Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) has asked Volkswagen to issue a recall for all cars equipped with the EA 189 diesel engine.

This means VW Group will recall a total of approximately 8.5 million vehicles in the European Union (EU28 markets), including some 2.4 million vehicles in Germany.

Outside European Union countries, each individual country will clarify in detail which emissions classes of the EA 189 engine are in fact affected, the KBA said.

In a statement, VW said it welcomed the decision for the German regulator, as it “gives customers clarity with regard to the continued unrestricted use of the vehicles.” The carmaker reassured owners of affected cars that “all of the vehicles affected remain technically safe and roadworthy.”

The automaker also said it will contact customers and inform them of the recall schedule. According to VW, work on the technical solutions detailed in the plan of measures is currently proceeding at full speed. Vehicles will be fixed beginning in January 2016, at no cost to customers.

Once again, VW said the technical solutions can involve software as well as hardware measures, adding that these are currently being developed for each affected series and each affected model year. The automaker will present all measures to the responsible authorities and then inform the owners of these vehicles over the next weeks and months.

VW used the opportunity to tell owners of the current successor generation of EA 288 diesel engines, which are in use since 2012, that their cars are not affected by this recall.

PHOTO GALLERY