What Will The Fed Do If Volkswagen Owners Prove So Loyal They Refuse To Fix Their Vehicles?

I don't see why the fed should get involved. States issue emission regulations for their air quality boards so... If the cars don't meet the standards, why not just leave it up to the states to fail/pass the vehicles on an individual basis? If the owners want to drive them illegally, they will be fined according to the existing state laws. If they continue to break the law, they will lose their license. Now... Some states still don't require regular emission checks so maybe that is where the fed gets involved but outside of that... This should take care itself during the annual cycle of renewing your vehicle. If the vehicles are programmed to beat the existing tests, change the testing parameters.

It can't be said more perfectly than that.

I almost agree with you - in the states that do require emission inspections - but there are still lots of states that do not - only 17 states actually have regular car inspections. Still - I believe it should be illegal to sell these cars (Except to a dealer) without the fix being performed and proof of the fix should be affixed to every vehicle that was corrected. - and that probably would best be done through a federal law - coordinating the states would be problematical

Tomm, there are definitely some outlier states that don't require the checks. I see that as a small percentage of the vehicles though just due to how similar the emission check map looks to a U.S. population concentration map. For those with no regulations, they can impose a sale or registration halt on those vehicles. As with any law or regulation, now thing works in every scenario. Have to go for what covers the majority.

If a state doesn't test for emissions there isn't much the feds can do to drivers in those states who keep on truckin. The EPA would have to sue in federal court each motorist who kept on driving as they now do with other EPA issues where a state allows something but the EPA doesn't. Highly unlikely. Since VW doesn't own the cars they cannot force the fix. In the bigger picture, the NOx that the entire effected USA VW diesel fleet puts out is equivalent to one large gas powered electrical plant. Since there are a lot of new gas fired generating plants being built to insure a continuous source of electricity as coal and nukes get shut down maybe that's where the EPA should focus its efforts.

How do you determine if the fix was in place? These vehicles were passing the state tests for years.

009 you don't! The point is that many states would argue states rights against the EPA, just as 27 are suing the EPA on that basis over coal plant regulations and not implementing. These states may not consider the amount of excess NOx created by VWs (small in the general scheme of things) to be worth them changing what they do. Some states like Ohio don't inspect vehicles other than in a roadside stop. Mine, a blue state, inspects annually and merely plugs into the diagnostic port, but takes no tailpipe readings. They never check to see if recalls have been done. State inspection procedures are all over the map. Lots of VW diesel owners can keep their current setup.

How many owners are going to stand on the sidelines and not participate in the numerous law suits against VW that will result in a windfall for them? The answer to that question will determine VW's fate. Personally I believe VW faces a $30-$40 billion problem as future events unfold. This scandal will just be another full employment act for lawyers around the world.

If VW has provided a fix and the owners refuse, the answer is simple. Make the cars illegal to register until they comply. Or throw on a punitive gross-polluter tax and use the proceeds to encourage more women to become welfare breeders. The more Draconian the better I say.

Those of you in California will see this; you'll no doubt see a law passed. But not all states are not going to do it. And registration is by state. Matt you earlier said that the EPA was at a point of diminishing returns with these standards. Lots of states would agree with you; ergo don't do anything out of the ordinary. It is a few cars and like mre30 said they will eventually be scrapped.
The NOx really isn't the big issue. IT IS VW's FRAUD>

@Vette71 I agree.

Wow - so many panties in a twist over what OWNERS are choosing to do with the CAR THEY OWN.

The cars will be subject to the same emissions tests that they passed before, the cars will not be "singled out" in emissions test (its a DMV Bureaucratic impossibility, the world WILL NOT END, in 10 years they will be on their way to the junk yard anyway.

VW's lying to the govt aside, the VW diesel are excellent cars and this will all die down (except for VW fixing those cars whose owners want them fixed) and some people will ignore the recall while others will get their cars fixed.

These are VWs, so a decade to the junk yard might be generous.

Why is everyone so worked up about 500,000 VWs when there are probably millions of 3/4 ton diesel pickup's out their with tuner chips that spew many times more pollutants?? I see these trucks all over the place "rolling coal". Doesn't the EPA care about that?

But "rolling coal" is fun.

the people whom don't own VW TDI/ GM DIESELs...should file a massive class action lawsuit against the owners and companies.

These companies and drives don't care about the people and environment.

loyalty seems like the wrong word to describe an owner not wanting to get their VW updated/fixed