The United States Department of Justice recently issued a $ 180 million fine against Japanese automaker Toyota for the company’s alleged violations of the reporting requirements of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air Act. The veteran automaker’s violations reportedly lasted for about a decade, from about 2005 to at least 2015.
According to the DOJ on Thursday, Toyota delayed filing about 78 emissions defect information reports related to millions of vehicles. The Justice Department also claimed that Toyota did not file 20 voluntary emissions recall reports, as well as 200 quarterly reports that were supposed to update the EPA on emissions-related recalls, according to a report by the Wall Street Newspaper.
Audrey Strauss, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, noted that Toyota’s stock undermined the EPA’s self-disclosure system. This delayed or prevented the implementation of recalls related to the relevant emissions and benefited the company at the expense of excess emissions.
“For a decade, Toyota has consistently violated regulations that provide the EPA with a critical compliance tool to ensure that vehicles on the road meet federal emission standards. Toyota turned a blind eye to non-compliance, failing to provide training, attention and supervision appropriate to its reporting obligations under the Clean Air Act.
“Toyota’s actions undermined the EPA’s self-disclosure system and likely led to recalls related to delayed or avoided emissions, resulting in financial benefit for Toyota and excessive emissions of air pollutants. Today, Toyota pays the price for its misconduct with a $ 180 million civil fine and a settlement order to ensure that its violations do not recur, ”said Strauss.
Susan Bodine, Assistant Administrator of the EPA Compliance and Enforcement Office, described Toyota’s actions as a serious violation of the Clean Air Act. “For a decade, Toyota failed to report mandatory information about potential defects in its cars to the EPA, keeping the agency in the dark and avoiding supervision,” said Bodine.
A Toyota spokesman noted that the company reported five years ago that there was a “gap in the process” that resulted in delays in filling out some non-public EPA reports by the automaker. The spokesman noted that Toyota has finally submitted all of the relevant delayed findings and that the company has started new reporting and compliance processes. “We recognize that some of our reporting protocols have fallen short of our own high standards and are pleased to have resolved this issue,” said the spokesman.
According to the DOJ, Toyota’s $ 180 million fine is the largest civilian penalty to date linked to violations of the EPA’s emissions reporting requirements.
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