Renault recalls 15,000 diesel Capturs in Europe

RENAULT has recalled about 15,000 Captur compact SUVs in Europe to fix emissions filtering systems of dCi110 diesel engines to improve emissions performance at certain temperatures.

The recall does not affect Captur in Australia as the engine is not sold here.

Renault said the recall involved diesel Capturs built between July and September last year. It said the fault had been discovered and rectified on the production line in September, and thus did not affect the most recent diesel Capturs.

Renault says the vehicles are compliant with European emissions regulations and do not have Volkswagen-style cheat software, but it nevertheless wants to offer customers an improved emissions system.

While emissions tests for vehicle certification in Europe are done at temperatures between 20C and 30C, the Captur’s system was found to have been calibrated so that NOx and sulphur are only filtered between 17C to 35C.

Temperatures in northern France are frequently below 17C in winter, autumn and spring.

Renault also reconfirmed that it is planning to offer other Renault Euro 6 diesel owners a software patch for the latest Euro 6-compliant diesel engines to reduce oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions.

It denied European media reports that about 700,000 Renault vehicles would be in line for the voluntary software patch, but it did not disclose its own estimate of how many would be affected.

Renault Australia corporate communications and sponsorship manager Emily Fadeyev said the local Renault branch had no word on whether the software patch would be offered in Australia, but she could rule out the Captur recall for this market.

Only petrol engines – the turbocharged three-cylinder TCE90 and four-cylinder TCE120 – are offered in Captur in Australia.

As GoAuto has previously reported, Renault is one of several motor companies to come under the scrutiny of the French Homologation Society which was in the process of testing 100 vehicles, including 25 Renaults.

In a statement released on January 14, Renault said that by the end of December, four Renault vehicles had been tested and cleared of any cheat device.