(Bloomberg) -- Of the 23 Fiat Chrysler recalls that U.S.regulators investigated, three were so dangerous that thegovernment invoked its most potent power: requiring the company tobuy back the vehicles.

Owners of hundreds of thousands of pickups and SUVs will be ableto get rid of their trucks and get cash. In addition, owners ofabout 1 million older Jeeps with exposed fuel tanks could be ableto trade them in for $1,000 above fair market value toward anotherFiat Chrysler vehicle.

“Consumers are at the heart of this enforcement action,” U.S.Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said. “Automakers have aheavy responsibility to make sure their vehicles are safe.”

Forcing automakers to repurchase defective vehicles is a rarelyused requirement by regulators and hasn’t been invoked on thisscale in decades. The move is part of a corrective action and $105million penalty against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV announcedSunday following a Transportation Department investigation into howthe company handled fixes on 23 recalls involving more than 11million cars and trucks.

The Fiat Chrysler agreement is the largest penalty ever imposedby the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which isstepping up enforcement efforts following criticism that it hasacted too slowly on other auto recalls.

The vehicles subject to repurchase -- mostly Ram pickups -- havedefective suspension parts could cause a loss of control, accordingto the NHTSA. The truck owners will be able to receive the originalpurchase price, minus depreciation, plus 10 percent, according tothe agreement.

60 percent

Fiat Chrysler estimates more than 60 percent of the estimated500,000 vehicles involved have already been repaired, leaving fewerthan 200,000 eligible for a buy back. The company expects to repairand resell any purchased vehicles, recovering some of thosecosts.

NHTSA compelled Fiat Chrysler to repurchase the vehicles becausethe agency wasn’t confident in the company’s plans to fix thedefect, Mark Rosekind, the agency’s current chief, said Monday.

The agency hasn’t been able to verify Fiat Chrysler’s estimatesfor how many vehicles haven’t yet been repaired, NHTSA spokesmanGordon Trowbridge said. The company’s inability to track recallsaccurately was one of the key issues in a July 2 hearing, and thatled to restarting one of the Ram pickup repair campaigns, hesaid.

“The consent order provides the buyback option for thosevehicles that have not been remedied,” Trowbridge said. “How manyvehicles fit that description is unclear.”

Comparable action

The only comparable action in scale occurred in 1981, when140,000 Fiat 124 sedans were eligible for buy back because ofundercarriage corrosion that affected the cars’ suspensions,according to the Center for Auto Safety.

In the latest order, Fiat Chrysler will notify vehicle ownerseligible for buy backs and other financial incentives about theiroptions. The offer is for various model-year 2003 to 2012 Rams,plus some Aspen, Dakota, and Durango vehicles.

Other options are available for owners of Jeep models subject toa gas-tank recall. For owners of 1993 to 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokees,consumers who want to keep their vehicles will get a $100 gift cardas an incentive to do the repair. Owners of those models may beeligible for the trade in to be applied to another Fiat Chryslervehicle or service.

Owners of other vehicles, including the 1999-2004 GrandCherokees and the 2002-2007 Jeep Liberty, will get the giftcards.

Customers haven’t come in looking to trade in or sell backvehicles, according to John Powell, service manager at KernersvilleChrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in North Carolina.

'Too new'

“It’s too new,” Powell said. “Typically, we don’t start hearingfrom customers until they receive official word in the mail fromFCA that their specific model or car might be affected.”

Consumers can determine whether their vehicles are covered byone of the recalls under investigation can visit NHTSA’s recallwebsite, safercar.gov, which lists makes and models forthe 23 recalls.

NHTSA’s moves fell short for a consumer advocate who had beenpushing for the agency to compel Fiat Chrysler to also buy back theJeeps. Consumers need more protection from these vehicles, whichhave been involved in fatal fires when struck from behind, saidClarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety.

Lemon laws

Jeep owners will only be able to get a credit that they’ll haveto spend at the dealer, either on a new model or on services theymay not want, Ditlow said. That part of the agreement isn’t as muchas consumers typically get under various state lemon laws, hesaid.

“The mission is to get the defective vehicles off the road,”Ditlow said. “If you don’t, you’ve failed.”

In additional to the cash penalty, Fiat Chrysler was ordered tospend at least $20 million to meet NHTSA’s performancerequirements. That can include the costs of buying backvehicles.

Fiat Chrysler said in a statement Monday total costs forbuy-backs and reimbursements to Jeep owners won’t be material toits financial results.

The company, whose North American operations are based in AuburnHills, Michigan, acknowledged three violations of U.S. auto-safetylaws in a statement Sunday. It also said it accepted the need toimprove its handling of recalls and re-establish trust with itscustomers.

Latest penalty

The penalty is the latest in a series of record-breaking fines.The $70 million cash portion of Fiat Chrysler’s penalty is equal toone that Honda Motor Co. paid last year.

NHTSA stepped up its enforcement efforts after criticism that itacted too slowly on reports about failed General Motors Co.ignition switches that caused air bags to lose power. The agencyfaced similar complaints over its response to reports that air bagssupplied by Takata Corp. could explode, sending shrapnel towardfront-seat occupants.

“We finally have someone in charge of the agency who likes toenforce the law,” said Joan Claybrook, a longtime Washington-basedconsumer advocate who headed NHTSA in the 1970s. “I’m really happyto see it’s being used to protect the public.”

Fiat Chrysler agreed to unprecedented oversight for the nextthree years. This includes hiring an independent monitor approvedby NHTSA to assess, track and report the company’s recallperformance.

“We’re trying to get the best out of each one of theseagreements,” Rosekind said. “They’re building on each other.”

--With assistance from Mark Clothier in Southfield, Michigan andPatrick Ralph in New York.

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