French emissions probe: Renault recalls Captur and offers 700,000 free software upgrades

Renault has announced it’s recalling 15,800 Capturs to fix an issue with its pollution-control systems, after French emission investigators found the small SUV had emissions that exceeded EU limits.

The recall is thought to affect the 1.5-litre diesel, specifically the dCi 110 engine that produces 81kW. The recall doesn’t then affect Australia Captur owners following Renault Australia’s decision not to import any diesel-powered Capturs because of a perceived lack of demand.

As well as the recall, Renault will also offer free software upgrades to owners of about 700,000 diesel-powered vehicles to lower NOx emissions to meet Euro 6 emission targets. It’s not known what engines are affected.

Speaking to amassed journalists at Renault’s Paris HQ, the car-maker’s chief competitive officer, Thierry Bollore, said: "We are not cheating, we are meeting the norms, and we are not trying to trick the consumer”.

As already reported, Renault as well as Ford and Mercedes have been asked by the French government to explain why some of its vehicles, when tested by investigators, had emissions that by far exceeded both French and EU limits.

The emissions of the Captur, when tested both in the laboratory and in real-world, were so high, initially, sources advising the French government suggested the car examined might have been faulty - but now it appears many more cars are affected.

Back in November 2015, similar tests carried out in Germany by green lobby group, DUH, found that the Espace people mover failed the EU test cycle by pumping out 25 times the legal limit of NOx.

Renault’s Bollare has denied the French car-maker is on the verge of its own VW-style Dieselgate scandal:

"We agree that our position is not satisfactory," Bollore said, while disputing many of the reported measurements. "We are the first ones to admit that we have room for improvement."

Bollare also restated Renault’s commitment to improve its diesel emissions, pledging the car-maker had earmarked $75 million to upgrade its current diesels and $1.8 billion to develop its next-generation of cleaner ‘Euro 6D’ diesels that will now be introduced in three years’ time - two years earlier than planned.

It’s been reported that the Capturs recalled have faulty exhaust gas filters fitted to their engines and poorly calibrated software that turned on the filters when it was too cold and turned them off when it was too warm.

Each car of the 15,800 cars recalled will need half a day for the fault to be rectified, according to reports.

Meanwhile, Renault’s financial pain continues. Despite being cleared of any fraudulent activity, France’s biggest car-maker has seen more than $5 billion wiped off its share value since Thursday after news that three facilities had been raided by investigators.