Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has agreed to pay nearly $650 million to settle lawsuits over its use of illegal engine-control software on diesel vehicles that produced false results on emissions tests, the New York Times reported. The Justice Department sued the company in 2017 over the Environmental Protection Agency’s finding that it had used illegal software that turned off pollution controls under certain driving conditions. The EPA contended that the software enabled the vehicles to pass emissions tests while allowing them to release higher levels of pollutants in normal driving. The settlement, which is expected to be announced on today, includes no admission of guilt by Fiat Chrysler or an EPA finding of wrongdoing. The company will pay $305 million in penalties to the federal government and to the State of California, which also brought suit. As part of the agreement, Fiat Chrysler will recall about 104,000 diesel-powered Ram 1500 trucks and Jeep Grand Cherokee sport utility vehicles from the 2014, 2015 and 2016 model years.
