Jeep Grand Cherokees and Ram 1500s from the 2014 through 2016 model years with 3.0-liter diesel engines may have emission-control equipment that violates the Clean Air Act, the EPA alleged Thursday. The regulator would not go as far as to say Fiat Chrysler Automobiles used a ?defeat device,? the term for software used by Volkswagen to deliberately trick emissions tests, but instead said that FCA failed to disclose engine-management software in the vehicles and slapped the automaker with a Notice of Violation (NOV).
The EPA?s NOV stems from expanded testing that began in September 2015. The regulator alleges that the FCA vehicles in question had at least eight undisclosed auxiliary emission control devices, or AECDs, that reduced the effectiveness of emission controls when driving at high speeds or during extended driving. That means the vehicles emit what the EPA defines as a harmful level of nitrogen oxides, or NOx. About 104,000 vehicles are affected by the allegations. ?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, assistant administrator for the EPA?s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. ?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.?
Giles told ...