December 26, 2023

Cummins to pay record-setting civil penalty for 'defeat devices' in pickup truck engines

Listen at IPB News

Article origination IPB News
Ram Dually Case Work Truck
Working with a Ram 3500 regular cab powered by a diesel engine, the Ram Dually Case Work Truck is finished in Case Bulldozer Orange paint and showcases the utility of the Ram with a construction-industry theme that also calls out the Ram brands ties to Case and the FIAT industrial group. - Joe Wilssens

Ram Dually Case Work Truck Working with a Ram 3500 regular cab powered by a diesel engine, the Ram Dually Case Work Truck is finished in Case Bulldozer Orange paint and showcases the utility of the Ram with a construction-industry theme that also calls out the Ram brands ties to Case and the FIAT industrial group.

Joe Wilssens

Cummins will pay the largest civil penalty in Clean Air Act history for allegedly installing emissions “defeat devices” on hundreds of thousands of pickup truck engines. The news comes as a surprise for a company known for environmental stewardship.

Cummins allegedly installed emissions “defeat devices” on more than 900,000 RAM 2500 and 3500 engines in the past decade. The more than $1.6 billion civil penalty is even larger than the one Volkswagen paid in 2017 for similar violations — though Volkswagen also faced criminal charges.

Jon Mills is Cummins' director of global brand and external communications. He said these so-called “defeat devices” are actually just a defect with the company’s auxiliary emissions control devices — something many engines have.

Mills said the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board discovered the problem in 2019 during the certification process.

“We've seen no evidence that anyone had acted in bad faith and, of course, no wrongdoing. The fact is, we've been working collaboratively over the last four and a half years with the agencies to resolve this matter," he said.

Join the conversation and sign up for the Indiana Two-Way. Text "Indiana" to 73224. Your comments and questions in response to our weekly text help us find the answers you need on statewide issues, including this series on climate change and solutions.

The company already recalled the 2019 model engines and has started recalling models 2013 through 2018.

Cummins aims to be carbon neutral by 2050. Mills said the company has invested $1 billion in clean technologies at its U.S. plants.

Rebecca is our energy and environment reporter. Contact her at rthiele@iu.edu or follow her on Twitter at @beckythiele.

Copyright 2023 IPB News. To see more, visit IPB News.

Support independent journalism today. You rely on WFYI to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Donate to power our nonprofit reporting today. Give now.

 

Related News

Walmart illegally opened delivery drivers' deposit accounts, U.S. says
Greg Taylor replaced as minority leader, Senate Democrats elect Shelli Yoder
Lawmakers approve more money for LEAP District, adds to total that's in hundreds of millions