by Gilles Guillaume
PARIS (Reuters) – Renault and Nissan were sued on Tuesday in France by customers dissatisfied with the malfunctions of an engine produced in Europe to 400,000 copies over the past decade.
Christophe Lèguevaques, lawyer behind the Myleo platform which brings the so-called “joint collective action” on behalf of 1,100 plaintiffs, told Reuters that the summons had been filed on Tuesday by a bailiff.
“It’s just a probationary referral,” he added. “The objective is not yet compensation but the search for evidence. It is a serial risk that Renault knew about and it should have recalled the vehicles” for safety issues.
Renault has admitted that the engine, produced in Spain and the UK between 2012 and 2016, suffered from overconsumption of oil but the group considers that there is no safety problem. He wants proof that the regulatory authorities have never ordered a recall campaign.
“Renault Group does not envisage a global negotiation and will continue to examine on a case-by-case basis the possibility of considering compensation on the basis of a technical diagnosis”, declared a spokesperson for the group at the diamond.
He added that 93% of identified customers who encountered a difficulty had received support.
Christophe Lèguevaques, who extended the incriminated period to 2012-18, believes on the contrary that the engine can be dangerous in the event of breakage, because of the loss of power which follows.
Nissan, for its part, refers to its individual assistance policy for any customer who has encountered the problem.
“As a first step, we encourage customers who believe they have been affected by this issue to contact their nearest Nissan dealership who will inspect and diagnose the vehicle appropriately and provide the necessary support,” the Japanese group said in a statement released. at Reuters.
The 1.2-litre petrol unit has already been singled out in 2019 by the UFC Que Choisir association for its oil consumption. In France, the defect potentially concerns 133,000 vehicles of the Renault, Dacia, Nissan and also Mercedes brands.
(Edited by Matthieu Protard)
Copyright © 2022 Thomson Reuters
Are you following this action?
Receive all information about RENAULT in real time: