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FCA to recall nearly 900,000 vehicles that don't meet emissions standards

WASHINGTON — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will recall 862,520 gasoline-powered vehicles in the United States that do not meet U.S. emissions standards, the Environmental Protection Agency said on Wednesday. The recall was prompted by in-use emissions investigations conducted by the EPA and in-use testing conducted by Fiat Chrysler as required by U.S. regulations, the agency said. EPA said it will continue to investigate other Fiat Chrysler vehicles that are potentially noncompliant and may become the subject of future recalls. The recall includes 2011-2016 Dodge Journeys, 2011-2014 Chrysler 200s and Dodge Avengers, 2011-2012 Dodge Calibers and 2011-2016 Jeep Compass/Patriots. Fiat Chrysler said in a statement the EPA announcement "has no safety implications. Nor are there any associated fines." "The issue was discovered by FCA during routine in-use emissions testing and reported to the agency," the company said. "We began contacting affected customers last month to advise them of the needed repairs, which will be provided at no charge." Its U.S.-traded shares were down 1 percent. "EPA welcomes the action by Fiat Chrysler to voluntarily recall its vehicles that do not meet U.S. emissions standards," EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in a statement. "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." Fiat Chrysler owners can continue to drive their vehicles, the government said. Due to the "large number of vehicles involved and the need to supply replacement components — specifically to the vehicle's catalytic converter — this recall will be implemented in phases during the 2019," the EPA said In January, Fiat Chrysler agreed to a settlement worth about $800 million to resolve claims by the U.S. Justice Department and state of California that it used illegal software to produce false results on Ran and Jeep vehicles. But that incident involved diesel engines. It is awaiting the outcome of a criminal probe. The hefty penalty was the latest fallout from the U.S. government's stepped-up enforcement of vehicle emissions rules after Volkswagen AG admitted in September 2015 to intentionally evading emissions rules.

Canadian union Unifor ends strike after tentative deal with Stellantis

Canadian labor union Unifor called off a brief strike that began early on Monday after reaching a tentative agreement with Stellantis over a new labor contract covering more than 8,200 workers. The union had commenced strikes at all Stellantis facilities in the country as talks over a new deal hit a roadblock despite the expiration of a strike deadline on Sunday midnight. A prolonged strike would have hit the production of some of the popular vehicles such as the Dodge Charger and Challenger, which are manufactured in its Brampton assembly plant. North American union workers are seeking higher wages, better work-life balance and job upgrades. Unifor's bargaining team had prioritized discussions around support for its workers in the electric vehicle transition at the plant in Brampton. "A tentative agreement has been reached with Stellantis ending strike action at all Unifor facilities," Unifor said in an email statement, without disclosing any more details. Stellantis was not immediately available for a comment. Unifor's talks in Canada are separate from the United Auto Workers (UAW) union's negotiations in the United States. The UAW and Stellantis reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract on Saturday. Unifor used the "pattern bargaining" approach in its talks with the automakers in Canada and reached ratified deals first with Ford and then General Motors. The deal with GM was reached shortly after 4,300 workers went on strike at three GM facilities in Canada, while the deal with Ford came ahead of a threatened strike. The Canadian operations of the "Detroit Three" are much smaller than their U.S. setups, but all have critical factories in Canada. (Reporting by Abinaya Vijayaraghavan and Shivansh Tiwary in Bengaluru; Editing by Jacqueline Wong, Edwina Gibbs and Arun Koyyur)

NHTSA investigating why Jeep recall fix is taking so long

Jeep's saga with the National Traffic Safety Administration and the voluntary campaign to repair 1.56 million vehicles for allegedly unsafe trailer hitches, is getting yet another chapter. The controversy appeared to finally be over in January when the automaker found a supplier for the replacement parts. Nothing is ever that easy, though, and the government regulator is now requesting documents from the company to clarify why the repairs are taking so long to begin.
Jeep parent company Chrysler has until July 16 to submit documents and answers to NHTSA explaining the situation. The regulator claims that despite its compromise to inspect and repair the models with improper hitches in June 2013, Chrysler didn't find a part supplier until December and didn't order the replacements until January. The government agency believes that the first components weren't manufactured until May of this year and vehicles may not actually be repaired until as late as August. According to the report, if the Chrysler doesn't supply what NHTSA is asking for, the agency could "take additional appropriate action as warranted."
Throughout this entire process, Chrysler has asserted that the vehicles met the applicable crash test standards of the time, and it has kept NHTSA abreast of the repair activity. In a recently released statement it said that the regulator analyzed eight rear impact reconstruction tests and found the replacement hitch to be safe. To keep up with the high demand for replacements, Chrysler is working with multiple suppliers, and they are running three shifts, six days a week to get the parts ready as soon as possible.