Over 600,000 Ram Pickup Trucks to Be Recalled

Over 600,000 Ram pickup trucks will be recalled because the engine manufacturer, Cummins Inc., installed software that illegally bypassed emissions testing and certification requirements, violating the Clean Air Act and California law.

The company will also pay a $1.675 billion civil penalty, the largest ever in a Clean Air Act case, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

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Under the settlement, Cummins must repair and replace the engine control software in some 2013–2019 Ram 2500 and Ram 3500 diesel engine pickup trucks. It must also extend the warranty period for certain parts in the repaired vehicles, allocate funds to reduce ozone-creating nitrogen oxides (NOx) emitted from vehicles and implement new procedures designed to prevent future emissions cheating.

NOx contributes to smog and fine particulate matter that is harmful to children, older adults, people who are active outdoors and people with heart or lung diseases.

Repairs to the affected trucks will be free of charge and involve only software updates.

Cummins must also fix at least 85 percent of Ram trucks with the illegal software within three years. Additionally, the company must conduct ongoing tests on some of the repaired trucks to ensure they meet emissions standards.

As with previous cases involving other manufacturers, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) discovered “defeat devices” — software installed with the intent to manipulate emissions testing — in Ram trucks with Cummins engines.

In 2015, the EPA warned manufacturers that it intended to carry out specialized tests aimed at pinpointing defeat devices.

That same year, Volkswagen admitted to equipping almost half a million cars with devices to defeat U.S. smog tests, emitting 40 times more pollution than standards allowed.

In 2019, Fiat Chrysler faced consequences because it didn’t disclose defeat devices installed in more than 100,000 EcoDiesel Ram 1500 and Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles.