Fiat Chrysler Automobiles agreed to pay a $70 million fine, accept three years of close oversight by an independent monitor and buy back thousands of pickup trucks as part of a far-reaching consent agreement to settle a U.S. government probe into 23 safety recalls since 2009.
The terms of the agreement signal an effort by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to transform a company that it has viewed a laggard on safety issues into a champion of safety and compliance. They could also set a new bar against which other automakers are measured, magnifying the effects of the deal beyond Fiat Chrysler’s U.S. headquarters.
