Summary: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has accused Fiat Chrysler of hiding their diesel emissions levels with undetected software.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency started a probe into other automobile makers after the investigation into Volkswagen AG turned up their emissions problems. Now the EPA is accusing Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV of hiding software that made the excess diesel emissions undetected.
The maximum fine is at $4.6 billion, causing Fiat Chrysler shares to plummet. The accusation affects 104,000 trucks and SUVs sold since 2014 in the U.S, only about one-sixth of the number of Volkswagen vehicles affected.
The EPA and California Air Resources Board accused Fiat Chrysler of creating undeclared auxiliary emissions control software allowing vehicles to produce excessive pollution that would not be detected when in test mode.
Fiat Chrysler Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne adamantly denies any wrongdoing and that the company never sought to cheat emissions tests by creating hidden software. He said in conference call that he would have liked the EPA to come to them instead of making the announcement, comparing their investigation to Volkswagens.
Marchionne continued, “The way that it has been described, I think, has been unfair to FCA, and this is the thing that disturbs me most. We don’t belong to a class of criminals. We’re not trying to break the bloody law.” They have no plan to stop selling 2016 U.S. diesel models.
The EPA is cracking down on all automakers, investigating several others right now as well. In the EPA investigation into FCA, they claim to have found eight undisclosed pieces of software, only one of which they recalled for.
The VW scandal is still being settled with the company agreeing today to pay $4.3 billion in criminal and civil fines. They also plead guilty to three felonies related to misleading regulators and selling polluting vehicles. Should FCA be found guilty of violating emissions rules, they may be required to pay $44,539 per vehicle.
Do you think Fiat Chrysler cheated just like VW in order to cut costs and cheat the system? Tell us your prediction in the comments below.
To learn more about the VW scandal, read these articles:
- Settlement Reached in Volkswagen Emissions Cheating Case
- Volkswagen Will Pay $15 Billion for Emissions Cheating
- Volkswagen’s Legal Troubles Nowhere Near an End
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org