NEW YORK — The U.S. government on Monday sued the automobile device manufacturer EZ Lynk, accusing it of selling “defeat devices” to enable car and truck owners to disable their vehicles’ emission controls at the push of a button.
In a complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan, the U.S. Department of Justice said the company’s EZ Lynk System has enabled thousands of drivers to “delete” emissions controls from Ford, GMC and Chrysler trucks, among other vehicles.
The lawsuit seeks civil penalties for violations of the federal Clean Air Act, and a halt to further sales and installations of the EZ Lynk System.
EZ Lynk is based in the Cayman Islands. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Lawyers for the company and the other defendants could not immediately be identified.