The Environmental Protection Agency onThursday accused automaker Fiat Chrysler of violating the Clean Air Act by using software to cheat on its emissions tests.
The EPA sent the automaker a formal notice of violation that says the EPA believes it violated the law by not disclosing engine-management software in model year 2014, 2015 and 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokees and Dodge Ram 1500 trucks that are equipped with 3.0 liter diesel engines.
EPA said it is still investigating whether the software is an illegal “defeat device,” but it said not disclosing that type of engine-control software is an illegal act under the law.
“Failing to disclose software that affects emissions in a vehicle’s engine is a serious violation of the law, which can result in harmful pollution in the air we breathe,” said Cynthia Giles, the EPA’s head of enforcement. “We continue to investigate the nature and impact of these devices. All automakers must play by the same rules, and we will continue to hold companies accountable that gain an unfair and illegal competitive advantage.”
The Fiat Chrysler announcement would affect just over 100,000 vehicles. EPA said Fiat Chrysler may be liable for civil penalties and injunctive relief for the violations listed in the notice of violation. The company’s stock price plunged 12 percent on the news as of noon.
The announcement came less than 24 hours after the EPA joined with Attorney General Loretta Lynch and the FBI to announce criminal indictments against six Volkswagen senior executives for knowingly attempting to violate the Clean Air Act with “defeat device” software affecting about 600,000 vehicles sold in the U.S. Volkswagen pleaded guilty to three criminal charges and was directed to pay a $4.3 billion fine and civil penalty, which is the highest ever given to an automaker.
The announcement also came one day after President-elect Trump held his first press conference in which he praised Fiat Chrysler for opening up a new factory in the U.S. “You saw yesterday, Fiat Chrysler, big, big factory going to be built in this country as opposed to another country,” the president-elect said.
