A “significant” discrepancy in the number of deaths, injuries and other information related to crashes reported by Fiat Chrysler will cost the carmaker $70 million, marking the second million-dollar fine levied against the company in five months.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is expected to hand down the new fine against Fiat Chrysler as soon as Thursday, following the company’s admission in September that it failed to disclose an unspecified number of deaths and injuries, Reuters reports.
Car manufacturers are required under law to report death and injury claims to NHTSA. Those figures allow the regulatory agency to identify potentially fatal and dangerous defects.
NHTSA announced in September that Fiat Chrysler wasn’t following that rule, noting that preliminary information suggested that the “under-reporting is the result of a number of problems with FCA’s systems for gathering and reporting data.”
The agency said at the time that it had notified Fiat Chrysler of the issue and the carmaker reportedly investigated, discovering “significant under-reported notices and claims of death, injuries and other information” that is legally required to be reported.
The manufacturer then pledged “complete remediation” of the issue, noting that the company “takes this issue extremely seriously and will continue to cooperate with NHTSA to resolve this matter and ensure these issues do not re-occur.”
The potential $70 million fine would be the second for Fiat Chrysler this year. In July, the company was fined $105 million for its leisurely pace in fixing more than 11 million vehicles connected to 23 safety recalls.
Exclusive: Fiat Chrysler to pay $70 million auto safety fine [Reuters]
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
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