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Violation Tracker Individual Record

Company: Hino Motors
Current Parent Company: Toyota
Penalty: $1,600,000,000
Year: 2025
Date: January 15, 2025
Offense Group: environment-related offenses
Primary Offense: air pollution violation
Mega-Scandal: Emissions Cheating
Violation Description: The U.S. Justice Department, the Environmental Protection Agency, the FBI, Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and State of California reached criminal and multiple civil resolutions, valued at over $1.6 billion, with Hino Motors, Ltd., Hino Motors Manufacturing U.S.A., Inc. and Hino Motors Sales U.S.A., Inc. for violations related to the submission of false and fraudulent engine emission testing and fuel consumption data to regulators and the illicit smuggling of engines into the United States. This unlawful conduct allowed Hino, a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, to improperly secure approvals to import and sell, and cause to be imported and sold, more than 110,000 diesel engines in the United States from 2010 to 2022. These engines were primarily installed in heavy-duty trucks manufactured and sold by Hino nationwide. As part of the global resolutions, Hino Motors, Ltd. has agreed to plead guilty to engaging in a multi-year criminal conspiracy. The plea agreement, which is subject to approval by the court, requires it to pay a criminal fine of $521.76 million, serve a five-year term of probation -- during which it will be prohibited from importing any diesel engines it has manufactured into the United States -- and implement a comprehensive compliance and ethics program and reporting structure. Hino Motors, Ltd. also agreed to entry of a forfeiture money judgment against it in the amount of $1.087 billion. Pursuant to the plea agreement, Hino's future payments towards its civil settlement obligations, as well future payments as part of a civil class action settlement brought by private plaintiffs, will be credited towards its criminal forfeiture money judgment obligation. In separate civil resolutions of environmental, customs and fuel economy claims by the federal government and the State of California, Hino will pay a civil penalty of $525 million based on its demonstrated financial condition. Other provisions of the civil agreement include: A mitigation program, valued at $155 million, to offset excess air emissions from the violations by replacing marine and locomotive engines, and installing locomotive idle reduction technology systems, throughout 49 states (excluding California), including the reduction of over 41,000 tons of nitrogen oxides emissions; a recall program, valued at $144.2 million, to modify violative engines in 2017-2019 heavy-duty trucks so they comply with U.S. and California emissions laws; $123.6 million to fund mitigation projects and enforcement costs in California; and $30.3 million to resolve California False Claims Act claims.
Level of Government: federal
Action Type: agency action
Agency: Justice Department Civil Division
Civil or Criminal Case: civil and criminal
HQ Country of Current Parent: Japan
Ownership Structure of Current Parent: publicly traded
Major Industry of Current Parent: motor vehicles
Specific Industry of Current Parent: motor vehicles
Source of Data: (click here)
Source Notes: If an online information source is not working, check the Violation Tracker Data Sources page for an updated link.
Current parent company note: Parent-subsidiary relationship is current as of the most recent revision listed in the Update Log.