US Justice Department sues Fiat Chrysler for cheating emissions tests
The US Justice Department has filed a civil lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) that accuses the company of using software to skirt emissions regulations. The lawsuit focuses on 2014–2016 model FCA diesel vehicles, including Jeep Grand Cherokee models and Dodge Ram 1500 trucks.
Reports of possible emissions cheating by FCA date back to April of last year. German outlet Bild am Sonntag reported that the country’s regulators suspected that, like Volkswagen, FCA might be cheating on emissions, but using a different approach. In Volkswagen’s case, the company used “defeat device” software that recognized when the car was being tested for emissions. The software changed, on demand, how the engine operated in order to meet those…