eBay being sued by US government over sale of harmful vehicle products

The online auction platform is accused of allowing the sale of defeat devices in the US

eBay being sued by US government over sale of harmful vehicle products

The US government is suing eBay for allowing the sale of unsafe products on its online auction platform, including devices that defeat car pollution controls.

If the complaint by the Department for Justice (DOJ) is upheld, eBay could face millions of dollars in penalties, including up to $5,580 (£4,500) for each Clean Air Act violation.

Among the complaints, eBay is accused of selling at least 343,000 products that enable engines to generate more power and achieve better fuel economy by bypassing emissions controls.

In a statement, the DOJ said: “Aftermarket defeat devices significantly increase pollution emissions – including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and nonmethane hydrocarbons – that harm public health.“

Assistant attorney general Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) added: “Laws that prohibit selling products that can severely harm human health and the environment apply to e-commerce retailers like eBay just as they do to brick-and-mortar stores.

“We are committed to preventing the unlawful sale and distribution of emissions-defeating devices and dangerous chemicals that, if used improperly, can lead to dire consequences for individuals and communities.”

Responding to the accusations, eBay said: “Maintaining a safe and trusted marketplace for our global community of sellers and buyers is a fundamental principle of our business at eBay.

“We dedicate significant resources, implement state-of-the-art technology and ensure our teams are properly trained to prevent prohibited items from being listed on the marketplace. Indeed, eBay is blocking and removing more than 99.9 percent of the listings for the products cited by the DOJ, including millions of listings each year.

“And eBay has partnered closely with law enforcement, including the DOJ, for over two decades on identifying emerging risks and assisting with prevention and enforcement.

“The Government’s actions are entirely unprecedented and eBay intends to vigorously defend itself.”

1 Comment

  1. Banning products that improve economy and replace expensive poorly designed components that make an engine steadily more unefficientbis not a good idea

    Reply

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