cars news 10: EPA Accuses FCA of Emissions Cheating With 3.0L EcoDiesel V-6

Federal regulators have admonished Fiat Chrysler for allegedly failing to disclose engine management software that increases emissions on certain diesel vehicles. The Environmental Protection Agency says FCA violated the Clean Air Act, although the automaker denies wrongdoing.

The allegations cover roughly 104,000 vehicles sold by FCA. These vehicles include 2014, 2015, and 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Ram 1500 trucks with 3.0-liter turbodiesel V-6 engines.

Automakers may install auxiliary emissions control devices in the name of ensuring engine durability. Under law, automakers must report any type of software that can alter how a vehicle emits air pollution. According to the EPA, FCA failed to disclose the existence of these devices during the vehicle certification process.

In a statement, the EPA said it found at least eight pieces of undisclosed software on FCA vehicles. Testing revealed that the vehicles produce increased nitrogen oxide emissions under normal operating conditions, according to the EPA.

“We continue to investigate the nature and impact of these devices,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “All automakers must play by the same rules, and we will continue to hold companies accountable that gain an unfair and illegal competitive advantage.”

In its own statement, FCA says its emissions control systems “meet the applicable requirements.” It also says it has tried to explain its emission technology to the EPA and even proposed software changes to the EPA to further enhance 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,” the automaker said in the statement.

The EPA says it’s still investigating whether the undisclosed pieces of software constitute defeat devices. As you may recall, the EPA busted Volkswagen for using defeat devices, which behave one way under testing conditions and emit more pollution in real-world driving. Just yesterday, it was announced that VW will plead guilty to criminal charges related to the cheating scandal, and that it would pay $4.3 billion in criminal and civil fines.

Source: EPA, FCA