Volkswagen VW Jetta Sedan, Jetta Sportswagen, & Golf Vehicle & Bluetooth Class Action Lawsuit Settlement

If you are a person in the United States or Puerto Rico who purchased or leased, not for resale, the following vehicles distributed by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.: Model year 2010 Volkswagen Jetta Sedans (in trim levels Limited, SE, and Wolfsburg), model year 2010 Jetta SportWagens (in trim levels SE and TDI) and model year 2010 Golfs (in trim level TDI), as well as model year 2010 Volkswagen Jetta Sedan S, Jetta SportWagen S and Golf 2.5 vehicles originally purchased or leased with the Bluetooth® option, your rights may be affected by a class action settlement.

A class action settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit against Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (“Volkswagen” or “VWGoA” or “Defendant”) pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois before Judge Joan B. Gottschall (captioned Christensen, et al. v. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., Class Action Case No. 1:10-CV-06484) alleging, among other things, that advertising and product descriptions misrepresented characteristics of the Bluetooth® system in model year 2010 Volkswagen Jetta Sedans (in trim levels Limited, SE, and Wolfsburg), model year 2010 Jetta SportWagens (in trim levels SE and TDI) and model year 2010 Golfs (in trim level TDI), as well as model year 2010 Volkswagen Jetta Sedan S, Jetta SportWagen S and Golf 2.5 vehicles originally purchased or leased with the Bluetooth® option (“Settlement Class Vehicles”), according to the Volkswagen VW Jetta Sedan, Jetta Sportswagen, & Golf Vehicles Bluetooth class action settlement notice.

The Court in the Volkswagen VW Jetta Sedan, Jetta Sportswagen, & Golf Vehicles Bluetooth lawsuit has conditionally certified a Settlement Class INCLUDING:

Persons in the United States and Puerto Rico who have purchased or leased, not for resale, the following vehicles distributed by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.: Model year 2010 Volkswagen Jetta Sedans (in trim levels Limited, SE, and Wolfsburg), model year 2010 Jetta SportWagens (in trim levels SE and TDI) and model year 2010 Golfs (in trim level TDI), as well as model year 2010 Volkswagen Jetta Sedan S, Jetta SportWagen S and Golf 2.5 vehicles originally purchased or leased with the Bluetooth® option.

Even if you are or were the owner or lessee of a Volkswagen VW Jetta Sedan, Jetta Sportswagen, & Golf Vehicles Bluetooth Settlement Class Vehicle, the following are EXCLUDED from the Settlement Class and not covered by the Volkswagen VW Jetta Sedan, Jetta Sportswagen, & Golf Vehicles Bluetooth Settlement:

a) Persons who validly and timely exclude themselves from the Settlement Class;
b) Persons who have settled with and released VWGoA from individual claims substantially similar to those alleged in this Litigation or Persons who have had adjudicated claims substantially similar to those alleged in this Litigation;
c) An officer, director and employee of VWGoA or its subsidiaries and affiliates;
d) Persons who have suffered personal injury as a result of the defects alleged;
e) Insurers or other providers of extended service contracts or warranties for the Settlement Class Vehicles;
f) United States residents that have purchased Class Vehicles in the United States but have since transported the Class Vehicle outside the United States; and
g) The Honorable Judge Joan B. Gottschall.

If the proposed Settlement is ultimately approved by the Court, it will provide the following benefits:

• Reimbursement of Certain Costs: Volkswagen VW will reimburse Settlement Class Members for the purchase price of a Volkswagen 9W3 or 9W7 Bluetooth® module, plus labor and shipping costs, to the extent such module was purchased prior to January 12, 2012 to achieve a higher level of Bluetooth® functionality than the 9W2 module that came with the Settlement Class Vehicles. The reimbursement benefits are subject to Settlement Class Members’ submission of a Claim Form executed under penalty of perjury, along with an itemized receipt showing a date and itemization for the purchase of module itself, as well as any claimed labor or shipping charges.
• Installation of BlueTooth Upgrade Kits: For any Class Member who does not claim reimbursement for the purchase of a Volkswagen 9W3 or 9W7 Bluetooth® module, and subject to validation by the Claims Administrator, the Parties agree that VWGoA will pay to have installed at an authorized Volkswagen dealership, a Bluetooth® Upgrade Kit – at no cost for parts or labor – subject to the Class Member’s submission of a Claim Form executed under penalty of perjury containing an averment that “Prior to my purchase or lease of the Vehicle described in this Claim Form, I saw Volkswagen advertising and/or product literature regarding the Bluetooth® Hands-Free Calling system with voice control and that feature was one of the reasons for my purchase or lease of the vehicle.”

The Court has scheduled a Final Approval Hearing at 9:30 a.m. on February 22, 2012, at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, 219 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL 60604. This hearing may be continued or rescheduled by the Court without further notice. At this hearing, the Court will consider whether the Volkswagen VW Jetta Sedan, Jetta Sportswagen, & Golf Vehicles Bluetooth Settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate and will consider Class Counsel’s request for attorneys’ fees and expenses.

For more information on the Volkswagen VW Jetta Sedan, Jetta Sportswagen, & Golf Vehicles Bluetooth class action lawsuit settlement, call 1-888-334-6162 or visit the Christensen v. VW class action settlement website:

christensensettlement.com

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