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