Volkswagen's European Diesel Recall Grinds to a Halt, Post-Fix Mileage Blamed

Volkswagen’s slow roll-out of fixes for recalled diesel vehicles in Europe has hit a snag.

Authorities in Europe have put the brakes on a series of Volkswagen recalls after greater fuel consumption was allegedly recorded in models that have undergone the diesel emissions fix, Automotive News Europe is reporting.

Reports say that fuel economy suffered after the fix, forcing Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) to halt the repairs of 2.0-liter Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda models.

Volkswagen is denying the delay has to to with a jump in fuel consumption. A spokesman for the automaker told Automotive News Europe, “We have to guarantee that noise and especially CO2 emissions are exactly the same as before the fix.”

The checks being conducted by the KBA could be done as early as next week, the spokesman said.

In the U.S., Volkswagen can’t start fixing vehicles until it lays out a comprehensive repair plan to regulators and authorities, a task it has until April 21 to accomplish.

The first stage of the automaker’s European recalls started on Jan. 28, when it won approval from the KBA to begin repairing Amarok pickups equipped with 2.0-liter diesel engines. That repair involved a software update that wasn’t expected to impact performance or fuel consumption.

The phase currently on hold involves 160,000 Volkswagen Passats and 90,000 Audi A4, A5, and Skoda Superb models equipped with the same engine.

Of the three four-cylinder diesels being recalled in Europe, only the 1.6-liter requires anything more than a software update — in this case, the installation of a mesh screen to regulate airflow.

At the same time these models are cooling their heels in Europe, 91,000 Passats are being recalled in the U.S. due to a wiring defect that could spark a fire underneath the vehicle.