Harley-Davidson fined millions over ‘tuner’ devices

Harley-Davidson fined millions over ‘tuner’ devices.

It’s nothing like the recent ‘dieselgate’ scandal that’s rocked the like of VW in the car world, but the far-reaching after-effects of a ruling by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) in the USA could well be felt across the globe.

The EPA and the American Department of Justice (DOJ) have reportedly fined Harley-Davidson $12m for the firm’s Screamin’ Eagle tuner devices.

H-D will also pay out £3m towards cleaning up air pollution and has agreed to stop selling the tuner chips. The iconic firm has also reportedly agreed to by back or destroy any such items that increase air pollution from the company’s motorcycles.

A report on top American motorcycle website Asphalt&Rubber by the excellent Jensen Beeler says that H-D has sold a staggering 340,000 of these devices. Beeler also has this quote from the EPA: “This settlement immediately stops the sale of illegal aftermarket defeat devices used on public roads that threaten the air we breathe,” said Cynthia Giles, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Harley-Davidson is taking important steps to buy back the ‘super tuners’ from their dealers and destroy them, while funding projects to mitigate the pollution they caused.”

“Given Harley-Davidson’s prominence in the industry, this is a very significant step toward our goal of stopping the sale of illegal aftermarket defeat devices that cause harmful pollution on our roads and in our communities,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden, head of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “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.”