Whistleblower in UK court against Jaguar Land Rover — alleges ‘fire risks’ in Range Rover Evoque model

A former Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) engineer has accused the company of telling him not to leave a paper trail after he raised concerns about an alleged fire risk in the Range Rover Evoque, claims that surfaced during an employment tribunal in the UK.

Hazar Denli, who is seeking £3.7 million in compensation, alleges he was unfairly dismissed and blacklisted after raising safety concerns. In a witness statement, Denli said he received a crash-test video in late 2018 that appeared to show a rear subframe piercing the fuel tank of a Range Rover Evoque during a collision.

According to Denli, when he raised the issue with a senior manager, he was instructed not to respond to the email or create any written record of his concerns.

JLR has denied the allegations. Its lawyer told the Birmingham tribunal that the claims were serious but unrelated to the employment dispute and lacked sufficient detail for the company to fully respond.

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Denli’s lawyer argued that the allegations were relevant because they reflected JLR’s approach towards employees who raise safety concerns. The tribunal has not yet ruled on the claims.

Dispute also involves VinFast

The case also centres on Denli’s work with Tata Technologies, an engineering company linked to JLR parent Tata Motors, where he worked on testing vehicles for Vietnamese EV maker VinFast.

Denli alleged that he repeatedly raised concerns about safety issues in VinFast vehicles, including missing bolts and damaged components, but claimed fixes were not implemented due to pressure to speed up production. He also alleged engineers were discouraged from documenting problems in writing.

After returning to JLR in 2024, Denli said he anonymously posted concerns about VinFast vehicles on Reddit because he believed there was a risk to public safety.

JLR denies dismissing him for whistleblowing. The company said it conducted its own investigation and concluded Denli was likely behind the Reddit posts, raising concerns about confidentiality and trust.

The tribunal proceedings are ongoing.

With inputs from agencies.