The Justice Department released new details Wednesday of a settlement with engine maker Cummins Inc. that includes a mandatory recall of 600,000 Ram trucks and requires Cummins to recoup environmental damage caused by illegally installing emissions control software in several thousand vehicles, compromising emissions tests were bypassed.
Cummins is accused of evading emissions testing through devices that can bypass or override emissions controls. The engine maker will pay a $1.675 billion civil penalty to settle claims – which was announced back in December and is the largest ever secured under the Clean Air Act – as well as $325 million for Remedial measures.
That brings Cummins' total fine for the violations to more than $2 billion, according to Wednesday's announcement, which included officials from the U.S. Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency, the California Air Resources Board and the California attorney general in a call with reporters on Wednesday called it a “milestone.”
“This agreement should serve as a lesson: We will not allow greedy corporations to pave their way to success while endangering the health and well-being of consumers and our environment,” said Rob Bonta of the California AG.
Over the course of a decade, hundreds of thousands of Stellantis-made Ram 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks were equipped with Cummins diesel engines that featured bypass engine control software. This includes 630,000 with illegal defeat devices and 330,000 with undisclosed additional emission control devices.
Officials couldn't estimate how many of those vehicles are currently on the road, but Cummins – which claims no wrongdoing – must undergo a nationwide recall of more than 600,000 non-compliant Ram vehicles in addition to previous recall efforts.
Stellantis deferred comment on the case to engine maker Cummins, which said in a statement that Wednesday's actions impose no additional financial obligations than those announced in December. “We look forward to gaining certainty as we conclude this lengthy matter and continue to fulfill our mission of ensuring a more prosperous world,” the statement said.
Cummins also said the engines not being recalled did not exceed emissions limits.
As part of the agreement, Cummins is also expected to support projects to address excess emissions resulting from its actions.
Preliminary estimates suggest that emissions bypassing caused “thousands of tons of excess nitrogen oxide emissions,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said earlier in a prepared statement.
The Clean Air Act, a federal law enacted in 1963 to reduce and control air pollution across the country, requires automobile and engine manufacturers to meet emissions limits to protect the environment and human health.
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AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher contributed.
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Alexa St. John is a climate solutions reporter for the Associated Press. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @ast.john. You can reach her at [email protected].
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