Renault under investigation for emissions cheating

Volkswagen emissions scandal: A timeline
Volkswagen emissions scandal: A timeline

Renault is the latest automaker to be embroiled in an emissions cheating scandal.

French prosecutors said Friday that they are investigating Renault for possible cheating that may have damaged the public's health. Three judges have been assigned the case.

Renault confirmed it is facing the probe, but denied any wrongdoing. "Renault vehicles are not equipped with cheating software affecting anti-pollution systems," it said in a statement.

Renault shares trading in Paris dropped as much as 4% after the news broke, before recovering roughly half of the loss.

Related: Fiat Chrysler cheated on diesel emissions, EPA says

renault car

The investigation comes one day after U.S. environmental regulators accused automaker Fiat Chrysler (FCAU) of installing software on 100,000 diesel-powered cars and trucks to cheat on emissions tests. Fiat Chrysler has denied the accusations.

Volkswagen (VLKAF) has been plagued by a similar scandal for more than a year. The German automaker has admitted to installing software on millions of vehicles that allowed the cars to cheat emission tests.

Six Volkswagen executives were indicted in the U.S. earlier this week, after the company agreed to pay $4.3 billion in federal fines and to plead guilty to criminal charges.

Volkswagen has already been hit with a $14.7 billion settlement it agreed to in June.

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