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What is This Claim About?
A £5 billion class action lawsuit accuses Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles of using defeat devices in many of its diesel-engine vehicles, breaching U.K. and EU emissions guidelines.
The defeat devices allow the engine to operate differently in test conditions than in real-world driving situations.
Roughly half a million Fiat-Chrysler vehicles sold in England and Wales since 2008 could be fitted with the defeat devices.
Who’s Eligible?
You may qualify to join the Fiat-Chrylser emissions group claim if you owned or leased a diesel vehicle from:
- Alfa Romeo
- Fiat
- Iveco
- Jeep
- Suzuki
The vehicle must have been first registered between 2008 and 2020.
Consumers who owned multiple vehicles meeting that description are eligible to make multiple claims.
How Much Compensation Will I Receive?
If the case is successful, law firm PGMBM believes qualified Class Members could be entitled to as much as £10,000 per affected vehicle.
The law firm says its goal is to recover the entire cost of the vehicle.
How Do I Join?
Law firm PGMBM is leading the Fiat-Chrysler emissions group claim and is now accepting claimants.
More law firms could be added before the case goes to trial.
A U.K. law firm is seeking claimants in a £5 billion class action lawsuit against Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) after it was discovered the carmaker reportedly used defeat devices in its diesel vehicles.
About half a million Fiat-Chrysler vehicles that were sold in England and Wales could potentially be affected.
Affected vehicle makes include Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Iveco, Jeep and Suzuki models with diesel engines. The affected cars were manufactured between 2008 and 2020.
The specific engines under investigation include Euro 5 and 6 versions of 1.3-litre, 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre Multijet diesel engines, according to Fleet News.
A complete list of the potentially affected vehicles can be found here.
Drivers of those vehicle models could be entitled to compensation of up to £10,000 each, though PGMBM, the law firm leading the case, says it hopes to recover the total cost of each vehicle. That would make Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles’ liability much higher.
Suspicions of Defeat Devices in Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles
Defeat devices allow a vehicle to cheat emissions testing, thereby violating U.K. and EU environmental standards for clean air.
The defeat devices mask emissions levels during testing. But in real-world driving conditions, the system turns off.
Suspicions about the presence of defeat devices in Fiat-Chrysler automobiles first arose in February 2016, when Environmental Action Germany reportedly claimed its testing on a diesel-engine Fiat 500X showed the vehicle produced 11 to 22 times the allowable Euro 6 nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions levels.
Then in September 2016, a European Federation for Transport and Environment report ranked Fiat Euro 6 engines as the worst for NOx emissions in Europe.
In late July 2020, authorities raided Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles and CNH Industrial offices in Germany, Italy and Switzerland as part of the investigation into the use of the defeat devices. At the same time, U.K. authorities requested that two firms in London provide documents.
Eurojust, an EU agency for criminal cooperation that is leading that investigation, reportedly did not name the companies raided. But, FCA and CNH issued statements acknowledging investigators had come to some of their European offices; both companies said they were cooperating with authorities.
Likewise, Eurojust did not specifically name the London firms from which documents were requested, the BBC reported.
“Defeat devices are illegal according to the European Union regulations in place,” a Eurojust statement released at the time of the raids reportedly said. “Vehicles with defeat devices are not approved for road usage in the EU and consumers with such devices installed in their cars face possible driving bans.”
Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles agreed to a £612 million settlement in 2019 to resolve U.S. Justice Department and state of California claims the company used illegal software to produce falsified diesel emissions test results.
“Fiat Chrysler Automobiles have misled drivers about the true diesel emissions that many of their vehicles produce,” a PGMBM managing partner said, according to CityAM. “This is yet another instance of a huge automotive firm conning consumers — with a significant impact on the environment and our collective wellbeing.”
However, Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles has denied any wrongdoing.
“FCA believes this claim to be totally without merit and we will vigorously defend ourselves against it,” a Fiat-Chrysler spokesperson reportedly said.
Defeat Devices and Pollution
Defeat devices are able to detect when a diesel engine is running under test conditions, according to Business Leader. When this is detected, the devices limit the amount of NOx emissions being produced in order to comply with legal regulatory standards.
Under normal, everyday driving conditions, the diesel engine is not prevented from exceeding these standards.
NOx is a contributor to air pollution and respiratory conditions, Business Leader reported, especially in those who are young or vulnerable.
In fact, according to the Royal College of Physicians, illegal air pollution levels result in more than 40,000 premature deaths annually.
High NOx emissions can lead to increased fuel and maintenance costs and can have a negative effect on vehicle performance, according to Business Leader.
‘Dieselgate’
Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles is not alone in fighting accusations of cheating emissions tests.
Volkswagen was the first automaker to face similar accusations when the ‘dieselgate’ scandal broke in 2015.
Since then, the company has paid out tens of billions of pounds in fines and has been under investigation by regulators worldwide.
Most recently in the U.K., the Court of Appeal in August rejected an appeal in the case, allowing the group litigation to continue.
Volkswagen and Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles are joined by Mercedes-Benz and Nissan and Renault in the U.K. in fighting accusations that the companies installed defeat devices on their diesel vehicles.
3 thoughts onFiat-Chrysler Emissions Group Action Open Claim
I had a 57 reg jeep grand cherokee from New until it was written off in 2011. Can I make a claim?
My father drove/leased Fiat’s through motobility (due to my late mum being disabled) for 9 yrs approx
Would my father be entitled to make a claim??
I have a Fiat Ducato Motorhome. Bought in October 2016. Am I eligible to claim please?