BEUC NEWS - 12.07.2023

                                                                                     
Consumer groups across Europe are calling on European consumer authorities to open an EU-wide investigation into AdBlue, in what is likely to be an industry-wide issue harming thousands of consumers across Europe. This is based on thousands of new testimonies from affected consumers.

What’s the problem exactly?

AdBlue is a fluid necessary for the functioning of many diesel cars. While the diesel engine is running, the fluid is automatically sprayed into the exhaust system to reduce certain types of dangerous emissions (including nitrogen oxides/NOx).

The embedded software slows down the car as soon as the quantity of fluid in the AdBlue tank is below a certain level. Once the AdBlue tank is empty, the software stops the car engine and prevents it from starting again until the AdBlue tank is refilled.
 
But the problem is that this system can lead to breakdowns because the software incorrectly indicates that the tank is (almost or completely) empty. This is likely to be due to design or manufacturing defects in the software and/or in the AdBlue tank.

Articles published by our members UFC-Que Choisir (France), Altroconsumo (Italy), Testachats/Testaankoop (Belgium) and OCU (Spain) further describe the frequently occurring problems with AdBlue. This has led to consumers having to pay for expensive repairs to their vehicles.

Is that against the law?

Our members Altroconsumo and OCU already filed complaints about this to European consumer authorities  (the CPC-Network) and the consumer authorities in Italy and Spain respectively, in December 2022, reporting suspected breaches of the Unfair Commercial Practices Law. The likelihood of defects in the software and/or in the AdBlue tank has been reported by many consumers for several years.

An EU-wide issue

Several of our member organisations – in particular UFC-Que Choisir and Testachats-Testaankoop – launched calls for testimonies recently to further understand the magnitude of the problem and the nature of the harm experienced by consumers.

The results they collected and published today reveal:

• More than 4,000 European consumers have reported problems with their cars powered by AdBlue. As of June 2023, this includes 1,731 in France, 2,411in Belgium and more than 700 in Italy.

• The problem might not be limited to a few car manufacturers. Most consumers reported problems with cars from Citroën and Peugeot, but data from Testachats/Testaankoop and UFC-Que Choisir shows that additional car manufacturers are likely to be concerned as well.

• Consumers have been asked to pay high costs for repairing their cars. For example, UFC-Que Choisir reported that, on average, the repair costs amount to €921. Similarly, repair costs average around €1,000 for consumers in Italy according to Altroconsumo.

What are consumer groups calling for?

On the basis of this new evidence, consumer groups are calling on European consumer authorities for an EU-wide investigation into the matter.

What’s more, companies manufacturing or selling cars powered by AdBlue should clearly inform consumers about the issue, and urgently change the design of their vehicles. Traders should also offer free repairs for all affected consumers.