Chrysler-Dodge EcoDiesel Class Deal Worth Up to $300M OK’d

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. will pay up to $308 million to car owners alleging that its diesel cars were made to cheat emissions tests under a class settlement that won preliminary approval Feb. 11.

The car maker has a strong incentive to ensure that there is a high participation rate, Judge Edward M. Chen wrote for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Under consent decrees negotiated simultaneously with the U.S. and California, substantial penalties kick in if there isn’t a participation rate over 85 percent in two years, the court said.

The settlement covers about 100,000 ...