The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced a $525 million civil penalty against Hino Motors and its U.S. subsidiaries. In late 2020, Hino paused U.S. truck production due to difficulty meeting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency emissions regulations.

The following year, Hino announced that it would begin using Cummins engines in its heavy truck models because it was unable to meet emissons regulations with its proprietary engines.

The fines resolve claims for falsified data for heavy-duty diesel engines, as well as related civil claims by the United States on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

$1.6 Billion in Total Fines

This settlement is part of a larger resolution of the federal government’s criminal and civil claims, and other claims by California, against the companies. 

According to news reports, all told, Hino will pay out $1.6 billion to resolve the emissions fraud scheme.

The Hino judgement is also the largest settlement that NHTSA has ever been involved in.

The settlement was reached after an extensive investigation by NHTSA in coordination with the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. DOT Office of Inspector General, the EPA and CBP.

Failure to Comply

Hino failed to comply with NHTSA fuel consumption requirements, the agency said.

The OEM also admitted it submitted false or fraudulent carbon dioxide emissions test data for the model year 2017 and 2018 J05E engines, resulting in false fuel consumption values being submitted for Hino’s heavy-duty engines.

Under the terms of the settlement, Hino admits to submitting false or fraudulent emissions test data, and agrees to file timely, complete and accurate submissions in the future as required by NHTSA’s fuel consumption program.

Hino Motors is majority owned by Toyota Motor Corp. and is headquartered in Hino, Tokyo.

“This settlement is a win for the American people and holds Hino Motors to account for falsifying fuel consumption data. NHTSA takes violations of federal law very seriously,” NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman said. “We would like to thank our federal partners – the U.S. Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. DOT Office of Inspector General and U.S. Customs and Border Protection – for their invaluable work on this important case and for helping us deliver this record settlement.”