Volkswagen was the main manufacturer singled out during Dieselgate, which broke out in 2015, but after multiple investigations it turned out that the German group was far from the only one to integrate devices aimed at cheating the vehicle’s control system.

Nine years later, justice continues to work around various scandals that could have erupted, and today it is the turn of the American engine manufacturer Cummins to be at the center of a big case, accused of equipping hundreds of thousands of Ram (Stellantis) vehicles with devices designed to cheat emissions controls.

A large fine to avoid trial

But, as is often the case in the United States, these types of issues are resolved more or less quickly when big money is involved. To avoid legal action, Cummins agreed to pay $1.67 billionThis is stated in the message of the Ministry of Justice last Friday.

The agreement, which is still subject to review by a federal court in Washington, was made between Cummins on the one hand and the US federal authorities and the state of California on the other. The lawsuits concern an alleged violation of the Clean Air Act (CAA), which requires vehicle and engine manufacturers to ensure that their products meet emission limits.

If the agreement is ratified, it would be the largest penalty ever imposed under the CAA, which was passed in 1963, and the second largest in a pollution case. The largest sanctions to date were imposed on oil group BP in 2010, when it paid $20 billion to avoid a lawsuit related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Was Stellantis spared?

According to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Cummins is accused of setting up “equipment” such as spare parts or bypass software, cheat or disable emission control devices. These practices are believed to have taken place between 2013 and 2023.

The Justice Department says that Cummins would have equipped 630,000 Ram 2500 and Ram 3500 pickups with these devices between 2013 and 2019. In addition, the company is accused of installing a “auxiliary emission control device” for 330,000 units of these two models between 2019 and 2023.

In response to questions from AFP, the Stellantis group, which owns the Ram brand, referred any inquiries about parts to Cummins, stressing that the latter is still one of its suppliers.

In its statement, Cummins claims to have achieved a “Extensive internal review and cooperation with regulators for more than four years”. The company denies any bad faith and wrongdoing, specifying that it has not found evidence on this account. Cummins also announced a recall of affected vehicles.

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