California AG Reached Settlement with Fiat Chrysler Over Diesel Emissions Scheme

JANUARY 10, 2019

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, the California Air Resources Board and the U.S. Department of Justice announced a major settlement with automaker Fiat Chrysler over the use of a “defeat device” software system designed to obscure emissions data from its fleet of diesel vehicles. The scheme resulted in vehicles that released far more hazardous air pollutants into the atmosphere than what is legally permissible under the Clean Air Act. The $500 million settlement covers the 13,325 vehicles sold to California consumers that included the fraudulent software.