation and it may find additional violations as the investigation continues.

The New York times reported that the Obama administration ordered VW to recall nearly half a million cars from the road. U.S. authorities reportedly could fine the Company $37,500 per vehicle, and with 482,000 vehicles as part of the investigation, the total fine could be $18 billion.

The California Air Resources Board also sent a letter to VW stating that it is investigating all model-year 2009 through 2015 light-duty diesel vehicles equipped with 2.0 liter engines.

On October 14, 2015, it was reported that U.S. authorities are looking into an additional software that makes a pollution-control catalyst heat up faster, improving performance of the device that separates smog-causing nitrogen oxide into harmless nitrogen and oxygen gases. If a separate device was included in the redesigned 2016 cars could suggest a multi-year effort by Volkswagen to influence emissions tests even after regulators began pressing Volkswagen in 2013 about irregularities with the emissions produced by the older cars.

Those who own or lease any of the affected diesel models have certain options and should contact the Shareholders Foundation.

Contact:
Shareholders Foundation, Inc.
Michael Daniels
3111 Camino Del Rio North - Suite 423
92108 San Diego
Phone: +1-(858)-779-1554
Fax: +1-(858)-605-5739
mail@shareholdersfoundation.com