Judge Gives VW a March 24 Deadline on U.S. Diesel Recall

A U.S. federal judge has given Volkswagen AG until March 24 to determine whether or not it can to repair diesel-powered vehicles that were rigged to avoid emission limits.

VW has been discussing possible fixes with U.S. officials since the cheating became public in September. The company says talks with the U.S. Dept. of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency about a settlement are “progressing.” But it tells the court it may not have a definitive answer for another month or so, Automotive News reports.

Judge Charles Breyer set the March deadline after declaring six months is “long enough” for VW and regulators to decide how—or if—the vehicles can be fixed.

Some 500 lawsuits filed against VW by its diesel customers have been consolidated in Breyer’s court. Declaring a “sense of urgency” to resolve them, Breyer vows litigation will “move forward quite quickly” at the end of March whether VW finds a solution or not.

It isn’t clear whether technical repair issues remain. Reports earlier this week indicated VW and U.S. officials are wrangling over possible sanctions against VW to offset excess pollution already emitted by its cheater diesels.