Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will pay out more than $650 million to settle a case that alleged the automaker had cheated on diesel emissions, according to a report from the Associated Press. Over 100,000 Jeep SUVs and Ram pickup trucks are said to have been involved.
Apparently “a person with the knowledge of the settlement” told the AP tonight that FCA would face “$311 million in fines to the federal government and California regulators” as well as payouts of “$280 million to compensate vehicle owners” plus “$72 million to settle claims made by other states.”
The report states that the owners of affected vehicles should expect “about $2,800” each as part of the civil settlement.
In case you’ve forgotten about FCA’s diesel emissions drama, which first came to light about two years ago: U.S. federal regulators alleged that the automaker was violating the Clean Air Act by running software that skirted emissions testing rules in some 3.0-liter EcoDiesel powered Jeep Grand Cherokees and Ram 1500s made between 2014 and 2016.
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From our own David Tracy’s 2017 writeup on the case:
FCA’s suit appears to differ from VW’s scandal in that VW’s defeat device actually sensed when the vehicle was being tested by the government on a dyno, and turned up emissions controls accordingly. FCA, on the other hand, appears to have optimized its emissions controls software to the EPA’s drive cycles too narrowly, and not focused on keeping emissions down in off-cycle, normal on-road conditions.
As it stands, FCA has not admitted any wrongdoing. As the AP reports: “The company has said its software met all legal requirements and it didn’t intend to break the law.” FCA did not immediately reply to my email for comment.
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The initial lawsuit from the DOJ was looking for $4 billion, compared to that figure FCA got off easy. the settlement will supposedly be announced officially by the U.S. Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday.
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