Stellantis has undertaken to cover its customers' costs linked to failures of the anti-pollution system on Peugeot, Citroën, DS and Opel diesel vehicles produced from 2014 to 2020, according to the automobile group and UFC Que Choisir.
This consumer defense association announced in July 2023 that it was going to refer the matter to the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) in this matter for which it received “more than 7,000 complaints” for the moment.
Used for cars for around ten years, AdBlue is produced based on urea. It helps eliminate a large portion of harmful nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from diesel car exhaust.
“Due to the crystallization of AdBlue, many motorists have had to carry out expensive repairs, the average remaining cost being 1,000 euros, but some have had to pay more than 3,000 euros,” recalled the association in a press release on Friday.
Nearly thirty countries in Europe concerned
The UFC affirmed that Stellantis had undertaken before the European Commission “to compensate the victims, the compensation being able to reach 100%, but varying according to the age of the vehicle, the kilometers traveled but also the date of replacement of the reservoir » of the liquid.
Without going into the details of its commitments, Stellantis confirmed that it would “extend to 29 European countries special and voluntary support for certain Peugeot, Citroën, DS Automobiles and Opel diesel vehicles, manufactured between January 2014 and August 2020” .
These are models equipped with engines complying with the European Euro 6 standard and using the SCR depollution system running on AdBlue, according to a manufacturer's statement sent to AFP.
Compensation open from mid-January
“This extended compensation policy is the subject of an agreement with the European Commission and follows the same principles that governed an initiative previously applied in Italy,” Stellantis also confirmed.
From the same source, “a compensation platform will be put online in mid-January to receive consumer files”.
“In view of the commitments made in Italy, this means in concrete terms that for vehicles out of warranty for less than five years from delivery (i.e. less than three years from the expiration of the warranty) and less than 150,000 km traveled, the cost of repairs is 100% reimbursed,” detailed the UFC.
“For vehicles out of warranty for more than five years from delivery (i.e. more than three years from warranty expiration) and up to eight years from delivery ( i.e. up to six years from the expiration of the warranty), the coverage is decreasing depending on the mileage up to 210,000 kilometers,” according to the same source.
The president of UFC-Que Choisir, Marie-Amandine Stévenin, welcomed this result in a case where her organization “did not give up” regarding “the manufacturers' burying their heads in the sand policy.” », According to the press release published on its website.
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