SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) — The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken action against Volkswagen Group of America Inc., charging it with allegedly deceiving consumers through its advertising campaigns.
According to the FTC, Volkswagen alleged its cars were “clean diesel” vehicles for years, yet purportedly rigged the cars with devices that only made it seem that way. These devices would allegedly mask high emissions during government tests.
“For years Volkswagen’s ads touted the company’s ‘clean diesel’ cars even though it now appears Volkswagen rigged the cars with devices designed to defeat emissions tests,” said FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez. “Our lawsuit seeks compensation for the consumers who bought affected cars based on Volkswagen’s deceptive and unfair practices.”
The FTC believes more than 550,000 diesel vehicles were sold or leased from 2008 to late 2015 based on false claims about low-emission. The vehicles averaged about $28,000 in sales price.
The FTC seeks a court order that would require Volkswagen to compensate U.S. consumers who bought or leased its vehicles during the period of alleged false advertising.