Some auto manufacturers have made it a habit to cheat emissions and put automobiles on the road that violate various environmental regulations, including the Clean Air Act. The most egregious example was the case of Volkswagen, which resulted in billions of U.S. dollars in penalties and others costs.
More recently, the United States Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the State of California reached a settlement with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V., FCA US LLC and affiliates (Fiat Chrysler) for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act from 2014 to 2016.
According to the EPA information sheet, Fiat agreed to:
… implement a recall program to repair more than 100,000 noncompliant diesel vehicles sold or leased in the United States, offer an extended warranty on repaired vehicles, and pay a civil penalty of $305 million to settle claims of cheating emission tests and failing to disclose unlawful defeat devices … [t]he recall and federal mitigation programs are estimated to cost up to $185 million. In a separate settlement with California, Fiat Chrysler will pay an additional $19 million to mitigate excess emissions from more than 13,000 of the noncompliant vehicles in California. In addition, in a separate administrative agreement with the United States Customs and Border Protection, Fiat Chrysler will pay a $6 million civil penalty to resolve allegations of illegally importing 1,700 noncompliant vehicles.