U.S. government says Fiat Chrysler must offer to buy back 500,000 pickups

Detroit — Fiat Chrysler must offer to buy back from customers more than 500,000 Ram pickup trucks and other vehicles in the biggest such action in U.S. history as part of a costly deal with safety regulators to settle legal problems in about two dozen recalls.

The Italian- American automaker also faces a record civil fine of up to $105 million. In addition, owners of more than a million older Jeeps with vulnerable rear-mounted gas tanks will be able to trade them in or be paid by Chrysler to have the vehicles repaired.

The settlement is the latest sign that auto safety regulators are taking a more aggressive approach toward companies that fail to disclose defects or don’t properly conduct a recall.

The Ram pickups, which are the company’s top-selling vehicle, have defective steering parts that can cause drivers to lose control.

Some previous repairs have been unsuccessful, so Fiat Chrysler agreed to the buyback, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Owners also have the option of getting them repaired, the agency said in documents released Sunday.

The older Jeeps have fuel and the automaker over tanks located behind the rear allegations of misconduct in axle, with little to shield them 23 recalls covering more than in a rear crash. They can rupture 11 million vehicles. and spill gasoline, causing Besides the civil penalty, a fire. At least 75 people which was reported Saturday have died in crash- related by The Associated Press, Fiat fires, although Fiat Chrysler Chrysler agreed to an independent maintains they are as safe as recall monitor and strict comparable vehicles from the federal oversight. It’s another same era. step in NHTSA’s effort to right

Both the Jeep and Ram measures itself after being criticized for are part of a larger settlement lapses in some highly publicized between the government safety recalls.