The car manufacturer has become embroiled in one of the biggest industry scandals in living memory after it was revealed earlier this week that about 11 million of its cars worldwide were affected by the scam.
Billions have been wiped off the company’s value and VW have set aside around £4.8 billion to correct emission ‘discrepancies’ and pay potential fines from regulators and legal claims from customers or rival firms.
Now Jersey law firm Hanson Renouf have said Islanders who drive vehicles affected by the scandal could take legal action against the company in the form of a ‘class-action’ – a lawsuit where a group of people are represented collectively by a member of that group.
VW’s diesel models under investigation include the Golf, Passat, Beetle and Jetta, though more may be affected. Some British law firms have said they have been ‘inundated’ with calls from concerned car owners and predicted the biggest-ever UK ‘class-action’ against the VW.
Adovcate Jean-Marie Renouf said Islanders would have up to ten years to make a claim against the company.
He said: ‘If a vehicle was bought after 1 September 2009 the Supply of Goods and Services (Jersey) Law 2009 would apply. A claim would have to show that the vehicle was not of satisfactory quality. It depends on the description given of the goods, in other words the car, which could include things said in public statements, in adverts or in labelling. So if they have made claims in adverts that would apply.’
According to figures released to the JEP from DVS as of September last year, VW was the third most popular car manufacturer in Jersey.
Thousands of cars in the US have been recalled by the manufacturer. VW’s British operation said it had received no instructions from their headquarters in Wolfsburg over whether there would be recalls in Europe of cars to adjust those whose nitrogen oxide levels are above the permitted 180mg/km.
Advocate Renouf added that they would welcome contact from concerned motorists and they had specialists in consumer law who could advise.
Trading Standards have said they are aware of the situation and are advising Islanders to ‘keep a watching brief and carry on driving your vehicles as normal’.
They added that they feel it is ‘premature’ for Islanders to consider compensation action.
A spokeswoman said: ‘If a recall is issued on specific models, owners will be notified. If you purchased your vehicle second-hand or you have changed address and not notified the dealership, you will need to keep an eye out for any announcements.’
Trading Standards will also post details on the gov.je website.
Consumers with any concerns can also contact Trading Standards on 448160 or VW’s customer services on Volkswagen Customer Services on 0800 333666.
