Leading motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson agreed to settle $15 million penalties with government regulators after its “super tuner” devices were found to violate the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) emissions limits, according to a report.
The settlement comes after the EPA, through the US Justice Department, filed a complaint alleging the company made or sold 340,000 defeater devices that improved engine performance at the expense of compliance to the exhaust levels that the company certified with the government.
A spokesperson for Harley-Davidson, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the company disagrees with the EPA’s position but it will move forward and settle.
The complaint and consent decree does not categorically assign wrongdoing to Harley-Davidson. But the popular bike maker has agreed to stop selling the super tuners and buy back and destroy the supply still in stock with dealerships within the month.
Apart from the settlement, the firm also pledged to contribute $3 million to a clean air project.
The EPA discovered the alleged violations during a routine inspection, after which it launched an investigation that led to the settlement.
