Alert over 5,000 ‘dangerous’ cars
Owners of cars that may have been put on the road after faulty repairs are being urged to have them checked
MORE than 5,000 second hand cars are suspected of having been put back on the road after faulty repairs.
Letters have been sent out by the government to 4,200 members of the public and 800 professionals, telling them they must have their cars checked out or risk both civil and criminal prosecution if they try to sell them on.
The cars include a Ferrari and owners have been told that their insurance should cover the cost of the checks.
This comes after gendarmes uncovered a scam relating to damaged cars being passed as roadworthy when they were not. After enquiries, thousands of vehicles were found to be potentially concerned, with 80% being in the Ile-de-France, especially Seine-Saint-Denis, Seine-et-Marne and Paris.
The rest are in various parts of France, notably La Rochelle in Charente-Maritime.
The letters, signed by interministerial road safety representative Emmanuel Barbe, refer to “serious doubts as to the quality of repairs” carried out on the cars and say they “may be dangerous”.
Owners are warned not to use the cars until a new check has been done.
They are asked to get in touch with the Confédération Française des Experts de l’Automobile to arrange the check. Insurance firms have said they will reimburse the cost, likely to be around €300-450.
If your car is found not to be roadworthy, you may need to take legal action against the person you bought it from, the government says, adding that you should take advice from your insurer and the Institut National d’Aide aux Victimes et de Médiation (Inavem) on 08 842 846 37.
Eleven people suspected of involvement in a scam are to appear in court in Evry, Essonne, tomorrow, however it is thought the case may be sent to a more specialised fraud court.
Photo: Coyau / Wikimedia Commons
