Harley-Davidson to pay US $12M for illegal motorcycle emissions

According to the US Justice Department, Harley Davidson has agreed to pay USD 12 million dollars to settle a lawsuit filed by the government accusing the two wheeler maker of selling illegal aftermarket components that result in pollution greater than certified amount.

In a statement, the Milwaukee-based company said that the settlement represents “a good faith compromise with the EPA on areas of law we interpret differently, particularly EPA’s assertion that it is illegal for anyone to modify a certified vehicle even if it will be used solely for off-road/closed-course competition.”

However, EPA alleges that most of these after market “super tuners” (which are termed by the government as defeat devices) are being used on public roads. The tuners improve power and performance but also increases the pollutants.

The government also accuses Harley Davidson of selling 12,600 units that were not covered by EPA certification regarding clean air compliance. The company is also directed to stop selling such super tuners by August 23, buy back and destroy the stock from its dealers.

Harley Davidson also must deny warranty to the customers who continue to use these tuners. Around 340,000 such devices are said to be in use on US motorcycles since 2008. From now on, every such aftermarket tuners by Harley Davidson is subject to approval by Californa Air Resources Board (CARB) before they can be sold in the US.

This article first appeared on Rushlane.com