Cummins Inc. will pay federal and California regulators $1.675 billion to settle a 4 1/2-year-old case over emissions-defeating devices on engines in 630,000 Dodge Ram pickup trucks.
The engine manufacturer also allegedly installed undisclosed auxiliary emission control devices on 330,000 model year 2019 to 2023 Ram 2500 and 3500 pickup truck engines. Such parts or software bypass, defeat or render inoperative emissions controls such as emission sensors and onboard computers.
The civil penalty is the largest ever related to violations of the Clean Air Act. It trails only the $2.8 billion criminal penalty that Volkswagen AG was fined in 2017 in the “Dieselgate” emissions-cheating scandal.
Cummins admits no wrongdoing
Cummins admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement. An internal investigation found no one at the company acted in bad faith, Cummins spokesman Jon Mills said. The company will take a $2.04 billion charge in the fourth quarter. That will cover the fine and future expenses, including software updates on 2013-2018 Ram engines.
It earlier set aside $59 million to cover the recall cost of the 2013-2018 engines.
“The company unlawfully altered hundreds of thousands of engines to bypass emissions tests in violation of the Clean Air Act,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a news release.
“The types of devices we allege that Cummins installed in its engines to cheat federal environmental laws have a significant and harmful impact on people’s health and safety,” Garland said.
The case dates to 2019. That’s when Cummins began reviewing its emissions certification and compliance process for its pickup truck applications after questions from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The questions involved the diesel engine powering the 2019 Ram 2500 and 3500 trucks.
“Defeat devices on some Cummins engines have caused them to produce thousands of tons of excess emissions of nitrogen oxides. The cascading effect of those pollutants can, over long-term exposure, lead to breathing issues like asthma and respiratory infections,” Garland said.
Cummins said it cooperated with the Justice Department, CARB and other agencies throughout the 4 ½-year investigation.
“We are looking forward to concluding this matter,” Mills told FreightWaves. “Cummins has reduced emissions by 95% over the past 20 years and we are committed to a zero-emissions future.”
Ralph Isom
Really, all this does is pass the cost along to the end consumer. The next few years the price of anything with a Cummins engine will be outrageous. Maybe ford motor company will enjoy that. They haven’t produced a diesel engine without issues since the 7.3 powerstroke. I would say ram trucks with a Cummins engine have put a hurting on their truck sales. No matter what ,the people end up paying more.