FCA’s Ram Trucks Allegedly Used Two Emission Cheating Devices

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In stop-and-go driving, the 2007 vehicle performed active regeneration 10 times the frequency allowed in the federal emissions test

Things are not going well for FCA in sales and internally also. The company sales are not good in some of the countries and along with that problem inside the company is causing huge headache for the top officials. Last year, a customer filed a law suite against FCA and Cummins over an engine issue which was supplied by Cummins for Ram Trucks.

These trucks were fitted with at least two cheating devices which can result in higher emissions and low mileage and as time goes by these systems will stop working which could results in expensive repair for the engine. One of the cheating devices can identify if the vehicle is dynometer and could give lower emissions which will help it to pass the tests easily but in real world conditions these could produces higher emissions.

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RAM-trucks-fitted-with-cheating-devices-1The second device is with the diesel particulate filter as the location of NOx adsorber catalyst is in fornt of diesel particulate filter so passive regeneration does not occur often enough to allow the trucks to operate reliably without active regenerations. The law firm of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, which proved that these vehicles come with defeat devices as they conducted different tests to find out the difference in emissions.

According to the law suit, Cummins introduced a defeat device to dramatically increase the active regeneration frequency. In stop-and-go driving, the 2007 vehicle performed active regeneration 15.8 percent of the vehicle miles travelled, 10 times the frequency allowed in the federal emissions test.

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RAM-trucks-fitted-with-cheating-devices-2The law suit claims that both Cummins and FCA known about the cheating devices as they committed fraudulent concealment, false advertising and violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. These companies also cheated consumers by selling noncompliant polluting vehicles, knowingly profiting from the dirty diesels and using fraudulently gained emissions credits from the EPA to use on further production of high-polluting vehicles.

FCA head of communications, Gualberto Ranier earlier denied that the company didn’t use cheating devices in the vehicles.  But Sergio Marchionne, CEO of FCA was not happy with the response and he said in email to Ranier that “Are you out of your goddam (sic) mind?” and his actions were “utterly stupid and unconscionable”. This email confirms that the company used defeated devices. In the coming months, more details will be revealed and after Volkswagen, FCA will be the next to join the list of diesel emission scandal.