Renault could face prosecution in France over faulty engines as a group of customers plans to file a criminal complaint against the car maker next week, the group’s lawyer said on Friday.
“We will file a complaint on Monday for at least a few dozen people,” Christophe Leguevaques told Reuters, adding many owners of Renault cars – as well as the Dacia brand and partner Nissan. 7201.T – can engage in movement.
The complaint, first reported by the newspaper Le Parisien, will be filed at the Nanterre criminal court, with claims ranging from “aggravated fraud, questionable business practices” to “fraud” and “endangering the life of others,” said the lawyer.
The decision to file the complaint follows unsuccessful discussions between Renault and the complainants about the faulty engines, he added.
It is up to prosecutors whether they open a formal investigation.
A Renault spokesman said the company was providing technical support and financial assistance to affected customers.
“The Renault Group has never stopped and continues to review the demands it has received,” the spokesman said.
A spokesman for Nissan, which makes some Renault models, said it was “supporting any customers who experience engine noise, misfiring, low power, or excessive oil consumption under our warranty and customer support policies.”
Customers say the carmaker should have issued a recall when they discovered an issue with the 1.2 liter engine used in 400,000 cars in Europe between 2012 and 2016.
Renault acknowledged that the engine was consuming a lot of oil and that 133,050 cars in France could be affected, but also said there was no safety risk – a point disputed by the customer group.
“The support requests that cannot be answered are all carefully analyzed and a response is provided,” Renault said.
(Reporting by Nicolas Delame, Dominique Vidalon, Gilles Guillaume; editing by Mark Potter)
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