Stellantis fined $4.2 million for diesel Ram emissions fraud

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) and Stellantis (FCA US, LLC) have reached a settlement regarding alleged violations of diesel emissions standards. FCA will pay a $4.2 million fine for violating CARB's emission requirements for certain Ram ProMaster diesel vans.

Here's What We Know

CARB's investigation found that 2014-2016 Ram ProMaster 1500, 2500 and 3500 models with 3.0-litre EcoDiesel I4 diesel engines manufactured by Iveco, were fitted with unapproved devices. Such devices allowed the vehicles to successfully pass environmental tests and resulted in the emission of almost 55 tonnes of excess nitrogen oxides, a pollutant harmful to health.

The $4.2 million compensation amount is divided as follows:

• More than $2 million will go to support the California Air Pollution Control Fund.
• About $2.1 million will go to fund a programme that encourages ocean-going cargo ships to reduce speeds during periods of peak whale migration and ozone depletion.

FCA US has also agreed to recall the vehicles in question to bring their emission control systems into compliance with California's air quality standards.

This is far from the first time FCA has been caught violating environmental regulations. Stellantis' US division settled a dispute with CARB in 2022 over similar issues relating to petrol engines. FCA also pleaded guilty in 2022 to federal charges of criminal conduct related to emissions tampering and agreed to pay fines and penalties totalling $300 million.

Source: Mopar Insiders