The EPA is claiming that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is using emission control devices on the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500 to help them pass emissions tests.
The dust still hasn’t settled from VW’s diesel scandal, but now another automaker may be using similar software in the U.S. to get its diesel vehicles to pass emissions requirements. The EPA is claiming that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is using emission control devices on the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500 to help them pass emissions tests.
According to the EPA, 2014-2016 Ram 1500s and Jeep Grand Cherokees with the 3.0-liter turbodiesel engine feature engine management software that make the vehicles perform differently when being tested than they would during normal use. FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne was quick to respond to the EPA’s claims, by calling the report “unnecessarily maligned.”
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The EPA says that software allows the two FCA vehicles to emit excess amounts of nitrogen oxide, at levels that are higher than allowed. Although the EPA is still saying that the vehicles have unique software to cheat the emissions tests, the EPA is also challenging FCA to prove that the two vehicles aren’t equipped with actual devices, like VW. According to Marchionne, the vehicles do have devices that make them perform differently to protect the engine in particular circumstances when the engine was under load.
Marchionne is denying the EPA’s claims and as of right now the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500 with the 3.0L diesel have not been certified for the 2017 model year. During certification tests for the 2017 models, the EPA discovered that both vehicles were equipped with eight auxiliary emission control devices (AECDs). According to Marchionne, FCA has the software to fix the issue and has been trying to resolve the issue with the EPA since 2015.
If FCA does figure out a software update and gets the EPA to approve it, the automaker could face fines as high as $44,539 per vehicle sold.
Source: Automotive News
