Cummins Set To Recall 600,000 Ram HD Trucks For Emissions Cheating

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released new details on its settlement with Cummins Inc. on Wednesday. In the statement, the DOJ included a mandatory recall of approximately 600,000 Ram 2500/3500 Heavy Duty trucks to remedy the emissions control devices that can bypass or defeat emissions controls.

Cummins has been required to pay a $1.675 billion civil penalty to settle claims that were announced in December. It marks the largest penalty handed out yet under the Clean Air Act. In addition to that, Cummins is required to pay $325 million on remedies, bringing the penalty for the violations to more than $2 billion. The suit was brought on by the DOJ, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), California Air Resources Board (CARB), and the California Attorney General.

“Let this settlement be a lesson: We won’t let greedy corporations cheat their way to success and run over the health and well-being of consumers and our environment along the way,” stated California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

Over the past decade, Ram 2500/3500 Heavy Duty pickup trucks equipped with the 6.7-liter Cummins I-6 turbodiesel engine incorporated the bypassing engine control software. According to the Associated Press (AP), that includes 630,000 trucks that were installed with illegal defeat devices and 330,000 equipped with undisclosed auxiliary emissions control devices.

Officials could not give an exact number of how many of those vehicles are still on the road.

Cummins continues to claim that it has not done anything wrong and must undergo a nationwide recall of more than 600,000 units of noncompliant Ram Heavy Duty pickups, in addition to the recall efforts previously conducted, the AP said. Cummins says that the engines that are not being recalled did not exceed emissions limits.

Stellantis released a statement, saying that “we are looking forward to obtaining certainty as we conclude this lengthy matter and continue to deliver on our mission of powering a more prosperous world.” The automaker deferred comment on the case to Cummins, which said that Wednesday’s ruling does not involve any more financial commitments than those announced in December.

We expect a recall to be formally announced in the upcoming weeks. Stay tuned to MoparInsiders.com and HDRams.com for more details on the recall as information becomes available.

Source: Associated Press