Renault To Recall 15K Vehicles For Emissions Tweak: France Energy Minister

French carmaker Renault SA will recall more than 15,000 vehicles to tweak their engines to ensure that they comply with emissions standards, Energy Minister Segolene Royal reportedly told the RTL radio network Tuesday. The company committed to the recall after it was found that the filtration system in some of its vehicles did not comply with emission standards under real world conditions.

The announcement comes after French investigators raided Renault's headquarters and two other sites near Paris earlier this month, as part of a probe into the automaker's emissions technology. French authorities widened their probe following the Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal, and later found discrepancies between real-world tests and lab results in four Renault models.

"Renault has committed to recalling a certain number of vehicles, more than 15,000 vehicles, to check them and adjust them correctly so the filtration system works even when it is very hot or when it is below 17 degrees, because that's when the filtration system no longer worked," Royal said.

The news of the discrepancies wiped out about a fifth of Renault’s market value on Jan. 14, as panicked investors feared a situation similar to the one at Volkswagen. The stock recovered some its losses in the following days as Renault announced it had not installed any cheating devices in its cars. The company also promised to devise a "technical plan" to bring down emission levels in its vehicles.

The energy minister also said that Renault was not the only car company in France to break rules on carbon dioxide and nitrogen emissions, but did not name the others involved. Managers of other carmakers whose vehicles have exceeded emission norms have agreed to provide an explanation before a commission set up by the French government, she added.

Renault shares were up about 2.5 percent Tuesday on the Euronext stock exchange in Paris.