Jaguar Land Rover recalls 44,000 cars over ‘excessive’ CO2 emissions: are you affected?

Jaguar Land Rover is recalling 44,000 of its cars because of “excessive” amounts of CO2 emissions.

The Vehicle Certification Agency, a branch of the Department for Transport (DfT) that approves new vehicles for road use, found that ten models from the British carmaker were emitting “more greenhouse gases than had been certified initially”, The Guardian reports.

JLR then informed the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, which ordered the company to recall the defective cars and repair them free of charge, the newspaper says.

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The European Commission’s Rapid Alert System, a watchdog that shares information of harmful products immediately with all EU member states, says the ten models of JLR cars due to be recalled “may emit excessive levels of CO2 and may not conform with the certified condition”.

According to Auto Express, the recall comes soon after Land Rover’s Discovery TDV6 “outperformed a number of cars in independent real-world pollution tests” due to “impressively low NOx (nitrogen oxides) emissions”.

Responding to the recalls, a JLR spokesperson told the motoring magazine: “Affected vehicles are being rectified to ensure the correct CO2 performance is dependably achieved.

“The modifications made to affected vehicles will be made free of charge and every effort will be made to minimise inconvenience to the customer during the short time required for the work to be carried out.”

What cars are being recalled?

Vehicles fitted with a 2.0-litre petrol or 2.0-litre diesel engine, and which were produced between 2016 and 2019, are affected by the recall, Autocar reports.

Jaguar models covered by the recall programme include the E-Pace and F-Pace SUVs, the XE and XF saloons and the F-Type sports car, the magazine adds.

Land Rover’s line-up, meanwhile, includes the Discovery, Discovery Sport, plus the Range Rover Sport, Evoque and Velar.

What should you do next?

If you own one of the cars being recalled, JLR should be in contact “shortly” to arrange a date for the free repairs, says Which?. Drivers will be asked to go to their nearest dealership or authorised repair centre.

Both software and hardware updates will be carried out on the cars, and some drivers may subsequently experience “minor” changes to vehicle performance, the website says. Owners of petrol cars may notice that their vehicle’s stop/start feature may operate at lower engine temperatures.

Those who are unsure about whether their car is affected by the recall and haven’t been contacted by JLR should ask their local dealership.