Case Info
False Advertising
For many drivers, fuel economy and environmental impact are key factors in vehicle purchases. Porsche misrepresented the environmental impact and fuel efficiency of its 2007-2017 models, leading customers to pay for features they did not receive, incur higher fuel costs, and make more frequent trips to the gas station.
Lawsuits Against Porsche
Investigations by the press and the plaintiffs revealed an extensive scheme to artificially lower the results of government emissions tests, which allowed Porsche to evade emissions regulations and deceive its customers. This scheme encompassed hundreds of thousands of Porsche vehicles sold in the United States.
Owners of 2007-2017 Porsche models (Panamera, Boxster/Cayman, 911, and Cayenne) claimed their vehicles emitted more pollution and had worse fuel efficiency than advertised.
Plaintiffs’ attorneys alleged that Porsche physically altered the gears connecting the drive shaft and rear axle and manipulated the software installed in vehicles used in government tests to appear to perform more efficiently. The cars sold to customers did not contain these alterations, which led to the emission of more pollutants and reduced fuel efficiency as compared to the vehicles tested. These unlawful actions deceived regulators and consumers alike.
Settlements
In the class-action lawsuit, Volkswagen and Porsche reached a settlement with plaintiffs, agreeing to pay a minimum of $80 million to settle allegations that they falsified emissions and fuel economy data for 500,000 Porsche vehicles sold in the United States.
Seeger Weiss founding partner, Christopher A. Seeger, helped secure the settlement for thousands of consumers who may have paid more when they purchased or leased a Porsche vehicle.
This lawsuit follows Volkswagen’s 2015 “Dieselgate” scandal, where Volkswagen and Audi installed defeat devices to pass emissions tests, allowing the vehicles to emit up to 40 times the legal limit of pollutants on the road. This lawsuit ended in the largest consumer auto industry class action settlement in U.S. history, providing more than $10 billion for affected consumers and an additional $4.7 billion to remediate environmental damage caused by the vehicles.