DETROIT -- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is considering a recall of about 1 million vehicles in the U.S. equipped with the company's 2.4-liter Tigershark engine because they may emit excess tailpipe emissions.
FCA said the excess emissions were discovered during internal, routine testing and that it has notified the EPA of the potential issue, according to a quarterly filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The automaker said it is working to identify affected vehicles and a potential remedy.
"Upon completion of this work, we intend to review our proposed solution with the EPA and will likely initiate a recall campaign," FCA said in the filing.
The Tigershark engine was launched in the 2013 model year and is available on five of FCA's 21 light-duty vehicle lines, the automaker said. In some cases, such as the Fiat 500X subcompact crossover, the engine has been replaced with a newer turbocharged option.
The engines are equipped on certain Jeep Cherokee SUVs, Compass and Renegade crossovers and the discontinued Chrysler 200 midsize car and Dodge Dart compact car. Specific makes and model years that would be included in the recall were not listed in the filing.
FCA spokesman Eric Mayne said the automaker has been working closely with the EPA and the California Air Resources Board on a group of vehicles equipped with the engines.
"As this population ages, some vehicles exceed in-use emission requirements, depending on the drive cycle and mileage," Mayne said Thursday in a statement to Automotive News.
The automaker is conducting tests to develop a repair, which must be approved by the agencies, and will notify customers when the free service is available.
"The scope of any emissions recall will be determined when our work with the agencies is concluded," Mayne said. "A recall will not affect new vehicles being produced or those in dealer inventory."
Mayne said this is not a safety issue, and there are not any enforcement actions against FCA. It is not related to any other emissions problem, he said.
Emissions recalls are not uncommon, the automaker said. In a report released last year, the EPA found 86 recalls for emissions-related defects, affecting roughly 4.9 million light-duty vehicles in 2017.
"Light-duty emission standards are the most stringent of any sector and light-duty vehicles have the most sophisticated and complex emission control systems, including on-board diagnostic systems that are integrated with other computer-controlled systems within a vehicle," the EPA said in the report.
"Given this greater complexity, there is a greater opportunity for defects to occur," the agency said.
EPA spokeswoman Enesta Jones confirmed in an email to Automotive News that FCA has committed to the agency that it will voluntarily recall the affected vehicles. FCA and the agency “have been meeting on a regular basis throughout this process to evaluate their progress and [the] EPA has performed testing to validate the proposed remedies,” she said.
The agency said it does not comment on potential or ongoing enforcement action.
A spokesman for California Air Resources Board told Automotive News on Thursday the agency is engaged in “a pending administrative corrective action with FCA regarding this engine.”
The disclosure was reported by the Detroit Free Press and several other news outlets on Wednesday.
