401
submitted 9 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

Engine maker Cummins Inc. will recall 600,000 Ram trucks as part of a settlement with federal and California authorities that also requires the company to remedy environmental damage caused by illegal software that let it skirt diesel emissions tests.

New details of the settlement, reached in December, were released Wednesday. Cummins had already agreed to a $1.675 billion civil penalty to settle claims – the largest ever secured under the Clean Air Act – plus $325 million for pollution remedies.

That brings Cummins’ total penalty to more than $2 billion, which officials from the Justice Department, Environmental Protection Agency, California Air Resources Board and the California Attorney General called “landmark” in a call with reporters Wednesday.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social 50 points 9 months ago

I wonder if the fix will nerf the engines like the VW diesels.

[-] DemBoSain@midwest.social 51 points 9 months ago

I don't see how it could NOT affect power output.

But the thing about recalls is they're completely voluntary. You don't have to bring your truck in to have it fixed.

[-] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 51 points 9 months ago

And these are Ram drivers. Like a quarter of them have probably already modified their pavement princess to roll coal.

[-] chronicledmonocle@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

Not in California. They wouldn't be able to drive it due to annual emissions checks.

[-] aniki@lemm.ee 8 points 9 months ago

You think these guys are too dumb to pass inspection?

[-] chronicledmonocle@lemmy.world 20 points 9 months ago

Have you met the average Ram driver? They're usually too inebriated to have coherent thoughts.

[-] n2burns@lemmy.ca 7 points 9 months ago

They didn't say "smart". The bar for being able to pass inspection on your vehicle is pretty low!

[-] doctorcrimson@lemmy.today 1 points 9 months ago

So how does that work, there is a truck auditor of some sort?

[-] chronicledmonocle@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

Every year in states that have safety and emissions testing, you have to bring your vehicle in to be inspected before you can renew your license plate/window tags to be registered to drive on the road. If you fail inspection, you need to remedy the issue and get tested again. You can't drive the vehicle without registration, so you have to correct it or risk fines for driving with expired registration. Inspections are usually $5-15 in most states.

[-] Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 28 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Inspection stations in California will probably check the recall status so that will at least cover that for the State concerned by it.

[-] DemBoSain@midwest.social 2 points 9 months ago

I have no idea what the penalty is, but I expect these trucks would fail any 'rigorous' emissions test.

[-] Starbuck@lemmy.world 0 points 9 months ago

This stuff can be programmed into the ECU so that it is a switch that you flip.

[-] Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 2 points 9 months ago

In that specific case it's different since it's something from the manufacturer and not an aftermarket reprogramming, but yes the owners could simply turn around and get an aftermarket setup instead.

[-] MaxVoltage@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago

Its time to buy a ram if you live not in California

[-] ThePantser@lemmy.world 10 points 9 months ago

Sure would be nice if we had a federal vehicle emissions test or even just a safety inspection. At least for federally owned roads.

[-] ares35@kbin.social 6 points 9 months ago

these owners aren't likely to bring their truck in to get 'fixed'.

[-] bluGill@kbin.social 4 points 9 months ago

If your bring your truck in to a dealer the dealer often will automatically apply all recalls. Cummins can also get third party mechanics involved. While the dealer or mechanic knows their customer doesn't want this recall applied, they also have various other legal issues that are even more important - dealers may risk their entire dealership if they get caught not applying this recall.

That these vehicles are recalled can also be tracked other ways. If governments really care they will not renew your license without proof that the recall was applied. (I don't think they have ever done this but is in their power)

[-] DemBoSain@midwest.social 3 points 9 months ago

EPA only requires recall tracking for 18 months. After that they give up. Also:

...we (EPA) may inspect or test the engines/equipment only if the purchaser permits it, or if state or local inspection programs separately provide for it.

Enforcement of emissions regulations are very reliant on state inspection programs, and not every state has an inspection program.

In this case, Cummins would only contract with outside mechanics if dealers were unable to handle the volume or modifications. If an owner brings their vehicle to a third-party, Cummins is still responsible for paying for the fix. But in this case the fix seems to be an update to the ECU, which is generally only accomplished at a dealer.

Driver licensing/vehicle registration is handled by the states, and would only be in jeopardy if a state has an inspection program.

The EPA reserves the right to extend a recall program, and in this case the publicity certainly warrants it. But aside from living in a CARB state or having to pass a different inspection, there's no enforcement of recall compliance.

[-] Car@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 9 months ago

Don’t see how it could be any other way.

If Cummins could manufacture and sell compliant engines which met performance goals and customer expectations, they would. Writing has been on the wall for tampering with diesel engine emissions in the US for a while now.

[-] CowsLookLikeMaps@sh.itjust.works 10 points 9 months ago

I hope it at least makes them quieter so I can sleep at night but I won't hold my breath.

[-] Car@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 9 months ago

Unlikely. That would require adding in significant sound deadening to almost the entire engine bay and restricting exhausts more than they already are with diesel particulate filters and cats. If you ever check out the car audio enthusiasts, you can see they easily spend a few thousand applying deadening materials to their vehicles and increasing their weight to boot.

[-] ThePantser@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago

We can't move to electric any faster. I hate loud engines. Then you have the trifecta, loud engines, loud exhaust, and booming sound systems. And cops don't give a shit but shit is falling off my walls when they drive by or I feel ill when sitting next to them at a red light.

[-] Car@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 9 months ago

I feel you. Noise pollution is bad in some places. You have to play your music really loud for it to bother people next to you.

this post was submitted on 11 Jan 2024
401 points (99.0% liked)

News

23293 readers
5038 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil


Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban. Do not respond to rule-breaking content; report it and move on.


2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.


Obvious right or left wing sources will be removed at the mods discretion. We have an actively updated blocklist, which you can see here: https://lemmy.world/post/2246130 if you feel like any website is missing, contact the mods. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted seperately but not to the post body.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source.


Posts which titles don’t match the source won’t be removed, but the autoMod will notify you, and if your title misrepresents the original article, the post will be deleted. If the site changed their headline, the bot might still contact you, just ignore it, we won’t delete your post.


5. Only recent news is allowed.


Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.


6. All posts must be news articles.


No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials or celebrity gossip is allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis.


7. No duplicate posts.


If a source you used was already posted by someone else, the autoMod will leave a message. Please remove your post if the autoMod is correct. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.


8. Misinformation is prohibited.


Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.


9. No link shorteners.


The auto mod will contact you if a link shortener is detected, please delete your post if they are right.


10. Don't copy entire article in your post body


For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS