Cummins 6.7L Turbo Diesel Emissions Scandal: Engine Manufacturer Agrees To Pay Record Fine

Defeat device is the legalese way of saying that a manufacturer is hiding the real-world emissions of a vehicle with some lines of code in the engine control module. Columbus, Indiana-based Cummins will pay a staggering $1.675 billion for unlawfully altering hundreds of thousands of 6.7-liter turbo diesels, namely engines fitted to Ram heavy-duty trucks.

The aforementioned fine is the largest civil penalty ever secured by the Justice Department under the Clean Air Act to date. It's also the second largest environmental penalty ever secured. Back in 2016, BP p.l.c. was ordered to pay over $20 billion for the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. As a brief refresher, the British Petroleum-operated drilling rig exploded on April 20, 2010. The resultant oil spill was closed by a cap on July 15, 2010. Just around 4.9 million barrels of oil spilled in total.

Turning our attention back to Cummins, it should be highlighted that settlement does not mean admission of guilt. By comparison, Fiat Chrysler pleaded guilty in 2022 over a diesel emissions fraud probe involving the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel in the Ram 1500 and Jeep Grand Cherokee for the United States market. All told, FCA US LLC agreed to pony up $96.1 million for the fine and forfeit a further $203.6 million.

According to press release published today, Cummins states "the company has seen no evidence that anyone acted in bad faith and does not admit wrongdoing." As per Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, "our preliminary estimates suggest that defeat devices on some Cummins engines have caused them to produce thousands of tons of excess emissions of nitrogen oxides."

Cummins further claims that it has the liquidity and capital to satisfy all necessary financial obligations. Emissions-cheating software was installed in almost a million heavy-duty trucks produced by Stellantis (formerly Fiat Chrysler) under the Ram brand. More specifically, 630,000 units of the 2013 to 2019 model year Ram 2500 and 3500 with the 6.7-liter turbo diesel inline-six engine, plus 330,000 units of the 2019 to 2023 Ram 2500 and 3500.

Cummins and the Dodge Ram became best buds for the 1989 model year with the introduction of the 160-horsepower 6BT, a 5.9-liter workhorse that belts out 400 pound-feet (542 Nm) of torque. The 2007 model year saw the introduction of the 6.7-liter engine. Both the original 6BT and the 6.7 are members of the long-running B series engine family.

Cummins advertises the Ram HD-specific Cummins 6.7 turbo diesel I6 with 15,000-mile oil change intervals, although that may a bit optimistic if you tow on a daily basis. At press time, both the Ram 2500 and Ram 3500 are listed as 2023 models on the truck brand's website. The three-quarter-ton version is available with the standard-output diesel, which rocks 370 horsepower and 850 pound-feet (1,152 Nm) as opposed to 410 horsepower and 429 pound-feet (582 Nm) for the 6.4-liter HEMI.

Level up to the one-ton 3500, and the high-output diesel promises up to 1,075 pound-feet (1,458 Nm). Be that as it may, Ford offers way more in the F-Series Super Duty. More to the point, the 6.7-liter Power Stroke delivers up to 1,200 pound-feet (1,627 Nm). As for General Motors, the 6.6-liter Duramax in the Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD is rated at 910 pound-feet (1,234 Nm).