VW, Audi and Porsche Face Buyback or Fix for 85,000 US 3.0 TDI V6 Diesels

Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche were forced to offer buybacks or recall fixes for nearly 85,000 vehicles in the US after regulators confirmed that the 3.0-litre TDI V6 diesel engine used a defeat device to cheat emissions tests. The move followed months of denials and came as the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) expanded their investigation into the Volkswagen Group’s diesel emissions scandal.

Scope of the 3.0 TDI V6 Emissions Scandal

The 3.0-litre V6 TDI engine, used from 2009 to 2016 across several Volkswagen Group brands, was found to contain software that manipulated emissions controls during official testing. After initially denying the presence of any defeat device, Volkswagen and Audi admitted to US authorities in late 2015 that at least 85,000 vehicles were affected. Porsche was also drawn in, as the Cayenne diesel used the same engine. The affected models included the Volkswagen Touareg, Porsche Cayenne, and a range of Audi vehicles such as the Q7, Q5, A6, A7, and A8. The admissions came after the EPA issued a second Notice of Violation, following earlier findings on the Group’s four-cylinder TDI engines.

• 2009–2016 Volkswagen Touareg
• 2013–2016 Porsche Cayenne Diesel
• 2009–2015 Audi Q7
• 2014–2016 Audi A6, A7, A8, Q5

The defeat device software allowed the engine to comply with nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions limits during laboratory testing, but reverted to higher-polluting settings under normal driving. Real-world emissions could be up to 40 times above legal limits. The EPA stated that one of the auxiliary emission control devices, used for temperature conditioning of the exhaust-gas cleaning system, met the legal definition of a defeat device under US law.

Regulatory Response and Settlement Terms

After the discovery, Volkswagen Group issued a stop-sale order for all affected models in the US. The company then entered negotiations with US authorities, leading to a proposed Consent Decree in December 2016. Under the agreement, Volkswagen would buy back or fix up to 83,000 vehicles. For the older generation 1 engines (2009–2012), owners were offered immediate buybacks or lease terminations. For the newer generation 2 engines (2013–2016), Volkswagen could attempt a recall fix, but would have to buy back vehicles if a fix could not be approved by regulators.

The settlement included a $225 million payment to an environmental trust for NOx mitigation and a further $25 million to support zero-emissions vehicles in California. These sums were in addition to the costs of buybacks and repairs, and separate from the $14.7 billion settlement already agreed for the 2.0-litre TDI engines. The agreement required court approval, with the earliest implementation expected in spring 2017.