The California Air Resources Board has rejected a Volkswagen Group proposal for repairing emissions control and defeat devices on 3.0-liter diesel passenger cars made from 2009-2016. This decision affects about 16,000 3.0-liter diesel Volkswagens, Audis and Porsches sold in California.
CARB determined that the recall plans submitted were incomplete and that continued ongoing technical discussions will be required to find a legally acceptable resolution. CARB says that the following points were failures in the VW proposal:
- Adequately describe the nonconformities and undisclosed AECDs/defeat devices;
- Sufficiently describe the remedial procedure;
- Specify the system by which VW will ensure the availability of sufficient repair parts;
- Describe the impact of proposed fixes on fuel economy, drivability, performance and safety;
- Describe the impact of repairs on emissions, particularly average noncompliance emission levels, average emission reductions per pollutant, and an average emission level after proposed fixes;
- Demonstrate how the proposed fixes are designed to correct the nonconformities;
- Provide onboard diagnostic system demonstration data;
- Demonstrate how the plan is designed to correct the nonconformities in an expeditious manner; and
- Provide sufficient detail for ARB to evaluate the feasibility and success of the proposed plan.