VW recalls 90,000 cars for dodgy diesels

Three weeks after the global scandal broke, Australian owners of VW diesel cars finally know if their car is affected or not.

Volkswagen has confirmed it will recall more than 90,000 cars in Australia across the VW, Audi and Skoda brands to fix software designed to cheat diesel emissions tests.

There are 54,745 VW passenger cars, 17,256 VW vans and utes, 14,028 Audis and 5148 Skoda cars made from 2009 to 2015 that will be caught up in the recall.

The troubled German car maker is yet to disclose what technical changes will be made, but customers will be contacted by mail once the fix is ready.

RELATED: Volkswagen facing $20m in fines
MORE: Aussie VW owners won't get new engines
ALSO: Volkswagen and Audi diesel sales stopped in Australia

A statement from VW Australia said customers who would like to find out if their vehicle is affected can enter their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on the relevant brand websites: www.volkswagen.com.au, www.audi.com.au, www.skoda.com.au and www.volkswagen-commercial.com.au.

In an unprecedented move, Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda were forced to stop the sale of certain new diesel models on Saturday after meeting with Federal Government authorities in Canberra on Friday.

The sales ban and subsequent recall in Australia follows similar action in the US and Europe; more than 11 million cars are affected globally.

Aside from billions of dollars in fines in the US and Europe, Volkswagen is also facing hefty fines from Australian authorities.

VW can be fined $1.1 million for each misleading claim on each model -- the fuel economy number and the emissions figure would count as two infringements -- opening the company up to at least $22 million in fines for false claims alone.

Then it is liable for fines of $108,000 per car sold because they were approved for use on Australian roads on the basis of false documents.

These fines could amount into the billions of dollars if the government chooses to pursue the car maker.

A fix is not expected for months while VW engineers in Germany try to find a solution

Volkswagen says customers can contact its call centre on 1800 607 822, Skoda owners can call 1800 607 540 and Audi drivers have been asked to call 1800 50 AUDI (2834).

"Until a technical solution is made available from the head office of Volkswagen AG, customers do not need to take any further action," the company says.

News Corp Australia understands a fix is not expected for months while VW engineers in Germany try to find a solution that does not dramatically diminish the performance of the affected cars.

"We understand the disappointment and frustration felt by our customers, dealers and partners in Australia and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause," said Volkswagen Group Australia's managing director, John White.

"It is important for customers to note that all affected vehicles remain technically safe and driveable and that we will contact them in time to advise what the next steps are," said Mr White.

However it is likely the cars will have less power and higher maintenance costs once the correct software is fitted.

The list of affected diesel cars includes:

Volkswagen

Golf (2009-2013)
Polo (2009-2014)
Jetta (2010-2015)
Passat CC (2008-2012)
Volkswagen CC (2011-2015)
Passat (2008-2015)
Eos (2008-2014)
Tiguan (2008-2015)
Caddy (2010-2015)
Amarok (2011-2012)

Audi (certain versions of the following models)

A1 (current generation)
A3 (previous generation)
A4 (current generation)
A5 (current generation)
A6 (current generation)
Q5 (current generation 2.0 TDI)
TT (previous generation)

Skoda

Octavia (2009-2013)
Yeti (2011-2015)
Superb (2009-2015)