At least two lawsuits have been filed in San Diego and Los Angeles over Volkswagen tampering with emissions testing on VW and Audi models to deceive regulators.
An Audi owner's lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court seeks class-action status for all California residents who bought or leased a Volkswagen with a diesel engine or a diesel-powered Audi A3 between 2009 and 2015.
The lawsuit filed by dealer The Car Factory seeks damages over the loss of value of used Volkswagens. The suit says independent dealers are not getting the same protections or reimbursement as official Volkswagen dealers.
The suits are among several dozen filed across the U.S. following last week's announcement by regulators that VW installed a component that switched to a clean driving mode during smog tests but reverted to higher emissions when testing was done.
Volkswagen of America Group says it can't comment on pending litigation.
Additionally, at least 27 state attorneys general are opening a multi-state investigation into Volkswagen.
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette's office said Thursday he and at least 26 other attorneys general will send subpoenas to the German automaker. Spokeswoman Andrea Bitely says many states will investigate both through their consumer protection and environmental protection divisions.
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Volkswagen is reeling from revelations it used secret software to thwart diesel smog tests on nearly a half million vehicles in the U.S.
Participating states include Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia. Washington, D.C., also is involved.
