— A Porsche fuel economy settlement has been reached to reimburse customers of about 500,000 Porsche vehicles that allegedly were marketed and sold in the U.S. based on false data.
The case is associated with Volkswagen's emission scandal, with the Porsche model years covering 15 years, from 2005 to 2020.
According to the class action lawsuit, Porsche is accused of tampering with the gears that connect the rear axle and driveshaft. Volkswagen also used software to ensure the Porsche vehicles passed official federal emissions tests.
But according to the class action, this may have made the vehicles legal during testing, but Porsche owners paid in the long run to drive vehicles that didn't receive the advertised estimated fuel economy.
The plaintiffs claim the Porsche window stickers (Monroney labels) were falsified to fool owners into believing their vehicles received up to two miles per gallon more than they did.
Additionally, the plaintiffs claim they have been driving Porsche vehicles that emitted more harmful emissions than advertised.
The Porsche fuel economy settlement isn't final, but the current agreement has each affected customer receiving about $250 to $1,100 per vehicle.
The Porsche settlement further explains vehicles equipped with Sport+ mode may be eligible for an extra $250 payment after customers follow the rules and have the vehicles worked on at dealerships. Porsche dealers will need to update software related to the emissions systems before owners are eligible for the $250.
In October 2020, Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) opened a Porsche investigation into the emissions systems of gas-powered Porsche 911 and Porsche Panamera cars built before 2017.
It was Porsche that tipped off German regulators after the automaker saw problems with hardware and software that was part of certification testing. As alleged in the class action lawsuit, the vehicle software and hardware used during testing was not the same components used during routine driving.
The case, In re: Volkswagen "Clean Diesel" Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division.
