A fresh wave of Volkswagen drivers has come forward claiming their cars suddenly lost power while being driven, after hearing the inquest into a fatal crash on a Melbourne freeway will be reviewed.
Melissa Ryan, 32, was killed when a B-double truck slammed into the back of her 2008 Volkswagen Golf on the Monash Freeway in 2011.
At a coronial inquest last year the truck driver said that the car – which had been travelling at speeds of up to 100 km/h – stopped suddenly and the brake lights did not come on.
The coroner returned an open finding into Ryan’s death in November 2013, and suggested she may have been distracted because she was speaking on her hands-free phone at the time of the accident.
That finding is now being reviewed by an in-house solicitor at the Coroner’s Court, who will make a recommendation on whether the case should be reopened.
Since news of the review was made public last week, 35 Volkswagen drivers have come forward to complain about problems with their cars. “They’re all detailing problems with the cars having rapid deceleration,” Ryan’s stepfather, Phil O’Donnell, told The Age.
“They’re asking us how they can add their name to the list of people complaining,” he says.
During the inquest last year more than 300 Volkswagen drivers contacted Fairfax Media to report safety problems with their cars, including sudden deceleration while driving. The car maker later recalled more than 43,000 cars in Australia as part of a worldwide recall of 2.6 million vehicles.
O’Donnell says the family believes there was not enough evidence to substantiate the theory accepted by the coroner, and it hopes the review will consider safety concerns raised by Volkswagen drivers.
Ryan’s fiance, Wayne Belford, says he has compiled 14 statutory declarations from Volkswagen drivers who say they have also experienced sudden deceleration problems, including some who drove the same car as Ryan.
Volkswagen ‘not advised’ of review
In November 2013, Fairfax Media reported that the state consumer watchdog warned Volkswagen about an apparent “systemic problem” with its Polo and Golf models in 2012 after receiving complaints from drivers.
A national investigation by the West Australian Consumer Protection found 170 drivers had contacted authorities about engine and transmission failures in their cars in the five months to April 2013.
Volkswagen Group Australia says it has not been advised of the review of the coroner’s findings, but it will fully cooperate.
“Our sincere thoughts and sympathies remain with Melissa Ryan’s family in what continues to be a difficult period for them,” a statement by Volkswagen Australia says.
“Volkswagen Group Australia fully cooperated with authorities and actively assisted the coroner in her investigations that led to the findings made public last year. As we have not been made aware of any official review of the coroner’s findings, it would be inappropriate to comment further,” it adds.
The company said on Friday customers should contact their nearest Volkswagen dealership or call the customer care centre on 1800 607 822 if they are concerned about their vehicle.
Join the conversation