WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - American Suzuki Motor Corporation and Suzuki Motor Corporation must pay an $885,000 penalty for allegedly importing and selling 25,458 uncertified all-terrain vehicles and off-road motorcycles.
According to environmental laws, ATVs and motorcycles that are not certified may not have proper emissions controls and can emit excess hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides. These contribute to the formation of ground level ozone, or smog, said the Environmental Protection Agency, which announced the settlement.
The Clean Air Act prohibits any vehicle or engine from being imported into or sold in the United States unless it is covered by a valid, EPA-issued certificate of conformity indicating that the vehicle or engine meets applicable federal emission standards.
The Suzuki ATVs and off-road motorcycles were uncertified because they were manufactured with an undisclosed electronic emission control configuration that would allow the vehicles to be modified for increased horsepower through the installation of an aftermarket part, the EPA said. The violations were identified and self-disclosed by Suzuki.
Suzuki will implement three emission mitigation projects to reduce hydrocarbon emissions by 210 tons or more. The projects include replacing older unregulated gas cans with gas cans that meet current evaporative emission requirements, discontinuing the sale of high-permeability fuel line hoses and installing evaporative emission control devices on certain models of highway motorcycles sold throughout the United States.