Volkswagen to recall 8.5 million diesel cars in Europe

The Volkswagen Group is all set to issue a recall for a total of around 8.5 million diesel vehicles in Europe, according to a report by Automotive News Europe. As one might already know, the recall involves vehicles fitted with a “defeat device” that allowed the marque to effectively cheat its way through emissions tests – the uncovering of said move has led to the now infamous ‘Dieselgate‘ scandal.

Said recall was the result of a decision made by Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) after the body rejected proposals made by Volkswagen for voluntary repairs. In a statement issued by the German carmaker, it confirmed that it will be directly contacting owners with vehicles equipped with the EA 189 diesel engine. Of the 8.5 million vehicles affected, it is believed that 2.4 million are based in Germany alone.

On the plus side, the marque has confirmed that vehicles powered by the EA 288 diesel engine are not affected. While specifics as to how Volkswagen will rectify the issue remain relatively unknown, it is stated that some vehicles can be fixed with a software patch while several others may require hardware changes.

Volkswagen has also confirmed that it will present the solutions to the relevant authorities by mid-November 2015. Following that, the recall is slated to begin in January 2016 with some of the more complex hardware-related solutions due out in September 2016.

The marque will begin contacting owners “over the next few weeks” and has also assured them that they “now have clarity with regard to the continued unrestricted use of the vehicles.” Volkswagen further confirmed that all of the affected vehicles are indeed “technically safe and roadworthy.”

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