After Volkswagen, Renault and Dacia will also be sued in the Netherlands because of the diesel scandal. The Car Claim Foundation is filing a major mass claim against the two car manufacturers. The size of the claim is expected to be between €450 million and €1 billion.
Renault has been under fire for some time for alleged tampering with the emissions of its diesel engines. Previously, charges were filed against the car manufacturer in the United Kingdom and in its home country France. An investigation by the French authorities would have shown that Renault cheated. As a result of these facts, the Car Claim Foundation starts a case in the Netherlands. According to the foundation, there are more than 150,000 vehicles with fraudulent software on board in our country. The list of diesel engines suspected of using cheating software is fairly long. This concerns almost all dCi’s from 2009 to 2019, with different power variants of the 1.5 dCi being the most often on the list. This engine is widely used at both Renault and Dacia.
In addition to Renault and Dacia themselves, the proceedings are also directed against the Dutch importer of Renault and Dacia and dealers of these brands established in the Netherlands. Guido van Woerkom, chairman of the Car Claim Foundation, says that customers have been misled by this software and are therefore entitled to compensation. After all, in normal use, the emissions of the cars would be much higher than promised. “Renault and Dacia knew this, but decided to keep it quiet to their customers,” said Van Woerkom. “They have been misled by this. They have bought a defective product that does not comply with the law and have paid too much for it.” The Car Claim Foundation previously conducted a lawsuit against Volkswagen in the Netherlands. That case is currently pending on appeal.
Renault denies that cheating software has been used with the diesels. However, the manufacturer already announced last year that it is no longer investing money in the development of diesel engines. Renault Netherlands reacts to AutoWeek with the following statement on the news: “All Renault Group vehicles have been and will be homologated in accordance with the law and regulations of the countries in which the vehicles are sold. Renault Group vehicles are not equipped with anti-pollution fraud software.”
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl