French Car Company Renault Investigated Over Emissions Scandal

French car company Renault is the latest automotive manufacturer to come under fire for potential air pollution violations, according to a report from Reuters.

Judges in France will look into the company’s emissions reports to check for signs of fraudulent data. Via Automotive News, Renault was one of several European car companies named in an August 2016 report over excessive emission levels. Several Renault vehicles were found to emit up to 11 times the amount of nitrogen oxide allowed under European law.

Renault shares briefly dipped by four percent Friday morning following the news of the investigation. The company denied that its cars were equipped with software to commit fraud and, as the Daily Express reported, previously attributed the errors to a “calibration error.”

Renault is one of several companies who have been targeted in investigations over excessive emissions levels. Via the New York Times, Volkswagen formally pleaded guilty in its controversy over emissions testing fraud. The Environmental Protection Agency accused Fiat Chrysler Thursday of using software on Jeep Grand Cherokees and Dodge Ram 1500 trucks from 2014 to 2016 that allowed it to inaccurately report emissions numbers.

EPA official Cynthia Giles said in a statement, "Failing to disclose software that affects emissions in a vehicle’s engine is a serious violation of the law, which can result in harmful pollution in the air we breathe."

Fiat Chrysler said it was “disappointed” in the EPA’s decision, according to a statement from the company provided to IBTimes. The company said it plans to demonstrate to the EPA that its emissions controls tools are “properly justified” and not defeat devices.