The EPA and the Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced a settlement with COBB Tuning Products. This company, which makes parts for cars, was caught selling illegal devices that break the Clean Air Act. These devices, called “defeat devices,” allow cars to bypass emissions controls that help protect the air we breathe.
As part of the deal, COBB will have to pay over $2.9 million and stop selling these illegal products.
What Are Emissions Defeat Devices?
Defeat devices are tools or software that turn off a vehicle’s emissions controls. Emissions controls are systems that reduce pollution from cars. When these controls are turned off, vehicles pollute much more than they are supposed to.
COBB sold over 90,000 of these illegal devices since January 2015. These devices caused cars to release more nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide than allowed. These pollutants harm the environment and can make people sick.
David M. Uhlmann, Assistant Administrator for the EPA’s Office of Enforcement, explained, “Defeat devices significantly increase air pollution from motor vehicles, particularly in communities that already are overburdened by pollution.”
What COBB Tuning Has to Do
As part of the settlement, COBB Tuning must do several things to follow the law. The company has to:
- Stop making and selling all defeat devices.
- Remove illegal features from its car tuning software.
- Destroy any illegal products still in its warehouses.
- Stop offering support or warranties for products it sold in the past.
- Change its ads to follow the Clean Air Act.
- Inform customers that their products violate the law.
- Train employees to follow the law.
Along with paying the $2.9 million penalty, COBB is allowed to keep selling legal car tuning products that meet emission standards set by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
How Defeat Devices Harm Health
Using defeat devices has serious effects on air quality and health. Nitrogen oxides, one of the pollutants these devices release, can cause smog, which makes it harder to breathe, especially for people with asthma. Other harmful gases, like hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide, make the air even worse.
Communities already facing pollution are hit the hardest. Todd Kim, Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, stressed the importance of the Clean Air Act in protecting the environment and public health. “We are committed to enforcing the Clean Air Act, which remains one of our most important tools in helping to secure and maintain a clean environment,” he said.
Ongoing Efforts to Stop Illegal Devices
The action against COBB Tuning is part of a larger effort by the EPA to stop companies from selling illegal products that increase pollution. Over the past few years, the EPA has been cracking down on defeat devices and other products that hurt the environment.
Other companies have also been penalized and forced to stop selling similar products. The EPA and DOJ are working to ensure that companies follow the Clean Air Act and stop contributing to illegal pollution.
What’s Next for COBB Tuning?
COBB Tuning now has to make big changes. The company will no longer sell defeat devices and must notify customers that these products break the law. They also need to train their staff to understand and follow the Clean Air Act.
Even though COBB has to stop selling illegal products, it can still sell tuning software and other products that meet legal emissions limits. These products, certified by CARB, will not cause more pollution than the law allows.
This settlement serves as a warning to other companies. The EPA and DOJ have made it clear that they will continue to go after those that break the law.
For more information on this case, check the COBB Tuning Performance Settlement Information Sheet on the EPA’s website.
