VW submits fix for 1.6-litre diesel emissions engines
Volkswagen has presented German authorities with a technical solution for 1.6-litre diesel engines affected by emissions software, with approval pending from the KBA.
Volkswagen has presented a technical solution to Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) for its 1.6-litre diesel engines fitted with emissions-cheating software. The fix, which covers around 540,000 vehicles in Germany, was submitted at a meeting with transport ministry officials at VW’s Wolfsburg headquarters.
The KBA is now reviewing whether Volkswagen’s proposed fix meets regulatory requirements. Approval from the authority is necessary before any recall work can begin. The outcome is likely to influence the approach taken by other European countries, as the same solution could be adopted across the region for affected vehicles.
Scope of the recall and technical details
The affected 1.6-litre diesel engines are part of a wider recall involving approximately 3.6 million Volkswagen Group vehicles in Europe. According to statements from German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt, the company must prepare to recall these vehicles for component changes. Volkswagen CEO Matthias Müller has indicated that the fix for the 1.6-litre engines will require replacement of parts such as the injection nozzle and the installation of a larger catalytic converter, rather than a software update alone.
Volkswagen has stated it has found solutions for all engine variants implicated in the diesel emissions issue, except for the 1.2-litre diesel, where a software update is expected to be sufficient. In total, the company estimates that up to 11 million vehicles with 1.2-litre, 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre diesel engines worldwide are affected by the software.
Timeline and implications for owners
Even if the KBA approves the fix promptly, Volkswagen expects that it will take about a year before all affected vehicles can be serviced. This is due to the lead time required for manufacturing and distributing the necessary parts to dealers. The process will involve significant coordination across Volkswagen’s European dealer network and supply chain.
Owners of affected vehicles in Germany and across Europe will be notified once the recall is authorised and parts become available. The scale of the recall and the need for hardware changes mean that the process will be more complex than a typical software update.
The KBA’s decision will set a precedent for other European regulators assessing Volkswagen’s proposed technical solutions. Until approval is granted, the company cannot begin the recall or retrofit programme for the 1.6-litre diesel engines.
