FCA May Recall 1 Million Vehicles With Tigershark Engine Over High Emissions

Not only does it have a worse reliability record than Ford and GM, but these guys may recall approximately 1 million SUVs over excess emissions.

FCA said in a recent regulatory filing that "vehicles equipped with the 2.4-liter Tigershark engine" are the culprits, and the extent of the pollution isn't clear at the time of writing. Fiat Chrysler "has been working closely with EPA and CARB" as per the Detroit Free Press, and they're trying to find a remedy as well.

Before going any further, let us remember what happened in March 2019. At that time, the third largest U.S. automaker recalled 862,000 vehicles over emissions equipment that allows too many pollutants to escape with the exhaust gas. The nameplates in question were the Dodge Journey and Caliber, Jeep Compass and Patriot, and the Chrysler 200 that was discontinued during the tenure of Sergio Marchionne.

As for the problem, FCA said that the catalytic converters are deteriorating faster than expected. The issue was discovered by the Environmental Protection Agency during a routine test. Obviously enough, U.S. dealers had to replace the cats at no charge to the owners because someone at Fiat Chrysler may have cheaped out on these parts.

Turning our attention back to the current situation, the Tigershark's emissions issue isn't related to the high oil consumption complaints from not that long ago. Also worthy of note, FCA highlights the issue isn't related to the EcoDiesel's 2019 recall.

The question is, how can Fiat Chrysler get itself in such a big mess-up given that the Tigershark has been perfected since the days Fiat acquired Chrysler? It's been so many years that such problems have no place under the hood of these vehicles.

As a brief refresher, the 2.4-liter aspirated four-cylinder engine rolled out in the 2013 Dodge Dart and features MultiAir 2 variable valve timing as well as variable valve lift technology. In the Renegade, for example, this mill develops 180 horsepower and drives the wheels with the help of a nine-speed automatic tranny.