class action suits, sue vw and vw jetta

[buzz2400]

I own one of the vw's that come under the emission problem. I have gotten two letters from attorneys stating they could help me if I decide to sue. One is in CA and one is in CT (which I live). So my question to everyone out there who knows about class action suits, should I bother calling these attorneys, if so which one (local or non local). Isn't it usually just one law firm that does a class action suit. Should I just wait until a big class action suit comes up.

 

[lustergirl]

Unless some was injured/passed away because of this safety recall I wouldn't do a thing.

 

[usnuzuloose]

What are they suing for? Is it parts problems? Recalls? For me it would all depend on the issue.

 

[seashoreCM]

I would hold off on getting involved with individual attorneys that contact you out of the wild blue yonder.

You will need to do some homework to find out whether these attorneys can and will do something useful for you.

And no rush to do the homework ergo you should feel free to hold off for now.

In the meantime you may hear news reports or word of mouth reports about good approaches to take regarding the problem.

Will your state allow you to keep driving the car with no emissions fix even if the emissions test machines at the inspection station get modified so your cheating car no longer passes that part of the inspection?

 

[tvguy]

The reality is, this could bankrupt VW, so even if you join a suit, and win, you won't get a dime.

 

[kilroy1966]

I signed up with the Pulaski law firm from Houston.

 

[kilroy1966]

I signed up with the Pulaski law firm from Houston. I have a Passat TDI.

 

[5kidsmommy]

We have a 2014 Passat TDI, in a class action we would get very little. The thing that sucks is our vehicle lost a huge chunk of it's value overnight due to outright fraud from VW. We are trying to decide what to do, we have also received several letters. We love our car, we love the gas mileage, but I don't know if I would love it so much if the mileage was cut in half.

Are you planning on taking the new deal from them $500 VISA gift card, $500 VW gift card? It is supposedly available with no strings attached.

 

[MillauFr]

Why wouldn't you just continue to drive the car until it is almost worth nothing regardless of the emissions problem?

 

[cvjw]

Clark Howard just posted about this issue on Facebook:

Accepting money from Volkswagen for the emissions cheating scandal could prohibit you from suing the company down the road! Here's what you need to know: http://bit.ly/1NrCrWv

If you accept the money from Volkswagen, it could hurt you later.

 

[5kidsmommy]

Why wouldn't you just continue to drive the car until it is almost worth nothing regardless of the emissions problem?

Because most likely they are going to force a recall and not allow for cars to be registered unless they have the emissions issues corrected. We specifically bought this car for the gas mileage. My husband drive 30,000 miles a year. If they cut our gas mileage in half that is a huge deal to us. So driving it until it's worth nothing would cost us a lot. Plus let's be honest, we could have gotten a cheaper car had we known the fuel economy was bogus.

 

[MillauFr]

Because most likely they are going to force a recall and not allow for cars to be registered unless they have the emissions issues corrected. We specifically bought this car for the gas mileage. My husband drive 30,000 miles a year. If they cut our gas mileage in half that is a huge deal to us. So driving it until it's worth nothing would cost us a lot. Plus let's be honest, we could have gotten a cheaper car had we known the fuel economy was bogus.

If there is a recall VW will pay for fixing the car. Second how would the car produce less emissions if it burns more diesel?

 

[5kidsmommy]

If there is a recall VW will pay for fixing the car. Second how would the car produce less emissions if it burns more diesel?

From my understanding the changes would mean that it the mpg would go down, so instead of getting 40-45, the cars will be less efficient. And yes I know VW would pay for the recall, I'm not worried about that.

 

[Arielle22]

I would wait and see how the lawsuit plays out. If a class action claim is certified by the courts, all those affected (the owners) will receive information in the mail about joining.

I don't actually think those who join the lawsuit will receive much. When has anyone heard of claimants in class action getting thousands of dollars? Not to mention I am sure VW would argue that cars that are 10 years old have minimum value so the recovery for owners of older cars should be minimum.

 

[havaneselover]

I would wait and see how the lawsuit plays out. If a class action claim is certified by the courts, all those affected (the owners) will receive information in the mail about joining.

I don't actually think those who join the lawsuit will receive much. When has anyone heard of claimants in class action getting thousands of dollars? Not to mention I am sure VW would argue that cars that are 10 years old have minimum value so the recovery for owners of older cars should be minimum.

Agreed. Class action lawsuits make some lawyers rich. I would not be in a hurry to do anything. I don't see how VW survives this. And I would definitely be upset if I had been duped by them.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I am disappointed about this development, being a VW owner for the last 15 years. My car is a gas model and is not affected by the current issues. But DH is planning to buy a new car next year. Before this revelation, DH was planning to get the Golf Sportwagen (gas model) and that hasn't changed at all.

I believe VW will survive this just fine. GM lied about their cars and those lies actually resulted in many deaths, but GM is still around. A gas emissions scandal is not going to kill the largest car company in the world.

 

[buzz2400]

thanks for the link from clark howard. The news I read was that the money was free and we would still be able to sue. I am just mad that we paid extra money for a fuel efficient car and probably after they fix the problem, it won't be so fuel efficient. So its not about the car depreciating in value, it is the money I will lose on gas especially when diesel is more than regular gas.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

By the time any class action suit is settled, individuals would likely get very little and your car will be in the junkyard.

 

[havaneselover]

I am disappointed about this development, being a VW owner for the last 15 years. My car is a gas model and is not affected by the current issues. But DH is planning to buy a new car next year. Before this revelation, DH was planning to get the Golf Sportwagen (gas model) and that hasn't changed at all.

I believe VW will survive this just fine. GM lied about their cars and those lies actually resulted in many deaths, but GM is still around. A gas emissions scandal is not going to kill the largest car company in the world.

GM's current market cap is $55 billion. There were 124 deaths linked to the ignition problem. It's tragic but not going to put much of a dent in their market cap. VW's market cap is $52 billion. There are 11 million vehicles affected worldwide. Even if they spend $1000 per vehicle they are out $11 billion. Maybe it's already priced in to their current market cap. Anyway, I wouldn't buy one now but I really wasn't likely to buy one before I understood how unethical their management was.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

GM recalled 30 million vehicles at a cost of $4.1 billion dollars. Plus there is victim compensation through an ongoing fund to pay victim's families and those injured but not killed by the ignition switch problems. GM weathered the storm, VW will as well.

Many people continued to purchase GM cars even knowing that top management knew about the deaths linked to ignition switch defects and did nothing for years. How unethical is GM's management? I hope you don't own one of their vehicles either, given your strong feelings of morality. But in the end, the loss of human life, unethical behavior of GM and potential future injury to individuals didn't stop people from purchasing GM's cars, I doubt in the end it will hurt VW too much to have an emissions scandal. If anything, VW might come out better, given that they have more diversity in their auto group. They don't just own VW, but also Audi, SEAT, Skoda, Bentley, Bugatti, Porsche, Lamborghini, Scania and a few others.