What is the “Motorgate”, these motorists attacking Renault?

• In France, several thousand motorists believe they are victims of a faulty petrol engine (1.2 l) which between 2012 and 2018 equipped certain Renault, Nissan and Dacia.

• The problem they denounce is characterized by abnormal oil consumption and premature engine failures.

• While the manufacturer manages incidents "on a case-by-case basis", dissatisfied customers have decided to unite for a "class action" in court.

• 26 of them have already joined the collective action on Tuesday, their lawyer hopes to bring together at least 250 within three months.

Since July 10, 2021 and a memorable breakdown on the holiday highway, Fabrice Pignot and his family have been experimenting with walking or carpooling. This inhabitant of Merville, near Toulouse, did not recover his Renault Captur bought from a dealer in September 2019 and which only displayed 51,000 km on the odometer.

"Engine failure," said successive tugs and mechanics during a costly and epic repatriation.

An expert concluded with a faulty engine but that of Renault did not come to the meeting, arguing the limitation of five years (since the entry into service) in matters of commercial litigation.

These annoyances and costs add to the chilling memory of the breakdown: “I was driving 130 km and I felt a sudden loss of power, I fell to 80 km / h.

All the lights turn red, the steering wheel starts to vibrate.

Everyone in the car had the fear of their life, ”says the forty-something.

4,400 dissatisfied in a Facebook group

At the time, this motorist, not really a mechanic at heart, already knew that he belonged to the unlucky owners of a car that was unusually greedy in oil. But the next day, by simply tapping on the Internet, he also realized that he was, despite himself, a member of the motorist community with a 1.2 tCE Renault or Dacia or Dig-T petrol engine for Nissan. This model was produced by the group between 2012 and 2018. According to the protagonists of the “Motorgate”, it has fitted 400,000 cars in Europe. And on the French Facebook page devoted to its setbacks, 4,400 motorists have, at best, had to carry around continuously with a can of oil in the trunk, at worst, broken their engine in full swing.

"We hesitate to replace with a similar second-hand engine for fear of losing the lottery level," said Fabrice Pignot who has already spent 2,000 euros in the case.

According to Olivier Blanchet, the founder of the Facebook group of the “castaways” of the 1.2 l engine, the serious incident took place “on average at 67,000 km”.

This “standard” defect has already been unveiled in 2019 by the Que Choisir consumer association, which showed that the Renault / Nissan / Dacia group was alerted to the problem of excess oil consumption that could lead to engine failure.

But he took the option of not proceeding with a group recall of the vehicles concerned.

The treatment is done, recognizes the manufacturer, "on a case-by-case basis", confining individuals to paperwork, sometimes helplessness.

A strike force to negotiate ... or attack

Until Tuesday and the announcement of the launch of a still rare legal procedure: "a joint collective action" led by the specialized online platform Myleo of the lawyer of Toulouse origin Christophe Lèguevaques, under the impetus of 'Olivier Blanchet. “We have the impression that a strategy has been put in place to stifle people under expertise, sometimes with small commercial gestures to the key, notes the lawyer. And in this face-to-face meeting, you can't stay alone without being eaten alive. "

His strategy is developed in two stages. He hopes to first bring together enough applicants to enter into negotiations with the manufacturer. If this first step fails, he intends to sue the group "in direct summons before the criminal court", for "deception on the quality of a product" but also "endangering the life of others". A tactic that aims to avoid years of proceedings. This Tuesday, 26 applicants had already registered for this collective procedure (which costs between 159 and 519 euros for the entire procedure). And "new testimonies poured in by tens or even hundreds" on the Facebook group. Christophe Lèguevaques hopes to bring together "a minimum of 250 complainants" by March 7 before launching hostilities.

The manufacturer has so far not reacted to requests from

concerning this procedure.

In the

, he indicated that "90% of Renault and Nissan customers who have encountered these problems with these engines have benefited from treatment" and that excess oil consumption does not affect the safety of its customers. , the vehicles remaining controllable after a drop in power.

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