There are some truly amazing cars on the roads today — like “The Beast”, which is an armored Cadillac limo with 5-inch thick armor that is used to transport the president. Obviously, with 79 million cars being sold worldwide in 2017 alone, most people have more practical cars to drive on a daily basis. But unfortunately for owners of certain Fiat Chrysler vehicles, there has been a massive recall.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has recently announced that they will be recalling 862,520 gasoline-powered vehicles. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), these vehicles do not meet the current emission standards in the United States.
The EPA said the recall has resulted from “in-use emissions investigations conducted by the EPA and in-use testing conducted by FCA as required by EPA regulations.”
The vehicles that are being affected by the recall are models from 2011 to 2016. These models include the 2011-2016 Jeep Compasses and Jeep Patriots, the 2011-2016 Dodge Journeys, the 2011-2014 Chrysler 200s and Dodge Avengers, and the 2011-2012 Dodge Calibers.
The EPA has said that anyone who owns one of these vehicles can continue to drive their vehicle. However, if an owner of one of these vehicles lives in an area with mandatory regular vehicle inspections, they most likely will have to have their recall work completed before their next required inspection. FCA will let these vehicle owners know when they should take their vehicle to a local dealership to have the recall work done.
Because of the large number of vehicles being affected by this recall, the recall will be implemented in phases throughout the year, starting with the oldest vehicles and continuing down the list.
Andrew Wheeler, EPA Administrator, said in a statement, “EPA welcomes the action by Fiat Chrysler to voluntarily recall its vehicles that do not meet U.S. emissions standards. We will provide assistance to consumers navigating the recall and continue to ensure that auto manufacturers abide by our nation’s laws designed to protect human health and the environment.”
FCA claimed the problem was discovered during regular emissions testing, which was then reported to the EPA. And even though the auto body industry is valued at around $42 million, the necessary repairs, which are specific to the catalytic converters, will be free for all of the vehicle owners.
Automakers have been under close watch regarding emissions after Volkswagen confessed it used illegal software to cheat on emission tests for its diesel cars in 2015. More efforts have been made to ensure laboratory tests accurately reflect compliance with emission rules.
