Harley-Davidson Inc.HOG -1.54 % will pay $15 million to resolve USA claims that it violated air pollution laws, authorities said Thursday.
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The lawsuit is related to 12,682 motorcycles that did not conform with EPA regulations governing engine emission standards, according to court filings.
The company agreed to offer to buy back all of the devices, cease selling the tuners and destroy them.
The Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency announced the settlement Thursday. “In our view, it is and was legal to use in race conditions in the U.S”.
The devices at issue increase motorcycle performance, but also increase output of nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons, the government said, which contribute to ground-level ozone and particulate matter pollution.
Harley must obtain a certification from the California Air Resources Board for any tuners it sells in the United States in the future.
The case is U.S. v. Harley-Davidson Inc., 16-cv-1687, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia (Washington).
“Anyone else who manufactures, sells, or installs these types of illegal products should take heed of Harley-Davidson’s corrective actions and immediately stop violating the law”.
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They had earlier fallen as much as 8 percent after news of the allegations had surfaced in a USA lawsuit filed in Washington, but before the settlement was announced.
