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FCA EcoDiesel Scandal May End in Guilty Plea and Financial Penalties of $300 Million

In the wake of the Dieselgate scandal, VW has opened the eyes of many government agencies. Many other instances of emissions cheating from many other automakers have been exposed, and the story doesn’t end here, oh no! In a move unrelated to Dieselgate, three German automakers colluded to curb the use of diesel emissions cleaning technology.
FCA 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 engine 10 photos
Photo: Ram
Ram 1500 3.0-liter EcoDiesel instrument clusterRam 1500 3.0-liter EcoDiesel turbo diesel engineRam 1500 3.0-liter EcoDiesel turbo diesel engineJeep 3.0-liter EcoDiesel turbo diesel engineJeep 3.0-liter EcoDiesel turbo diesel engineRam HD 6.7-liter Cummins turbo diesel engineRam HD 6.7-liter Cummins turbo diesel engineRam HD 6.7-liter Cummins turbo diesel engineRam HD 6.7-liter Cummins turbo diesel engine
Not even Fiat Chrysler Automobiles could say no to emissions fraud, which is why the American company is nearing a $300-million settlement with the U.S. Justice Department. According to Reuters, FCA lawyers and DOJ officials are currently brokering a guilty plea deal that may be made public next month.

Both Stellantis, the company that controls Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and the U.S. Justice Department have declined to comment on this matter. The multi-year emissions fraud concerns the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 turbo diesel in the Ram 1500 full-size pickup truck and Jeep Grand Cherokee full-size utility vehicle. Roughly 100,000 vehicles have allegedly evaded emissions requirements, vehicles produced from 2014 to the 2016 model year.

Reuters understands that an FCA employee prepares to face trial next year on charges of misleading regulators about pollution from the EcoDiesel-powered 1500 and Grand Cherokee. According to Italian authorities, which arrested a different employee last month, certain Fiat Chrysler Automobiles employees have conspired to install defeat devices to demonstrate compliance with federal regulations during emissions tests. These vehicles pollute beyond legal limits on public roads, and turbo diesels are particularly unpleasant because they emit more NOx than a gasoline-powered vehicle. Yikes indeed...

Nitrogen oxides have direct effects on our health, ranging from a simple headache to seriously bad conditions of the lungs. As far as the surrounding environment is concerned, NOx damages ecosystems by reacting with the oxygen in the air to produce ozone. As if that wasn’t bad enough, NOx plus H2O equals nitric acid, which is irritating and corrosive to human tissues.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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