Domestic sales of diesel-powered light-duty Ram trucks and Grand Cherokees have “essentially stopped” due to an emissions issue that prompted the Environmental Protection Agency to file a lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles on Tuesday, according to The New York Times.
The company has been unable to sell light-duty diesel vehicles in the United States for the current model year because the EPA has not certified that they meet emissions regulations, according to the Times. Heavy-duty diesel sales continue and have never been interrupted.
Before any resumption of sales, the EPA would have to test and approve the new engine software that the company has developed, a process that could take weeks or months.
The federal government filed a lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles on Tuesday, accusing it of using illegal engine-control software to enable its diesel-powered vehicles to pass emissions tests.
The filing occurred days after Fiat Chrysler proposed a modification to the software to ensure correct test results in hopes of resolving the issue.
The full story is here.