1.2 TCe engine. A collective action soon launched against Renault

[Updated on 01/11/2022] If you are a faithful reader of L'argus, you have already heard about the reliability problems of the 1.2 TCe Renault. You probably know that this small four-cylinder turbo gasoline engine, used on many models between 2012 and 2016, is subject to overconsumption of oil which can lead to breakage. A defect that the French manufacturer is frequently accused of minimizing, despite a formal notice from the consumer association UFC Que Choisir in 2019. But today, it is another type of defense, on the legal level this time, which is being set up. Four lawyers want, in fact, to launch a collective action to help the owners to be better compensated.

Registration open until March 8, 2022

In addition to many Renaults, this defect concerns Dacia Dusters, Lodgy and Dokker, Nissan Juke, Pulsar and Qashqai 2, as well as certain Mercedes vans and MPVs Citan, cousins ​​of the Kangoo. In return, to participate, you will have to register before March 8 on the Internet and pay 159 to 519 € to join the criminal proceedings which will take place in two phases: first a "probationary referral", which is quite fast ( about three months), then a "direct citation", which requires more time, even if the objective remains to avoid procedures that drag on for many years. Those with modest incomes will however be able to benefit from legal aid from the Ministry of Justice, while others will be able to appeal to their legal protection to obtain support. Once the registration period is over, a formal notice will be sent to the Renault-Nissan-Dacia group. The latter will then have fifteen days to respond favorably by opting for an amicable negotiation. Otherwise, the probation before the court will be initiated, and should make it possible to obtain access to documents hitherto classified as confidential.

An accusation of endangering the lives of others

Lawyer at the Paris Bar and doctor of law, Christophe Lèguevaques is already well versed in this kind of collective action. Through his digital platform MyLeo, he leads several head-on, including one against Volkswagen in the context of dieselgate. He is aiming here for a minimum of 250 registrations, far from the 107,000 Renaults that would potentially be affected in France according to an internal note obtained by L'argus. If he favored the criminal to the civil within the framework of this "motorgate", it is to avoid being opposed to questions of prescription (prescription which intervenes five years after the entry into service of the vehicle in this type of file) and because “it necessarily involved individual expertise. So it was very difficult by taking the civilian route to offer a global collective approach to the problem. This is what Renault does: the brand walks people around, separating them from each other in order to be sure of being able to take them where it wants. In addition to the facts of "deception" for having sold, in particular second-hand, vehicles which presented a well-known design defect without notifying the customer, the lawyer intends in particular to plead "endangering the life of others”.

“The lawyer claims to have had many testimonies from people who had an engine failure on the highway when they were at 130 km/h, overtaking, and suddenly found themselves with a vehicle that struggled to exceed 50 km/h, which was extremely dangerous because they often found themselves sandwiched between a truck in front and a truck behind.“

Faults known for a long time

The lack of oil has sometimes been able to cause sudden breaks in the timing chain, by generating a vibration of the camshaft shifter and causing an elongation of the chain until it breaks. As L'argus has mentioned several times, it is low pressure in the intake manifold which, combined with high depression in the cylinder, leads to a lack of sealing at the level of the second piston ring and causes the overconsumption of lubricant. As on the 1.2 PureTech PSA and other direct injection mechanics, a carbon build-up phenomenon can also end up causing the valves to "melt" by self-ignition.

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Never an official recall campaign

Unfortunately, no official recall was ever requested by the authorities, as they considered that these now well-known design flaws did not pose any real security issues. For Christophe Lèguevaques, the fact that the French State is also a shareholder of Renault could also not be totally unrelated to this decision. But if the collective action goes to the end of its second phase, it intends to ask for much more than simple partial coverage of the repair costs; a participation already granted quite regularly by Renault, even if it was necessary to insist heavily on this. Compensation for "moral damage" will also be claimed "due to the disorganization suffered by the loss of your vehicle, the fear felt during the incident or the anxiety you feel now that you know that your vehicle presents intrinsic dangers", specifies the official site of the action. An opening of this action to consumers from the rest of the European Union could also be considered from the fall, while another collective complaint was already launched in Israel some time ago against the local importer, Carasso Motors, for the problems of this same 1.2 TCe.

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