EPA Alleges Fiat Chrysler Cheated Tests Measuring Carbon Pumped Into Atmosphere

The U.S. government will sue Fiat Chrysler Automobiles over software that allowed cars to pass emissions tests while letting out more pollutants than would be allowed.

1 minute read

May 26, 2017, 11:00 AM PDT

By Casey Brazeal @northandclark


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In a suit that echoes an earlier lawsuit against Volvo, the United States is suing Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. "The E.P.A. made its accusation after Volkswagen’s admission that it had used 'defeat device' software to enable its cars to pass emissions tests while spewing far more pollutants than allowed in normal driving," Neal E. Boudette writes for the New York Times.

The dispute has stopped Fiat's sales of diesel trucks. "In 2015 and 2016, the company sold more than 50,000 diesel Ram pickups per year in the United States, making it by far the largest-selling diesel-powered light vehicle in the country," Boudette writes. For its part, Fiat (the company that owns Chrysler and has its headquarters in London) claims that no "deliberate" effort was made to cheat the emissions tests.

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