TL;DR Between 2019 and 2021, Mizumo Auto knowingly sold 1,609 illegal “defeat devices” designed to bypass emission control systems in diesel trucks. These “EGR delete kits” disabled critical technology meant to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter, prioritizing corporate profit over the air quality and respiratory health of the public.
While the EPA did eventually intervene, the low financial penalty highlights a systemic failure in corporate accountability.
I invite you to read on to discover how neoliberal market structures allow such misconduct to thrive at the expense of our collective well-being.
Mizumo Auto’s Environmental Misconduct
Corporations often view environmental regulations not as safeguards for human life, but as hurdles to be circumvented in the pursuit of “efficiency.”
Mizumo Auto, headquartered in El Monte, California, exemplified this trend by distributing 1,609 aftermarket components specifically engineered to “defeat” the EPA’s Clean Air Act– regulations designed to protect our lungs from toxic pollutants of the air.
These components, known as Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) delete kits, were explicitly designed to block the recirculation of exhaust gases in heavy-duty diesel engines from manufacturers like Ford, General Motors, and Fiat Chrysler.
By rendering these emission controls inoperative, Mizumo Auto effectively turned every vehicle equipped with their kits into a mobile source of uncontrolled pollution. This assault was a calculated business model which prioritized corporate greed over the basic right to breathe clean air.
Timeline of Evasion
The misconduct was a sustained campaign of environmental degradation spanning several years. Under the framework of corporate accountability, the EPA eventually caught up with Mizumo’s digital paper trail through e-commerce platforms.
| Date | Event |
| Jan 1, 2019 – Sept 10, 2021 | Mizumo Auto sells 1,609 illegal EGR delete kits across the United States. |
| Sept 10, 2021 | The EPA issues an Information Request regarding the sale of illegal parts. |
| Oct 5, 2022 | The EPA issues a formal Notice of Violation for 1,609 separate counts of tampering. |
| Feb 6, 2024 | A Consent Agreement and Final Order is filed, settling the civil claims. |
Corporate Pollution and the Public Health Crisis
The “EGR delete kits” sold by Mizumo Auto targeted systems designed specifically to reduce NOx emissions. Nitrogen oxides are precursors to ground-level ozone and smog, which trigger asthma attacks, chronic bronchitis, and premature death.
This right here is corporate pollution at its most visceral.
By disabling these systems, Mizumo actively contributed to the “mounting dangers to the public health and welfare” that the Clean Air Act was intended to prevent. When a corporation sells 1,609 devices that significantly increase the toxic output of diesel engines, it is committing a quiet form of violence against the most vulnerable members of society, including children, the elderly, and those living in smog-congested urban corridors.
Neoliberal Capitalism and the Erosion of Corporate Ethics
Under the logic of neoliberal capitalism, the environment is an “externality”. Which be a cost that the general public bears while the corporation privatizes the profit. The failure of corporate ethics here is systemic. Mizumo Auto “knew or should have known” that their products were illegal, yet the market provided an incentive to continue selling them until the state intervened.
This case demonstrates a total absence of corporate social responsibility. Instead of innovating within the bounds of the law to protect the commons, Mizumo entity chose the path of least resistance: breaking the law to capture the “performance” market of diesel enthusiasts who wish to bypass environmental standards.
Readers of this website can find the enforcement action against Mizumo by visiting the EPA’s website: https://yosemite.epa.gov/OA/RHC/EPAAdmin.nsf/Filings/8F4F564CD5DAB3CD85258B35007E94FA/$File/Mizumo%20Auto%20(CAA-09-2024-0029)%20-%20Filed%20CAFO.pdf
💡 Explore Corporate Misconduct by Category
Corporations harm people every day — from wage theft to pollution. Learn more by exploring key areas of injustice.
- 💀 Product Safety Violations — When companies risk lives for profit.
- 🌿 Environmental Violations — Pollution, ecological collapse, and unchecked greed.
- 💼 Labor Exploitation — Wage theft, worker abuse, and unsafe conditions.
- 🛡️ Data Breaches & Privacy Abuses — Misuse and mishandling of personal information.
- 💵 Financial Fraud & Corruption — Lies, scams, and executive impunity.
