US alleges Fiat Chrysler cheated on emissions

DETROIT – Two people briefed on the matter say that the U.S. government is accusing Fiat Chrysler of violating the Clean Air Act on some of its diesel engines.

The Environmental Protection Agency has scheduled a news conference for Thursday morning to release details of the matter. The people briefed on the matter didn't want to be identified because the formal announcement hasn't been made.

The move comes one day after federal prosecutors announced that Volkswagen would plead guilty to criminal charges and pay a record $4.3 billion penalty for cheating on emissions tests.

UPDATE: FCA issued a statement:

FCA US is disappointed that the EPA has chosen to issue a notice of violation with respect to the emissions control technology employed in the company’s 2014-16 model year light duty 3.0-liter diesel engines.

FCA US intends to work with the incoming administration to present its case and resolve this matter fairly and equitably and to assure the EPA and FCA US customers that the company’s diesel-powered vehicles meet all applicable regulatory requirements.

FCA US diesel engines are equipped with state-of-the-art emission control systems hardware, including selective catalytic reduction (SCR).  Every auto manufacturer must employ various strategies to control tailpipe emissions in order to balance EPA’s regulatory requirements for low nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and requirements for engine durability and performance, safety and fuel efficiency. FCA US believes that its emission control systems meet the applicable requirements.

FCA US has spent months providing voluminous information in response to requests from EPA  and other governmental authorities and has sought to explain its emissions control technology to EPA representatives.  FCA US has proposed a number of actions to address EPA’s concerns, including developing extensive software changes to our emissions control strategies that could be implemented in these vehicles immediately to further improve emissions performance.

FCA US looks forward to the opportunity to meet with the EPA’s enforcement division and representatives of the new administration to demonstrate that FCA US’s emissions control strategies are properly justified and thus are not “defeat devices” under applicable regulations and to resolve this matter expeditiously.


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