- Roughly half of the fine will go into California’s Air Pollution Control Fund.
- Stellantis has previously paid hundreds of millions of dollars in fines over defeat devices.
- Impacted models include the Ram ProMaster, 1500, 2500, and 3500 pickup trucks.
Stellantis will cough up $4.2 million to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) as several of its vehicles found to be producing emissions beyond the allowable limits. Local authorities have revealed certain models were installed with unapproved devices to circumvent emissions controls, spewing almost 55 tons of excess nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere.
The models targeted by CARB were the 2014-2016 Ram ProMaster, Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500, all of which have 3.0-liter diesel engines. In addition to copping a hefty fine, Stellantis will recall and modify the vehicles to ensure they comply with Californian regulations.
Read: Stellantis And Cummins Sued Again For Diesel Truck Emissions, This Time In Arizona
Of the $4.2 million fine, a touch over $2 million serves as a civil penalty that will go into California’s Air Pollution Control Fund. Reuters reports that the remaining $2.1 million will benefit a fund that incentivizes cargo vessels to slow down during peak whale and ozone seasons.
Stellantis has been dealing with the fallout of using emissions-cheating devices in the US for several years. At the start of 2019, the company agreed to pay a $305 million civil penalty for using illegal and undisclosed software on 2014-2016 Ram 1500 and Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles fitted with its 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6. It also agreed to recall and repair more than 100,000 vehicles across the country. All up, Stellantis spent roughly $800 million to resolve the issue.
The company’s troubles didn’t stop there. In August 2022, it struck a plea deal with the Justice Department and agreed to pay a $96.1 million fine and forfeit $203.6 million for its diesel emissions-cheating saga.
Stellantis has also faced the repercussions of selling petrol vehicles that don’t comply with emissions standards. Two years ago, it was forced to pay $5.6 million in California after it was found more than 30,000 2012-2018 Ram 1500, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Dodge Durango models had 5.7-liter V8s that didn’t comply with state standards.
