Diesel Tuners Hit With $1 Million Fine For Emissions Tampering

The EPA’s fight against coal rollers continues as the agency slapped two Idaho tuning shops with a $1 million total fine for selling diesel emissions defeat devices. according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice. GDP Tuning and Gorilla Performance, and their owner Barry Pierce, racked up the fine for selling “tens of thousands” of tuning devices that allowed diesel truck owners (read: assholes) to bypass emission control components.

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The EPA alleges that the shops sold devices and “accomplishing software which, when used together, tampered with vehicles’ onboard diagnostic systems.” GDP Tuning pleaded guilty after being charged with conspiracy to violate the Clear Air Act. Gorilla Performance and Pierce himself pled guilty to charges that they violated the CAA by tampering with monitoring devices of an emissions control system of a diesel truck.

“The defendants in this case purposefully violated laws that protect air quality and the overall quality of life for Idahoans, especially vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly and those who suffer from respiratory conditions,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho Josh Hurwit said in a statement.

GDP Tuning allegedly bought and sold devices and software that would allow truck owners to reprogram their vehicle’s OBD system. It tampered with emissions monitoring built into the diagnostic system and allowed the removal of the vehicle’s emissions control equipment without detection by the OBD.

Additionally, Gorilla Performance — GDP’s national wholesale operation — and Pierce operated a retail shop and auto repair garage in Idaho where customers’ trucks were deleted and tuned, according to the release from the DOJ.

As I’m sure you know, there are tons of air pollutants in diesel exhaust, and tuning these trucks means they are spewed right into the atmosphere we all share. When deleted, the EPA apparently quantified the increases in pollutants as follows:

NOx increases 310 timesNon-methane hydrocarbons increase 1,400 timesCarbon monoxide increases 120 timesParticulate matter increases 40 times.

The release says that the EPA found that more than 500,000 diesel pickups in the U.S. — about 15 percent of all the diesel trucks on the road — have tuned emissions controls.

According to Autoblog, it’s very likely that Gorilla Performance and GDP will be banned from selling diesel defeat devices and related components. It’s also likely that the shops will be barred from sharing intellectual property or processes behind the devices and their installation.