EPA sues EZ Lynk over emissions defeat devices

EPA sues EZ Lynk

The U.S. Government has filed suit against EZ Lynk for selling emissions defeat devices in violation of the Clean Air Act (CAA). The EPA related lawsuit alleges that the Defendants manufacture and sell
a defeat device that allows vehicle owners to remove computerized emissions controls in
violation of the Clean Air Act. The complaint also alleges that EZ LYNK, GINTZ, and WOOD violated the
Clean Air Act by refusing to provide EPA with information about the manufacture, sale, and use of EZ
LYNK’s defeat device.

The suit claims that the EZ Lynk System consists of three components: the Auto Agent, which is a physical device that plugs into a vehicle’s computer systems to install software designed to “delete” emissions controls. Tthe EZ Lynk Cloud is a cloud computing platform that stores the deletion software; and the Auto Agent App, a smartphone application that connects the Auto Agent to the EZ Lynk Cloud, allowing customers to acquire and install deletion software through their smartphones. EZ LYNK has sold its product to thousands of drivers across the United States.

The EPA suit claims that EZ LYNK knows and has reason to know that the principal effect and use of this product is to defeat emission controls. The suit alleges that EZ LYNK maintains an online “EZ Lynk Forum” on social media to encourage and assist drivers looking to disable their vehicle emissions controls using the EZ Lynk System.

Hundreds of drivers have visited the EZ Lynk Forum to post their experiences of “deleting” emissions controls using the EZ Lynk System. EZ LYNK representatives have explicitly approved many
of the posts, and in some instances have offered technical support to drivers disabling emission controls. On the forum, one owner wrote, “If everyone keeps their mouth shut about deleting sooner or later the EPA will calm down.”

The suit claims that since the EZ Lynk System launched in mid-2016, EZ LYNK has manufactured and/or sold at least tens of thousands of the system.