Fiat Chrysler recalls 965,000 US and Canadian vehicles exceeding excess emissions

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV will recall about 965,000 gasoline vehicles in the United States and Canada that do not meet emissions standards and replace their catalytic converters, officials said Wednesday.

The recall, previously reported by Reuters, was triggered by in-use emissions investigations by the Environmental Protection Agency and by tests in use by Fiat Chrysler, as required by US regulations, said the agency.

EPA has announced that it will continue to research other potentially non-compliant Fiat Chrysler vehicles that may be subject to subsequent recalls.

The recall involves nearly 863,000 US vehicles and 103,000 Canadian vehicles, Fiat Chrysler said.

The recall includes the 2011-2016 Dodge Journeys, the 2011-2014 Chrysler 200s and Dodge Avengers, the 2011-2012 Dodge Calibers and the 2011-2016 Jeep Compbad / Patriots.

Fiat Chrysler said in a statement that the announcement of the EPA "has no impact on safety, nor is there any badociated fine."

The automaker said that testing vehicles on the road showed a deterioration in performance of catalytic converters. The company declined to estimate the cost of the recall, but simply stated that it had accounted for these costs in the fourth quarter of 2018.

"The problem was discovered by FCA during routine tests of emissions in use and reported to the agency," the company said. "We started contacting the affected customers last month to inform them of the necessary repairs, which will be provided free of charge."

Its shares traded in the United States have lost nearly 1%.

The EPA Administrator, Andrew Wheeler, said the agency had welcomed the voluntary recall.

Fiat Chrysler owners can continue to drive their vehicles, the government said.

The EPA said the recall would be phased this year due to the large number of vehicles involved and the need to find catalytic converter reserves.

According to the California Air Resources Board (CARB), 50,000 California vehicles must be repaired, otherwise drivers "will not be able to register their vehicles."

California and Fiat Chrysler said the vehicles emit nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution above regulatory limits. California said "Fiat Chrysler's own data and test results have confirmed that the catalytic converters of these vehicles are not functioning properly."

NOx emissions in California contribute largely to ozone pollution and fine particle pollution, badociated with asthma visits in emergency rooms, to increase the number of hospitalizations for exacerbated heart and lung diseases and other serious health problems, said CARB.

In January, Fiat Chrysler had agreed to a settlement worth about $ 800 million to resolve claims by the US Department of Justice and the State of California that it had used illegal software to produce false results in diesel emission tests. He is waiting for the outcome of a criminal investigation.

The hefty penalty was the latest consequence of the US government's stricter enforcement of vehicle emissions rules after Volkswagen AG admitted in September 2015 to have intentionally evaded emissions rules.