CARB settles with FCA for $5.6 million over emission violations

14 October 2022

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) reached a settlement agreement with FCA US for $5,601,090 for violations of CARB’s air quality regulations.

The FCA vehicles involved in the settlement include MY 2012 through 2018 Ram 1500, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles, equipped with 5.7 L gasoline engines. This engine configuration was found to not comply with certification emission standards when it was tested by CARB. More than 30,000 vehicles were involved.

CARB's Notice of Violation, issued in May 2021, alleged that FCA sold 30,601 vehicles that did not meet California in-use NOx emission standards. The emission violations are related to the vehicle’s on-board diagnostic system (OBD II). CARB’s OBD compliance testing of FCA’s 2013 5.7 L Ram 1500 vehicles revealed that the vehicle’s OBD catalyst monitoring system falsely passed a missing bank 2 catalyst during on-road testing, was not robust enough during normal urban vehicle operation to detect all relevant malfunctions, and, therefore, did not comply with the applicable California emission regulations.

FCA cooperated with CARB to resolve all allegations of violating Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Devices regulations. FCA’s settlement includes a $2.8 million civil penalty that will go to CARB’s Air Pollution Control Fund. The remaining $2.8 million will fund a Supplemental Environment Project (SEP) that will help bring more electric school buses to schools in the South Coast Air Basin.

Source: CARB