The first was the VM Motori L630, the North American variant of the A 630 DOHC 3.0L engine, which was used in the Ram 1500 and the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
EcoDiesel engines were made by VM Motori, now a wholly owned subsidiary of Stellantis, and a sister company of Ram and Jeep.
Fiat made VM Motori a wholly owned subsidiary in 2013 when GM was ready to fully divest its stake.
The EPA broadened its investigations into 28 diesel-powered models made by BMW, Stellantis, General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, and Mercedes-Benz.
[15] In January 2017, the EPA and California regulators issued a "Notice of Violation" against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), Ram's parent corporation, citing violations of the Clean Air Act due to changes to vehicle software allowing excessive (and illegal) levels of nitrogen oxides into the air.
"This is a huge difference because there has never been an intention on the part of FCA to create conditions that are designed to defeat the testing process," Marchionne said.
To receive the payment, current owners and lessees had to have a software update to their engine tune that resolved the issue.
In the U.S., Volkswagen had to buy back most of the vehicles under the terms of its 2016 settlement with the government, while Fiat Chrysler was able to repair all of theirs and no buybacks were offered.
"We're betting that a bunch of diesel Ram owners will be using their bragging rights to point out, 'Same engine as in a Maserati, y'know,' " wrote auto journalist John Voelcker.
Among the 80% of its parts that Fiat Chrysler claimed were new included a turbocharger, aluminum cylinder heads with revised intake ports, and an upgraded combustion system.