FCA Facing UK Lawsuit For Defeat Devices To The Tune Of £5 Billion

Brexit isn’t the only thing brewing in the UK, as Fiat Chrysler is now facing a £5 billion ($6.5 billion) class action lawsuit over the alleged use of defeat devices in some of its diesel engines.

According to PGMBM, a coalition of British, Brazilian and American lawyers, representing alleged “victims of wrongdoing by big corporations”, some half a million Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Jeep, Iveco and even Suzuki diesel vehicles built since 2008 could be affected.

While Suzuki isn’t part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, some of its S-Cross, SX4 and Vitara models utilize diesel engines built by FCA. If PGMBM wins the case, owners of affected vehicles could receive roughly £10,000 ($13,000) each as compensation, reports AutoExpress.

Read: FCA To Pay $800 Million For Its Dirty EcoDiesel Engines

The following models could reportedly be affected:

“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,” said PGMBM managing partner, Tom Goodhead.

“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. Legally, consumers could be entitled to anything up to the full cost of the affected vehicles. But based on similar legal actions around the world, we believe that £10,000 per claimant should be expected,” he concluded.

Just last year, FCA agreed to settle on an $800 million suit in the U.S. following similar claims as per the use of illegal software.

We’ve reached out to Fiat Chrysler’s UK press office regarding this story, and got the following response from a spokesperson: “FCA believes this claim to be totally without merit and we will vigorously defend ourselves against it.”