General Motors (GM) will pay nearly $146 million in penalties to the federal government due to non-compliance with emissions and fuel economy standards by 5.9 million of its older vehicles, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced. Certain GM vehicles from the 2012-2018 model years were found to emit over 10% more carbon dioxide and consume more fuel than initially reported by GM’s compliance tests, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The affected models, which include full-size and midsize SUVs and pickups such as the Chevy Tahoe, Cadillac Escalade, and Chevy Silverado, will remain in use and cannot be repaired to meet the standards.

The EPA mandated GM to forfeit approximately 50 million metric tons in carbon credits and cancel over 30.6 million fuel economy credits from the 2008-2010 model years. These actions are expected to cost GM an additional $490 million as per their recent SEC filing. Despite agreeing to the penalties, GM stated that they have complied with all relevant regulations and did not admit to any wrongdoing.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan highlighted the importance of such enforcement in reducing air pollution, while environmental advocates and analysts noted potential impacts on GM’s reputation. The Justice Department has not commented on potential legal actions, and the EPA clarified that no recall of the vehicles is necessary.