Renault "has committed to recalling a certain number of vehicles, 15,000 vehicles, to check them and adjust them correctly so that the filtration system works" in all temperatures, Segolene Royal said on RTL radio.
"New cars must meet the norms," she said, adding that the adjustment could be quickly done. "To correctly adjust an engine takes half a day," she added.
Renault promised Monday to come up with a "technical plan" over coming weeks to bring down harmful emissions from its vehicles after a government-appointed commission said its diesel cars failed pollution tests.
Renault sales director Thierry Koskas insisted the company was not cheating but acknowledged a problem had emerged between test and real road conditions.
"In test conditions, we respect emissions norms," he said, presenting the group's 2015 results.
"But when we are no longer in test conditions, there is indeed a difference between real conditions and control conditions, that is a fact," he said.