California Air Resources Board

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Settles For $6,994,517.94

In December 2021, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) reached a settlement with American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (Honda), with its principal location in Torrance, California, in the amount of $6,994,517.94 for violating CARB’s air quality regulations. Of the total amount, $3,943,785.94 will be deposited into CARB’s Air Pollution Control Fund, which provides funding for projects and research to improve California's air quality. The remaining amount of $3,050,732 will fund several Supplemental Environment Projects (SEP), which are entitled the following:

• “Installation of Air Filtration Systems in Schools-Oakland,“ and “Installation of Air Filtration Systems in Oakland – Phase 2,” which provide installation of Air Filtration Systems in schools of Oakland, in multiple phases;
• “SEI Air Quality Education Program – Contra Costa,” and “SEI Air Quality Education Program – San Diego,” which aim to educate students about the impact of air pollution on human health and the environment, and to create solutions to reduce air pollution sources; and
• “Saving the Lives of West Fresno Elementary School Students by Replacing HVAC Units.”

An investigation conducted by CARB staff showed that Honda failed to meet the Evaporative Emissions Regulation by failing to: a) obtain an Executive Order pursuant to the certification requirements (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 13, § 2753); b) meet the diurnal emission standards (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 13, § 2754); c) properly label the engines (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 13, § 2759); d) follow certification procedures for running changes (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 13, § 2753); and e) follow Small Off‑Road Engine Evaporative Emission Control System Certification Procedures (CP‑902). CARB documented violations as they related to the Evaporative Emission Requirements for Off‑Road Equipment Regulation (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 13, §§ 2750-2774). To settle the case, Honda agreed to the penalty of approximately $46 per Small Off‑Road Engine violation for a total of $6,994,517.94.

Terms of this settlement include a requirement for Honda to submit and implement a Corporate Compliance Plan to comply with all CARB regulations going forward. In addition, Honda shall forfeit 79,865 credits banked due to their MY19 evaporative emission compliance test failure to offset the excess emissions. Honda fully cooperated with CARB to resolve this matter.

CARB and Honda reached a previous settlement for similar Small Off-Road Engine violations in April 2020.

Return to 2021 Case Settlements

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