Sheffield Lawyer Continues To Pursue Legal Case Against VW On Behalf Of 1,400 Drivers

9th November 2015

Specialist Says Full Scale Of Issue Must Be Examined A Yorkshire-lawyer who is pursuing the possibility of taking legal action against Volkswagen (VW) on behalf of 1,400 drivers, has expressed his concern and surprise about the lack of information that the car manufacturer has provided since the emissions scandal was exposed in September.

According to Dan Brumpton at the Sheffield office of Irwin Mitchell, much more needs to be done to help those who are affected and VW's ultimate priority must be a thorough examination to reveal the full scale of the issue. His firm continues to be contacted each week by hundreds of people who are concerned and interested in their legal position and he says he expects the number to keep rising as revelations about the car company continue to emerge. Earlier this year, VW admitted installing software designed to cheat diesel emissions tests in 11 million vehicles worldwide. In the UK, VW is preparing to recall almost 1.2 million vehicles including over 500,000 cars and 80,000 commercial vans. 390,000 Audis, 132,000 Skodas and 77,000 Seats will also be included. In the latest twist, VW has reported that -irregularities have been identified in carbon emissions levels, with the issue believed to relate to how such emissions and fuel consumption were measured during the approval process for some models. It is believed that 800,000 cars across several brands, including VW, Audi, Skoda and Seat, could be affected in Europe. Both petrol and diesel models have been implicated. The latest news comes after reports in the US suggested a growing number of vehicles may be affected by the original issues identified in relation to diesel emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stated that 3.0 litre engine-vehicles from 2014 to 2016 were also affected by the software issue which is behind the diesel scandal. Porsche, Audi and VW cars are all thought to be affected. VW has stated it is co-operating with the EPA on the ongoing investigation, while Porsche stated it was -surprised by the allegations. Daniel Brumpton, Partner at Irwin Mitchell in Sheffield, said: -It is clearly very concerning to see reports that even more vehicles than first thought could be affected by this issue, with new information also emerging regarding the testing of carbon dioxide emissions. The ultimate priority at present must be to further examine all of the findings and to attempt to determine the scale of this scandal. -We have been approached by more than 1,400 people who believe they may have been affected by the diesel emissions scandal and all are keen for more information regarding what this means for them. -From a legal perspective, our key concern is that consumers may have paid a premium for a car because of not only its green credentials and/or fuel economy statistics, but also because of the reliance and trust placed by consumers on the quality and reliability of what has always previously been branded a quality marque. If that is the case, they may be entitled to damages for the reduction in value and for other financial losses which could be incurred by these problems. -Everything possible must be done to ensure swift answers are provided regarding this issue, as well as reassurances that drivers will not face similar problems again in the future. We would urge anyone who believes they are affected to seek advice on their rights." For more information and to register for updates and advice from our legal experts on the issue, visit our specialist page.