(VOR News) – The Hino Toyota truck manufacturer will be required to pay over $1.6 billion and enter a plea of guilty to offenses that include the unlawful smuggling of engines into the United States, as well as the submission of false and fraudulent engine pollution testing and fuel consumption data to authorities.
Hino Motors, a Toyota subsidiary, made its first public admission in 2022 that it had been systematically manipulating emissions figures since 2003. The company’s official entry was initiated at this juncture.
Simultaneously, this event was a component of a more extensive scheme that encompassed emissions testing and other automobile manufacturers. Hino was able to illegally acquire authorization to import and sell, as well as cause to be imported and sold, over 110,000 diesel engines in the United States between 2010 and 2022.
Hino Department of Justice
The organization was capable of accomplishing this during its unlawful operations. The preponderance of the engines were installed in heavy-duty trucks that Hino manufactured and distributed throughout the nation.
In a statement issued by Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Justice Department, it was asserted that “Hino was aware of the standards that engines must meet in order to be certified to operate in the United States, yet it falsified data for years to circumvent regulations.”
Hino’s actions not only violated the environmental, consumer protection, and import restrictions that our nation has in place, but they also led to a substantial increase in the permissible level of air pollution.
Hino Motors Ltd. has pleaded guilty to the allegation of participating in a criminal conspiracy that lasted for an extended period.
The company is obligated to pay a criminal fine of $521.76 million, serve a five-year probationary period during which it will be prohibited from importing any diesel engines manufactured in the United States, and implement a comprehensive compliance and ethics program, as well as a reporting structure, in line with the terms of the plea agreement, which is subject to the court’s approval.
Furthermore, Hino has consented to the enforcement of a forfeiture money judgment that has been issued against it. The judgment is estimated to be worth $1.1 billion.
Hino’s future contributions to civil settlement requirements, as well as future payments made as part of a civil class action settlement brought by private plaintiffs, will be applied to the requirement that the criminal forfeiture money judgment be satisfied as a condition of the plea bargain..
This is the case because the plea agreement stipulates that Hino would fulfill both of these obligations.
Criminal and civil settlements have been reached by numerous government agencies, including the Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Customs and Border Protection, the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Transportation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the State of California, as a consequence of negotiations with Japanese Hino.
Currently, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan is deliberating whether or not to approve these resolutions.
Engine Certification Approvals
In accordance with the provisions of its plea agreement, Hino has acknowledged that it submitted and caused to be submitted counterfeit applications for engine certification approvals between 2010 and 2019. Furthermore, the organization disclosed that it had falsified the data it had submitted for the carbon dioxide emissions test.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Hino announced that the agreements it has reached have resolved all of the lingering legal issues in the United States that were linked to its previous emissions problems.
As a result, our customers and other stakeholders have encountered a significant amount of inconvenience, and we sincerely regret this.
According to Satoshi Ogiso, the Chief Executive Officer of the organization, “We have implemented company-wide reforms to prevent the recurrence of this type of issue.” These reforms will significantly enhance our organization’s internal culture, governance, and compliance standards.
About the Hino Toyota Truck Manufacturer
Hino Motors, Ltd., commonly called Hino, is a Japanese company that makes commercial vehicles and diesel engines, including buses and trucks. Based in Hino, Tokyo, the company was founded in 1942 after being spun off from earlier manufacturers.
Hino operates as a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, a relationship that began with a partnership in 1966 and grew stronger when Toyota took a majority stake in 2001.
This connection allows Hino to use Toyota’s advanced engineering and production systems while focusing on medium- and heavy-duty trucks.
Hino manufactures a variety of vehicles under its brand, such as the globally recognized Hino 500 and 700 series, as well as the L Series and XL Series for the U.S. market. The company also produces parts and vehicles for Toyota, including the Land Cruiser Prado and components for models like the Tacoma and Tundra.
In the U.S., Hino Motors Manufacturing U.S.A., Inc., a fully owned subsidiary, builds medium-duty trucks (Class 6 and 7) at its Mineral Wells, West Virginia plant. It also makes parts like axles and suspension systems in Marion, Arkansas. Internationally, Hino has factories in Thailand, Canada, and Indonesia, reinforcing its position as Japan’s top truck producer and the third-largest worldwide after Daimler Truck and Navistar International.
Hino has a track record of developing fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles. However, the company faced a major setback with a U.S. emissions fraud case. In 2025, Hino admitted to falsifying emissions data for over 110,000 diesel engines made between 2010 and 2022.
They agreed to plead guilty and pay more than $1.6 billion in penalties, highlighting the challenges of balancing compliance with competitive manufacturing. Despite this, Hino remains a key player in the commercial vehicle industry, representing Toyota’s truck division worldwide.
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