Ken Gratton•3 Jun 2013
NEWS
Volkswagen investigates customer complaints
But spokesman refutes 'deceleration' was a factor in Monash fatalityVolkswagen Australia late last week issued a statement concerning recent media reports linking customer complaints with a fatality on Melbourne's Monash Freeway two years ago.
In the press release Volkswagen declined to comment on testimony given in the coroner's court to the effect that the Golf GTI driven by the deceased, Melissa Ryan, had decelerated suddenly and without warning in the moments immediately prior to being struck by a heavy commercial vehicle on the Monash in 2011.
The press release did reveal the importer had been "cooperating fully" with the court as the inquest unfolds. Furthermore, the press release stated specifically that assertions from a national media outlet that "sudden deceleration" played any part in the death of Ms Ryan were "incorrect".
As to other assertions the Golf's alleged behaviour prior to the crash was symptomatic of problems reported by Australian VW owners, the press release made it clear that there was "no correlation" between the owners' complaints and the events leading up to the fatal crash. The company is going out of its way to refute its dual-clutch transmission (DSG in Volkswagen's own terminology) could have anything to do with the crash, since Ms Ryan's GTI was fitted with a manual transmission.
Complaints related to diesel-engined Volkswagens are at odds with the crash scenario too, since the GTI was powered by a petrol engine, but the importer is looking into customer complaints that have surfaced in the media since the coroner's inquest began to be reported, according to Karl Gehling, General Manager Press and PR at Volkswagen Australia.
"At this stage we're just investigating the customer complaints that have been sent through, and we'll make a response in due time," the VW spokesman told motoring.com.au this morning.
Gehling also said that "the reports have been very inconsistent, which is why we're investigating them."
As a consequence of that, the importer is investigating customer complaints concerning a "variety of engines", but Gehling had nothing further to add from the inquest to date.
"No further details... and we'll await the coroner's findings."
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Written byKen Gratton
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