Toyota Motor unit Hino Motors has agreed to a $1.6 billion settlement with US agencies and will plead guilty over excess diesel engine emissions in more than 105,000 US vehicles.
The Japanese truck and engine manufacturer was charged with fraud in US District Court in Detroit for selling 105,000 heavy-duty diesel engines in the United States from 2010 through 2022 that did not meet emissions standards. A company-commissioned panel found that Hino had falsified emissions data on some engines going back to at least 2003.
The settlement, which must be approved by a US judge, includes a criminal penalty of $521.76 million, $442.5 million in civil penalties to US authorities and $236.5 million to California. Hino agreed to plead guilty to engaging in a multi-year criminal conspiracy and serve a five-year term of probation, during which it will be barred from importing any diesel engines it has manufactured into the US.
Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim said Hino “falsified data for years to skirt regulations,” adding that the company’s actions led to vast amounts of excess air pollution and were an egregious violation of the nation’s environmental, consumer protection, and import laws.
Under the settlement, Hino will also carry out a comprehensive compliance and ethics program and will be required to implement a mitigation program and recall program to offset excess air emissions and fix engines in heavy-duty trucks.