EPA accuses Fiat Chrysler of secretly using software that allowed higher diesel emissions
A day after Volkswagen agreed to pay $4.3 billion in penalties for using software to cheat on emissions tests, another automaker is being accused of secretly using software that allowed excess smog-producing emissions.
The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday issued a notice of rule violation (PDF) to Fiat Chrysler for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act, according to a press release. The New York Times, the Washington Post, Reuters and USA Today have stories.
The software was installed on about 104,000 light-duty diesel vehicles with 3.0 liter engines for model years 2014 through 2016, the EPA says. The software was installed, with some exceptions, in the Dodge Ram 1500 and the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
As a result of the software, the vehicles don’t conform to specifications, according to the EPA notice.
The company said in a statement that its diesel vehicles “meet all applicable regulatory requirements” and emissions controls “are not ‘defeat devices’ under applicable regulations.” The company said it has offered to change its software to address EPA concerns, and it intends to work with the incoming administration to “resolve this matter fairly and equitably.”
