UK legal case launched against Fiat Chrysler over diesel emissions
Auto giant Fiat Chrysler (FCA) is facing a £5bn UK legal challenge over claims that the carmaker concealed the true levels of emissions that its vehicles produced from customers.
International law firm PGMBM has issued a case in the High Court alleging that up to half a million cars manufactured since 2008 were fitted with so-called “defeat devices”.
The firm says that UK drivers who bought or leased these vehicles could be entitled to compensation worth up to £10,000 as part of the class action.
The new case comes a year after the FCA agreed a $800m settlement in the US relating to the use of illegal software that produced false results on diesel emissions tests.
It is the latest in a string of cases brought against car firms for cheating such tests by covering up the true levels of nitrogen oxide their cars produce.
The scandal, which has been dubbed “Dieselgate”, has battered the auto industry since 2015, when Volkswagen confessed to installing “defeat devices” on vehicles sold in the US.
Earlier this year London law firm Fox Williams said they were building a similar class action against Mercedes.
PGMBM said that brands including Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Jeep, Suzuki and Iveco were all included in its case.
Managing partner Tom Goodhead said: “Fiat Chrysler Automobiles have misled drivers about the true diesel emissions that many of their vehicles produce.
“This is yet another instance of a huge automotive firm conning consumers – with a significant impact on the environment and our collective wellbeing.
“FCA must be held to account for these practices, and this case will give consumers the opportunity to pursue some justice and be compensated for being misled by a company that they may have trusted.”
An FCA spokesperson:”FCA believes this claim to be totally without merit and we will vigorously defend ourselves against it.”